Herb Kohl: “I rise today to oppose the Gregg amendment. This amendment would entirely eliminate the $925 million in this bill that…”

“I rise today to oppose the Gregg amendment. This amendment would entirely eliminate the $925 million in this bill that is intended to help school districts with critical construction and renovation needs, and instead divert it to title I. I strongly support both of these important programs. Title I serves our Nation's most disadvantaged children and helps ensure that they have the same educational opportunities as more affluent children. I am pleased that the bill before us includes a nearly $1.5 billion increase in title I for fiscal year 2002. I am committed to working to further increase title I funding this year and in future years, as it is the cornerstone of our Federal commitment to help low-income students succeed. While I appreciate the goals of the Gregg amendment and agree that title I must be one of our top priorities, I cannot support it at the expense of legitimate and urgent school construction needs. In my home State of Wisconsin, nearly 80 percent of schools were built before 1969. In a recent survey of 881 Wisconsin schools, the total statewide cost of all repairs and renovations that are needed to put schools in good overall condition was $1.55 billion. Clearly, we have a serious need to address school construction and renovation. Unfortunately, this amendment presents the Senate with a false and unnecessary choice.”