Copyright 2000 Journal Sentinel Inc.
Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel
March 10, 2000 Friday FINAL EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 11A
LENGTH: 432 words
HEADLINE:
Democrats seek change in education policy;
Senators, including Kohl, want
radical overhaul of federal spending
BYLINE: FRANK A.
AUKOFER of the Journal Sentinel staff
BODY:
Washington -- Seeking a middle ground in the perennially partisan debate
over public education reform, a group of moderate Senate Democrats, including
Wisconsin's Herb Kohl, introduced legislation Thursday to radically overhaul
federal education policy.
The legislation calls for an increase of
$35 billion in the government's investment in public schools
over the next five years, which the sponsors said would be the single largest
increase in the 35-year history of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act.
An analysis by Kohl's office detailed how
funding for Wisconsin programs would have increased this year if the overhaul
had been in place already. Title I funding, which is aimed at disadvantaged
students, would have increased from $119 million to
$176 million. Funding would have grown from
$21 million to $25 million for programs to
improve teacher quality, and Wisconsin would have gotten $6.7
million for programs to help students with limited English language skills.
The legislation was developed by the newly organized Senate New Democrat
Coalition. A companion bill also was introduced in the House.
Also
Thursday, a Senate committee approved a Republican-backed $20
billion education package that renews most federal spending on schools but also
would give poor parents and local school districts more say over how those
dollars are spent on their children. Senate Democrats say the bill effectively
guts President Clinton's plan for hiring 100,000 new teachers and other priority
programs aimed at helping poor children.
Sponsors of the "New Democrat"
bill call it the "three R's bill" because it calls for reinvestment in education
(the $35 billion funding increase); reinvention, by
consolidating existing programs and funding; and responsibility, by holding
schools accountable for performance.
Most of the dollars in the bill
would be aimed at the nation's most disadvantaged schools, with a goal of
closing the achievement gap between poor minorities and suburban whites.
But state and local education leaders would be given broad latitude in
deciding how to allocate their federal aid to meet specific needs. They would be
required to show annual progress toward performance goals and, if the goals are
not met, they could lose federal funds.
However, the sponsors emphasized
that any sanctions would not punish the disadvantaged students the legislation
is designed to help.
"We need to reward schools that do a good job,"
Kohl said in a statement.
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The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
LOAD-DATE: May 16, 2000
