Copyright 1999 Federal News Service, Inc.
Federal News Service
SEPTEMBER 14, 1999, TUESDAY
SECTION: IN THE NEWS
LENGTH:
816 words
HEADLINE: PREPARED TESTIMONY OF
JIM
JEFFORDS
UNITED STATES SENATOR
VERMONT
BEFORE THE
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS
SUBJECT - EDUCATIONAL READINESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
BODY:
Today we will have the opportunity to
hear from five witnesses who will offer their perspectives on funding for
programs that are designed to address the vital educational needs of our
Nation's children. There is no task that we can undertake that is of greater
importance to the future of our Nation. It is a particular pleasure to see Ben
Cohen, co-founder of the company that makes the world's finest ice cream.
The purpose of this morning's hearing is to take a few moments to step away
from the tempest that surrounds the current budget debate and to ask ourselves a
few fundamental questions. Too often we allow ourselves to become constrained by
what is commonly understood to be practical or possible and fail to explore the
possibilities that arise when we dare to challenge the status quo. Today I want
to challenge our panelists to "think out of the box" and talk about where
additional funding for early childhood and education programs could have the
most dramatic impact upon student achievement. My hope is that this hearing will
be another step in an effort to dramatically change the terms of the Federal
debate about education funding.
You may recall that in 1994 and 1995 we
found ourselves in a similar place. The political landscape was dominated by the
budget debate and proposals were being put forward to slash Federal support for
education. In an effort to change the terms of the debate, I began, along with
my colleague Senator Dodd, a nationwide campaign to raise public awareness of
the importance of Federal funding for education Known as the 1% solution, we
proposed to increase the Federal investment in education by at least 1% of the
total share of Federal spending on education until it became 10 percent of the
total budget.
We didn't accomplish this goal but we tried to change the
debate and successfully turned aside the proposed cuts. Federal discretionary
spending on elementary, secondary, and vocational education grew by 19% between
FY 1994 and FY 1999. Over the same period, we nearly doubled our investment in
education for individuals with disabilities.
In early February I conducted a
hearing on Federal funding for education at which I expressed my deep
disappointment in the education budget submitted by the President. This budget
called for a mere 3.9% increase in funding for programs that are absolutely
vital to our Nation's future. I called upon Congress and the White House to
recognize the importance of ensuring the availability of a high quality
education to all of our children regardless of their socio- economic background.
Because of my strong belief that the Federal investment in education must
remain one of our strongest priorities, I applaud this morning's witnesses for
working to build nation-wide support for an increase in Federal education
funding. These funds are needed to support the education of children with
disabilities. They are needed to ensure that all children, regardless of whether
they live in cities, suburbs, or the villages and towns of Vermont, have access
to a high quality education. They are needed to ensure that all children
desiring the rewards of a higher education have the resources to make their
dream possible.
These programs enjoy strong bipartisan support. This
committee unanimously approved a resolution which I introduced calling for
increased funding for Pell Grants and campus-based aid. The House of
Representatives passed a similar resolution calling for more funds for student
financial assistance. In addition, Senator Gregg and Senator Lott have been
tireless champions of increased funding for IDEA. By working together we can
build the coalition that will be needed to fund these and other programs at
appropriate levels.
At a time when much is made of the issues which divide
us, it is refreshing to find areas where there is so much common ground on which
to stand. Making wise investments in education is clearly one of those areas.
The bipartisan record of accomplishment achieved by this committee during the
last Congress supports my assessment.
We began with the reauthorization of
IDEA, continued our efforts with the enactment of the Workforce Investment Act
and the Carl D. Perkins VocationalTechnical Education Act Amendments, moved on
to the Reading Excellence Act and concluded with enactment of the Higher
Education Act Amendments of 1998. This year we completed our unfinished business
from last Congress by enacting the Education Flexibility Partnership Act. In
all, we brought about the enactment of 12 major education bills. It is my hope,
and my expectation, that we will continue this record of rising above partisan
differences and joining together to address our children's educational needs.
Thank you. I look forward to hearing from this morning's panelists and
working with them to increase the Federal investment in education.
END
LOAD-DATE: September 15, 1999
