H. Res. 303

In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

October 12, 1999.

Whereas effective teaching begins by helping children master

basic academics, holding children to high standards,

using effective, scientifically based methods of instruction

in the classroom, engaging and involving parents, creating safe and orderly classrooms, and getting dollars to

the classroom;

Whereas our Nation’s children deserve an educational system

that provides opportunities to excel;

Whereas States and localities must spend a significant

amount of education tax dollars applying for and administering Federal education dollars;

Whereas the administrative costs of the United States are

twice the average of other countries in the Organization

for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD);

Whereas it is unknown exactly what percentage of Federal

education dollars reaches the classroom, but according to

the Department of Education, in 1998, 84 percent of the

Department’s elementary and secondary education dollars

were allocated to local educational agencies and used for

instruction and instructional support;
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Whereas the remainder of the Department’s dollars was allocated to States, universities, national programs, and

other service providers;

Whereas the total spent by the Department for elementary

and secondary education does not take into account what

States must spend to receive Federal dollars and comply

with requirements, it also does not reflect what portion

of the Federal dollars allocated to school districts is spent

on students in the classroom;

Whereas American students are not performing up to their

full academic potential, despite significant Federal education initiatives, which span multiple Federal agencies;

Whereas according to the Digest of Education Statistics, during the 1995–96 school year only 54 percent of

$278,965,657,000 spent on elementary and secondary

education was spent on ‘‘instruction’’;

Whereas according to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 1996, only 52 percent of staff employed in public elementary and secondary school systems were teachers;

Whereas according to the latest data available from the General Accounting Office, in fiscal year 1993, Federal education dollars funded 13,397 full-time equivalent positions in State educational agencies;

Whereas in fiscal year 1998, the Department of Education’s

paperwork and data reporting requirements totaled

40,000,000 ‘‘burden hours,’’ which is the equivalent of

19,300 people working 40 hours a week for one full year;

Whereas too much of our Federal education funding is spent

on bureaucracy, special interests, and ineffective pro-
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grams, and too little is effectively spent on our Nation’s

youth;

Whereas getting 95 percent of all Federal elementary and

secondary education funds to the classroom could provide

substantial additional funding per classroom across the

United States;

Whereas more education funding should be put in the hands

of someone in a child’s classroom who knows the child’s

name;

Whereas burdensome regulations, requirements, and mandates should be removed so that school districts can devote more resources to children in classrooms; and

Whereas President Clinton has stated: ‘‘We cannot ask the

American people to spend more on education until we do

a better job with the money we’ve got now.’’: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives urges

2 the Department of Education, States, and local edu3 cational agencies to work together to ensure that not less

4 than 95 percent of all funds appropriated for the purpose

5 of carrying out elementary and secondary education pro6 grams administered by the Department of Education is

7 spent to improve the academic achievement of our children

8 in their classrooms.

Attest:

Clerk.