Date: 2007-12-17
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. Members of the House. I want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding. and I want to recognize the difficult choices that the Appropriations Committee had in dealing with the education portion of this legislation. At a time when this administration is almost $55 billion behind its promises to the American people. to the parents of this country. to the children of this country. to the educators of this country. of the resources that would be available in title I. we find that. in fact. we are only going to be able to add about $1 billion. a little over $1 billion this year. which is completely insufficient. at a time when schools and school districts are struggling to make the reforms required under No Child Left Behind. But I want to thank the Appropriations Committee. because as difficult as that choice is to only provide that small amount of money. they were able to make of that portion of the money almost $500 million available to schools in need of improvement. These are schools that we were supposed to have started helping out 3 and 4 years ago. This is the first time this money has ever been put in this budget to help these schools that have been recognized as needing very substantial improvement to improve the opportunities of the children in those schools for a decent education. but this bill is the first time that we have done that. The administration has ignored that over the last 6 years. I also see that the. committee was able to restore some of the money for educational technology. a subject that is becoming more and more important in terms of improving our schools. improving the opportunity of students to learn. and improving opportunities for students to understand the technologies that they are going to have to grasp in the workplace and in higher education. The Presidents budget zeroed that money out. The Appropriations Committee. under the leadership of Mr. OBEY. was able to restore almost all of it. the money that was available in the last year. Now I see that we have been able to add $259 million to IDEA. which is able to take it above the Presidents request. which was a cut in education for students with disabilities. Once again. the Republicans. when they were in the minority. promised -that they would fully fund IDEA because districts are struggling with the education of students with disabilities. and they signed letters. they passed resolutions. they did all of it. The day they came in power. they stopped funding IDEA. So it has been flatfunded while school districts struggle with both trying to deal with school reform and the education of students with disabilities. So this committee. I think. made some good choices. difficult choices. insufficient choices. But if you look at what the President had recommended for educational technology. if you look at what the President had recommended to help schools with English learners in those schools. this is a dramatically better budget. but an insufficient budget for the education. but it is completely insufficient for the education of Americas children. Dont go home and tell your constituents how well you understand the tools that they need to compete in a globalized world. in a globalized economy. because you have absolutely failed to provide them. and this administration has failed to provide them. Fortunately. the Appropriations Committee has been able to recalibrate some of the numbers and to move some of the money around for these highpriority areas. I am only so sorry that we werent able to do better by Americas children and their families.