Date: 1995-11-29
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank my colleague. the gentleman from South Carolina. when he talks about $12 trillion. That is what. for the next hours. the members of the Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities will talk about. I wish we had $12 trillion to spend on education. but we do not. That is why our committee members are joining today in this special order to highlight the spending cuts that will happen. Mr. Speaker. I do not know about $12 trillion over the next whatever number of years it is. but I know the impact the education cuts are having on my own district from the rescission bill. and the potential for the budget that we will ultimately end up passing. and the lost opportunity we will have. not just for the students who are there this year or next year. but for the next generation that we hope will be the ones who are taking our place here on this floor and taking our place all over the country in the medical schools and in the professions. In the name of deficit reduction. the Congress is cutting the Federal money available for education programs. and I believe we need to balance our budget. However. I do not believe that we must balance it on the backs of those children. The purpose of the deficit reduction is to make America stronger. and we agree with that on a philosophical basis. How can we make America stronger if we are not willing to invest in education? Education is talking about the strength of America. again. not for this year. Mr. Speaker. but for the next 5 and 10 years. and even after that. We should not stand by while the Republican majority destroys the educational system that we have all worked hard to achieve. Mr. Speaker. I know in Houston we have made a solid investment in education and have a lot of individual students who are being successful. part of it because of the Federal funding that goes to the schools in our own district. A good example is Franklin Elementary School in my district. which was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for its educational improvement. The students at Franklin made exemplary progress in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills last year. In 1994. only 35 percent to 59 percent. of the student body passed the TAAS test as we call it. Texas Assessment for Academic Skills. In 1995. due to innovative teacher methods and a significant Federal investment in Franklin and the freedom that we had last year under title I. that school was classified as a recognized school where 75 percent of those children. at least up to 80 percent. are passing their TAAS testing. So we have a threequarter success rate in an innercity school that is eligible and receives both bilingual funding from the State. but also title I. The students at Franklin are especially hurt by the cuts in title I from the rescission bill this year. Currently. Franklin receives about $200.000 in Federal title I funding. If the Housepassed LaborHHS appropriations bill becomes law. Franklin will lose 17 percent or $34.000 of those funds. Harris County in the State of Texas receives $81.1 million in title I funds now. Under the Housepassed bill originally. LaborHHS. Harris County would lose $13.8 million. and under the Presidents budget proposal. Harris County will receive $8 million more. So what we are seeing is a loss. if we add those together of the cuts. plus the potential of $21 million. $21.9 million in loss of Federal funding. We are having great success in our district. I have visited almost every elementary school in my district. I still have a few left that I go into. and I read. like a lot of Members of Congress do. and I see the success every day. I have an innercity district that people say. oh. how can you have education success there? We have it every day. and it is because of the dedicated teachers and parents and administrators and people involved in the community. Mr. Speaker. do not take that success away in the name of tax cuts. and that is what I am pleading. I think today the members of the committee will join in that. Other educational programs hit hardest are the basic math and reading programs. efforts to promote safe and drugfree schools. and resources for State and local officials to implement higher standards in educational technol6gy. Cuts in these vital programs will cause irreparable harm to students in our local community and as well around thecountry. We will be spending $4.5 billion less in 1996. almost a 20 percent of the total Federal aid cut in 1996 than we did in 1995. At the same time. local and Statewide and Nationwide enrollment trends are up. Again. using my own district as an example. our enrollment is up in the Houston Independent School District and in the Aldine School District and the Galena Park School District. We are not seeing declining enrollment. Yet we are saying. okay. you have more students. but we are giving you less money. The Republican budget eliminates also the Goals 2000 funding. severely undermining State and -local efforts to reform elementary and secondary education. In the State of Texas alone. we would lose $29.2 million in the Goals 2000. and we have already completed our planning and begun implementation of comprehensive reforms. as provided by Goals 2000. The Republican budget cuts Federal support for drugfree schools and community programs to the tune of $266 million. or about 60 percent. sharply reducing drug abuse and violence prevention activities serving students in 97 percent of our Nations schools. In Texas. we would lose $18.9 million. The House would cut funds to States ready to implement schooltowork programs by $20.6 million. or by 18 percent. Mr. Speaker. I could go on and on. I intend to as we proceed during this hour. but I would like to yield time to the gentleman from Rhode Island . my colleague.