It's Time for Congress to Keep It's Promise to America's Children and Leave No Child Behind

By Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, Member of Congress

  There are some people who could care less about the welfare of children. And some of them appear to be in Congress.

  As the 2003-2004 school year nears its mid-year mark, Missouri schools lack essential funding necessary to meet standards mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA). This has left students failing to achieve as they should and many St. Louis area public school districts at risk of being declared failing school districts.

  In 2001 Congress passed the NCLBA. To date, there has been a woeful lack of funding for the NCLBA. Unfortunately, the appropriations bill that the Republican House Leadership passed this summer falls about $8 billion below the funding level promised in the No Child Left Behind bill. No Democrat voted to support this bill because in addition to under-funding the NCLBA, it only funds a portion of what was promised for Title I and falls more than $1 billion short of funding promised in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act reauthorization bill or IDEA.

  I am an avid supporter of the intent of the No Child Left Behind Act. Every child should have an opportunity for a quality public education. And our schools should be held accountable for teaching the skills our children need to succeed. For this legislation to be effective, however, Congress must fully fund the NCLBA.

  When the NCLBA became law, President Bush and the Republican Leadership made a promise to our local schools. In exchange for increased accountability they promised to provide adequate resources and support to help school districts meet a higher standard of excellence.

  The Republican Leadership's failure to fully fund the NCLBA essentially breaks this promise - by falling $8 billion short of the necessary funding and making it impossible for many St. Louis schools to meet the high standards set by the NCLBA.

  Through letters and phone calls, I have heard pleas from local taxpayers asking that the NCLBA not become another unfunded mandate, like the IDEA. In 1975, Congress promised to fund 40 percent of the cost of educating special needs children if public schools would include these children in their classrooms. The schools did - Congress didn't. The closest the federal government has come to keeping its promise was in fiscal year 2003, providing just 18.3 percent of the promised 40 percent.

  By now you may have come to the same conclusion that I did -- Congress must act to fully fund and fix the NCLBA for it to truly be effective. The federal government must provide our schools the resources they need to meet challenges imposed as part of NCLBA. It is simply a matter of fairness and common sense.

  In an effort to address the problems that this unfunded mandate is causing our schools, I am cosponsoring HR 2394, the Keeping Our Promises to America's Children Act of 2003 (K-PAC).
  HR 2394 provides that if Congress fails to keep its promise to fully fund NCLBA, some new federal requirements it imposes on local school districts can be delayed. The Secretary of Education would be prohibited from penalizing, sanctioning or reducing support to the state or school district for this action.

  Programs that could be deferred or suspended if the money is not made available, include provisions of the law requiring compliance with testing and accountability requirements.
  The reality is, Congress must provide our schools sufficient resources they need to meet challenges imposed as part of the NCLBA. This is something that the Republican Leadership has not done and because of that, America will pay a severe price in the years to come. It does not serve this nation to produce undereducated children who grow up to be undereducated, under-trained adults.

  I understand that by investing in education, we invest in the strength of our economy.

  St. Louis schools are already struggling with state budget shortfalls. They need help from the federal government, not hurdles, to achieve the goal of adequately educating our children.

  I am committed to ensuring that our children receive quality education and I will continue, on their behalf, representing your interests in the U.S. House of Representatives.