December 23, 2001

Washington, D.C.- When President Bush hit the campaign trail last year, he pledged to make education reform his number one priority as president, and to, in his words, "leave no child behind." No one could have imagined the events of this year that would shift our priorities, but the President and Congress have returned to the nation's business. In the House this month, we passed H.R. 1, President Bush's education reform legislation. The bill will not only increase the funding that goes to local schools, but it will also provide more choices for parents to help them provide the best possible education for their children.

When the President signs the bill in January, one of the most significant federal education reforms in a generation will become law. Among other provisions, H.R. 1 will:
Enhance accountability and demand results by issuing annual report cards on school performance and statewide results and authorizing $400 million to help states design and administer tests;
Provide unprecedented state and local flexibility for all 50 states and every local school district in America in the use of federal education funds;
Expand choices by allowing parents to transfer their child to a better-performing public or charter school immediately after a school is identified as failing, would allow federal Title I funds (approximately $500 to $1,000 per child) to be used to provide supplemental educational services - including tutoring, after school services and summer school programs - for children in failing schools and would create a major new expansion of the charter school initiative; and
Triple federal funding for the president's reading initiative;

Another issue this bill addresses is the special needs of rural schools. Rural schools often lack the enrollment, financial resources, and poverty data needed to compete effectively against larger school districts for competitive federal education grants. Rural schools also frequently receive formula grant allocations in amounts too small to be effective. These schools do the best with the tools they have, but it is often done with considerably fewer resources than they really need.

This bill will provide rural school districts with increased flexibility and funding to enhance academic achievement. It will address the unique needs of those districts that cannot compete for federal education grants because they do not have adequate resources. The rural schools in western Oklahoma are a vital piece of the economy for many small towns. Keeping these schools open and successful is an important aspect of keeping our rural areas strong, and this bill will help make that possible.

This legislation is a major victory for children, taxpayers, families and the president. It gives students a chance, parents a choice and America's schools a charge to be the best in the world.