I still wonder how George Bush ran as the Education President back in the 2000 election. it seems so ludicrous to me. Who would believe it?
Someone did. He may have stolen the election when he had to but he also had so genuine votes. I am sure there are people out there who believed he was going to help our schools. I cannot imagine who this is since the Republicans aren't excatly known for their concern with education.
It isn't just George Bush. The Republican leaders in the Senate can go back to their districts and claim to be support an increase in funding for education. It is the lowest increase in over a decade!! But who really cares?
I do. Nevermind the the No Child Left Behind Act. It judges the schools. The tests supposedly measure the students academic knowledge. As they throw these laws about tests at our schools, they wash their hands of actually funding their own bullshit. What nerve! Talk about setting up schools up to fail. Worse than that, they set up our children to fail.
The Congress is currently considering the FY06 education appropriations bill. The President proposed his budget on February 7, 2005, which recommended cutting education funding by $529 million, the first cut in federal education funding in a decade. See the impact of the proposed budget on each state and congressional district for 15 key education programs.
The House of Representatives passed its version of the FY06 education funding bill (HR 3010) in June, 2005. While the House bill rejects the President's proposed overall cut in education, it provides only a 0.2 percent increase -- the smallest in a decade, cuts funding for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) programs by $802 million, and reduces the federal share of special education funding. See the impact of the House-passed bill on each state and congressional district for 15 programs.
The U.S. Senate Appropriations committee reported its version of the education funding bill to the full Senate in July 2005. The Senate bill includes only an overall 0.3 percent increase in education funding, cuts NCLB programs by $750 million, reduces the federal share of special education funding, and freezes the maximum Pell Grant award for college students for the fourth consecutive year. See the impact of the Senate bill on each state and congressional district for 15 programs.
http://www.nea.org/lac/funding/index.html
This unwillingness by Congress to support the education of our children puts the burden of the funding on the states. Then, where does the burden fall? The people who can afford to pay the most in property taxes get the best schools. The rich kids win. Surprise. Surprise.
The Democratic candidates need to take control of the education issue in this country. I don't mean fake pandering like the Rpeublicans. I don't mean talking about supporting our kids and then turning our backs on them once the dollars need to be spent.
People will support the education of their children. I don't know if the Senate has pass their bill on education funding like the House has. But it is a moot point. We need to get the Democratic Party back in control of the House and Senate. This is truly the only way we will be able to help the future of education in America on a federal level.