WASHINGTON, D.C. - Unbowed by the September 11^th terrorist attack on the United States, House and Senate negotiators have vowed to forge ahead with final work on education reform in an effort to deliver a bill in the coming weeks that President Bush can sign into law. The next meeting of the 39-member House-Senate conference on education reform, originally scheduled for September 13th, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 25th.

          “This is another clear message to the world that terrorism will not derail America's domestic policy agenda. We remain united in our resolve to give U.S. students the best education in the world,” said Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), the chairman of the House-Senate conference.

          "In the aftermath of last week's tragedies, conferees are more determined than ever to complete work on education reform, which remains a top domestic priority," said Boehner. "Our children are our future, even when our nation is at war. We have a responsibility to work together to finish what has been started. No act of terror will dissuade us from this goal."

          In the days since the postponement of a September 13th conference meeting, work on the education bill has accelerated, Boehner said. House and Senate negotiators plan to meet formally on Tuesday, September 25, 2001 at 2:30 3:40 p.m. in Room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building to ratify another round of agreements. Conference leaders met Wednesday and agreed to the revised schedule.

          Throughout the process, Boehner has urged conferees to target funding increases to proven programs that serve disadvantaged students rather than using the funds to create new, unproven education programs. Boehner has also emphasized that the final bill should include new flexibility at both the state and local level to help teachers and school officials meet the higher accountability standards at the heart of the President’s plan. Parents must be also given significant new options, Boehner has said.

           According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the Senate-passed legislation would increase the overall number of Elementary and Secondary Education Act programs from 55 to 89, while the House-passed version would streamline the overall number from 55 to 47.