Education
3/30/2006
Education
Congressman Reyes' views on education.
 If there is any objective that should command absolute bipartisan consensus, it is to ensure that every American has the chance to be educated, and subsequently, the chance to succeed. As a nation, one of the most important priorities should be to ensure that all Americans have the best education in the world. It is vital to the interest of our nation that we maintain quality public education.
In our global economy, receiving a good education has never been more important. A quality education includes a host of activities, all of which need and deserve full funding. Programs that serve a variety of student groups, from pre-kindergarten to college students to adults seeking education, have one common goal: to provide the tools our citizens need to succeed in today's economy. In addition, our educational system needs to be held accountable to the taxpayers who support this public system. Although the vast majority of funds which contribute to our public schools come from local and state taxes with the federal share accounting for a much smaller percentage, I believe that federal government has a critical role in assisting states to develop high education standards and supplementing state funding efforts with targeted programs.
A recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics found that 11 million students, or one in every four, attend school in less than adequate conditions, with 3.5 million of these students attending class in school buildings classified in poor condition. Furthermore, the National Education Association estimates that there are over $300 billion in unmet school infrastructure needs nationwide. It is deplorable that we allow the schools in this country, the wealthiest country in the world, to be overcrowded, have leaky roofs, crumbling ceilings and faulty heating systems. Our students deserve the best possible opportunities that we can provide them and this starts with safe schools and classrooms. In El Paso, there are nine school districts. In one school district alone it is estimated that the unmet school construction need is over $250 million. That's in one school district! We are not unique in this regard, and I believe it is critical to put appropriate resources towards correcting this problem.
The Higher Education Act (HEA) is the source of over $52 billion in federally supported grant, loan, and work-study assistance to help meet the costs of postsecondary education. The HEA also supports several programs that complement this student aid by providing services and incentives to disadvantaged students to help increase their secondary or postsecondary educational attainment. Foremost among these programs are the federal TRIO programs and the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP). These programs deserve federal government support as do programs such as High School Equivalency Progam (HEP), and College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). GEAR UP encourages disadvantaged children to have high expectations, stay in school, study hard and make appropriate decisions that will lead them on the road to a college education. HEP provides academic and support services to migratory and seasonal farm workers and their families to obtain the equivalent of a high school diploma and to gain employment or begin post-secondary education or training. CAMP assists students enrolled in the first undergraduate year at an institution of higher learning to complete their program of study for that year. With high school dropout rate so high among Hispanics, programs like GEAR UP, HEP, and CAMP are critical. Since I was elected, I have done everything in my power to protect and augment these important programs. For example, my colleagues and I have fought to increase the TRIO allocation from $600 million in 1999 to $833 million this year.
It must also become a national priority to provide funds to support students who are already enrolled in college. The federal Pell Grant program is the single largest source of grant aid for undergraduate post-secondary education attendance funded by the federal government. Pell Grants serve as the foundation for all federal aid awarded to undergraduates. I am committed to increasing the amount of funds available under the Pell Grant program so that this important program can continue and grow. Since my election to Congress, I have worked with my colleagues to increase the amount appropriated to the federal Pell grant program. In 1998, $7.2 billion was authorized for Pell grant with a maximum individual award of $1,876 per student per year. This year, the Pell grant was funded at $12.5 billion with the maximum individual award of $2,462.
The fight regarding vouchers continues on Capitol Hill. I support public school choice and oppose private school vouchers. While public school choice challenges public schools to raise their standards of achievement and discipline for all students, private school vouchers take public funds away from public schools, which are open to all students, and shift them to private schools, which can exclude students based on their ability to pay. Rather than taking funding dollars from public schools, federal funding should be increased for public school choice programs and expansion of early childhood education opportunities for our nation's children should be a national priority.
In regard to school choice, in El Paso, I am actively working to establish a Real World School. The Real World School will be modeled after the highly successfully Center for Advanced Research and Technology or CART program implemented in Fresno, California. El Paso's Real World School will target middle-of-the-road students and give them opportunities to succeed in various fields such as biomedical research, engineering, and science. The program will be managed by a governing board made up of community, school, and business leaders who will leverage funds to build facilities, institute the program, and develop and maintain the curriculum. The school districts will own the facility.
At the elementary and secondary level, I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress to establish and fund and programs we need to attract and retain good teachers. I will continue to support programs that promote safe and drug-free schools and will work to create school-to-work opportunities for students who do not plan to attend 4-year colleges. I will oppose vouchers that run against the democratic cornerstone of ensuring equal opportunity to education for all. I will support initiatives that expand public school choice and charter schools to provide parents with options while ensuring public accountability.
At the post-secondary level, I remain committed to provide federal support for UTEP and EPCC , and to supporting federal programs that help make a college education affordable for all. I have worked closely with my colleagues to increase federal funds for Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for colleges such as UTEP. Since I was elected to Congress, funds for HSIs have increased from $12 million to over $92 million this year. I have also brought federal funds to support important local programs such as $3 million for the Materials Corridor Initiative and $2.5 million for UTEP's Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy. I have also secured federal funds to support a Texas Tech diabetes research program and a program on healthy aging as well as a collaborative migrant health program between UTEP and Texas Tech.
|
