Public education is one of our nation's highest priorities.  President Bush made education his number one issue the week he was sworn into office.  I have great respect for and deeply appreciate the work done by educators in East Tennessee.  Folks at the local level have a huge responsibility to educate America's youth and I know that all teachers are committed to excellence in education. 

Congress has increased funding for primary, secondary and higher education every year that I have served in the House and we need to continue to make every effort to adequately fund public education at all levels.  But we must realize that simply spending more money will not by itself bring about the changes in education we need.  The distribution of federal dollars also needs to be subject to accountability measures and academic standards set by the states. 

I believe the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) signed by President Bush is a good first step toward providing teachers with the tools they need to teach and students with the resources they need to learn.  But changes already need to be made and the Congress must stay on top of the implementation of NCLB in order for it to work effectively.  I remain committed to improving the important foundation this legislation has laid for the future of education in our country. 

Our children are the most valuable resource we have and each and every child deserves to look with hope to the future ahead of them.