It's no wonder that polls consistently show that Americans say education is one of their chief concerns.

As never before in history, education levels will determine whether people live productive, rewarding lives on the cutting edge or are relegated to the backwaters of our society in the 21st Century.

That's why I - both as a parent AND a member of Congress - make education a top priority. At home, I am "hands on" with my children as they read and develop their computer and "high-tech" skills; and I also teach the basics of respect, honor and merit. As a public official, I have consistently supported SOUND educational spending and programs.

That is why I have voted to increase educational spending in a variety of areas while pressing for more local control of educational decisions that make the difference in success or failure. Many times the Congress has provided even more resources than President Clinton requested. Here are some of the educational spending and reforms that I supported last year as your representative.

• Overall education spending: $35 billion -- $320 million more than President Clinton requested and $2.4 billion more than the previous year
• Elementary and secondary education -- $370 million more than the President sought
• Grants to states for special education -- $5.8 billion, $648 million more than the Clinton Administration request
• Pell Grants to help pay for college - Maximum per student grant increased by $75 to $3,300 - the highest level in history and $50 per student more than President Clinton wanted
• TRIO program for minority and disadvantaged students - Increased by $45 million to $645 million. That is $15 million more than the President had sought.
• Head Start - Increased to $5.3 billion, $608 million more than the previous year
• Safe and drug free schools -- $605 million -- $14 million more than President Clinton asked for and $39 million more than the year before
• Focus federal funds on the classroom -- A resolution expressing the will of the U.S. House that 95 percent of federal education dollars be spent in the classroom
• Teacher Empowerment Act, H.R. 1995 - Improves student achievement through high-quality professional development
• Academic Achievement for All Act - Allows up to 10 states increased flexibility in using elementary and secondary funds

The debate between Democrats and Republicans is NOT about whether education is important. Every responsible person knows that giving our children the very best education possible is the key to our country's economic and cultural health in the century that is now dawning. What does need to be debated is who should make basic educational decisions - Washington bureaucrats or parents, teachers and local school boards. On that question there's no doubt where I stand. Education is, and always has been, the business of state and local government.

That does not mean that the federal government cannot play a role. The federal government should support quality education efforts that produce results, but the federal government should not usurp control of public education in America.

We should resist efforts to create massive Washington-based programs with "one-size-fits-all" requirements. Basic decisions on how to spend the money should remain in the home, the neighborhood school and the local school board. If you have a question about your child's education, it's much easier to visit his or her teacher or go to the local school board than it is to get answers from the tangled federal bureaucracy hundreds of miles away.

Educational decision making should remain at home - where the people are!!!!