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WASHINGTON, DC -- Representative George Miller (California), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today at a committee mark-up of H.R. 2123, “The School Readiness Act of 2005.”
I’d like to thank Chairman Boehner, Mr. Castle, Ms. Woolsey, and their staffs for working to put a bipartisan bill in front of us today. Though not perfect, this bill makes some very positive changes for the children and families in Head Start. I’m pleased to see that the Republican bill responds to Democratic concerns by excluding the state block grants that would have ended Head Start as we know it.
The legislation improves Head Start’s academic content and requirements, so that the program will continue to make progress in closing the gap between poor children and their more advantaged peers.
This bill requires more coordination between Head Start and state-run pre-kindergarten programs and it helps states develop strategies for a more effective and efficient early education system.
This bill makes it possible for more children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers – who have been grossly underserved – to participate in Head Start. It also increases funding for Indian Head Start programs.
Lastly, this legislation strengthens accountability by requiring more on-site monitoring by HHS and allowing the Secretary to more quickly stop funding the small number of Head Start grantees that fail to use federal dollars wisely and exclusively for the benefit of children.
I would like to point out, however, that there are other provisions in this bill which must be implemented with caution and restraint.
This legislation allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to force poorly-run Head Start grantees to compete to renew their grants. But it is very important that the Secretary focus this effort only on grantees with serious problems. Requiring good programs to re-compete will hurt the children and families served by Head Start because it will destabilize communities, cripple professional development and teacher quality, and undermine community partnerships and collaborative efforts.
I also urge the Secretary to approach changes to program governance with great care. Grantees’ governing boards must understand their responsibilities and remain diligent in their oversight, but this should not come at the expense of Head Start’s focus on helping parents be a key force in their children’s lives and education.
I am concerned that while the bill also increases requirements for teachers, it fails to raise their salaries or provide funds for their professional development. The average salary for a Head Start teacher with a bachelor’s degree is about $25,000 a year. Nothing stops those teachers from taking a job in a kindergarten classroom that pays much more. If we’re serious about improving teacher quality – and we should be – then we have to pay it more than just lip service.
There is one other potential obstacle to the bipartisan tradition on Head Start that has gotten us to this point. There has been talk by the majority about inserting religious discrimination into this bill after it goes to the House floor for a vote. Religious discrimination has no place in federal law, but it would be particularly offensive in a bill designed to advance children’s civil rights.
Head Start began as a civil rights platform, ensuring that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion, have a fair opportunity to succeed in education and life. To allow Head Start grantees to deny employment to teachers on the basis of their religion would fly in the face of the program’s spirit.
Religious discrimination in Head Start employment would block countless parents from climbing a ladder out of poverty offered by Head Start. Already, thousands of parents have gone from being a parent volunteer to a trained and paid Head Start teacher. Parent volunteers will lose important training opportunities in their children’s classrooms and will have full-time Head Start jobs closed to them.
I strongly hope that this remains a bipartisan bill. The good that it achieves for poor children and families is too great to let partisan politics get in the way. A high quality early education is one of the most important things we can give our children. The research is undeniable – Head Start changes lives and saves taxpayer money.
America must make early childhood education a top priority, particularly for young children living in poverty. Poverty can have devastating effects on child development and the lives of families and contributes to an achievement gap before kids even reach kindergarten.
But for millions of families, Head Start provides high quality education, health, nutrition and parent services to help our most vulnerable families have new opportunities to succeed in life. We must do all of this and much more to make sure that children coping with poverty can thrive.
Of course, we cannot argue for improved educational results for poor children while at the same time freezing funding for their education, as occurs in President Bush’ budget. Supporters of an improved Head Start program should also support real funding for Head Start and other educational services. I will continue to press my colleagues to support more funding for Head Start.
Mr. Chairman, you have a tremendous opportunity here. The bill before us is sound and focused on what children need. There is wide support from religious, civil rights, and children’s organizations for the bill as it currently stands. I hope you will stay the course so that we can achieve our mutual goal – a bipartisan Head Start reauthorization.
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