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| Wilson Calls For Expanding And Investing In Public Education |
January 24, 2000 |
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Upcoming legislation will address teacher training, charter school financing, and expanded pre-school programs
ALBUQUERQUE -- Congresswoman Heather Wilson announced today that education will be a large focus for her during the 2nd half of the 106th Congress. She will introduce legislation to improve teacher training and development; establish a Federal Charter Loan Guarantee Fund; and improve early childhood education for the poorest children. Her comments came today during a congressional field hearing on lowering the drop-out rate in New Mexico and the country.
"If the twenty-first century is to be just as much an American century as the twentieth century, we must improve and expand public education, and no child should be left behind," Congresswoman Wilson said before members of the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce.
"The education that was good enough for our grandparents was not good enough for us. And what is good enough for us will be woefully inadequate for our children," said Wilson-herself a parent of two young children.
Wilson said that today's testimony by New Mexicans will help shape ideas for three pieces of legislation that she will introduce in the session of Congress that is about to begin. The following is a brief summary of her proposed legislation:
1. Teacher Training: Wilson will introduce legislation to improve teacher training and professional development, including progams to make it easier for second career teachers to get into the classroom.
2. Charter School Loan Guarantee Fund: Wilson will introduce legislation to establish a Federal Charter School Loan Guarantee Fund. Charter Schools provide options within the public school system, but, in most states are held back by the lack of facilities and capital money. A federal loan guarantee fund for charter schools could make banks more willing to lend, and would lower interest payments. The federal government would realize a cost only if the charter school defaulted on its loans.
3. Improving Early Care and Education: Wilson will introduce legislation to improve early childhood education for the poorest children by requiring that any federal childcare funds must pay at or above market rates for child care and pay a premium for accredited care.
"These legislative initiatives are only the beginning. I look forward to working with community leaders in Albuquerque, state officials in Santa Fe, and my colleagues in Washington to ensure that the children who graduate from high school in 2020 are ready to build the next American century," Wilson told the committee.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce decided to hold a field hearing on drop-out prevention in Albuquerque after Congresswoman Wilson requested them to do so. Twelve New Mexicans, including students, childcare professionals, and educators, testified before the congressional committee today about high quality early education, teacher training, and the role of charter and alternative schools in reducing the dropout rate. |
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