Education

It is often said that education is the wellspring for progress; ignorance is the fountainhead of decline. As the first member of my family to graduate from college and as the former two-term Superintendent of North Carolina's public schools, I know firsthand that education holds the key to our nation's future. The simple fact is that in a global economy, lifelong learning is the pathway to the American Dream.

Our state's students have achieved tremendous success in recent years in improved academic performance. We take pride in our progress, but we must not relent in our efforts to reform, improve and strengthen public schools in North Carolina and across America. We can and must make every school in our country safe, disciplined and drug-free where highly qualified teachers provide effective instruction in the basics. And we can and must dedicate ourselves to the ideal that each and every child in America - regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnic background or family income - deserves the opportunity to obtain a quality education in order for live up to his or her God-given abilities.

As the only former state schools chief serving in Congress, I know firsthand how important quality facilities are to successful schools. In North Carolina our schools are bursting at the seams, and overcrowding impedes the academic mission of our schools.

H.R. 2470, The America’s Better Classrooms (ABCs) Act of 2007, would provide a federal tax credit to bond holders to pay the interest on local school bonds. The state or school district would only be responsible for repaying the principal. The bill would provide federal support in partnership with local officials to leverage about $25 billion in bonds for school construction, which could provide millions in interest-free school construction bonds for new schools in North Carolina.

I introduced similar legislation in my first term in Congress a decade ago, and with the support of Chairman Rangel, the bill is poised for action. As a member of the Budget Committee, I made sure that the budget resolution Congress passed for Fiscal Year 2009 includes a provision that paves the way to approve legislation for tax credits for school construction bonds.

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Watch Etheridge testify about N.C. school construction needs