Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 -- (Senate - October 26, 2005)

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Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I thank our leaders on education: Senator Byrd on Title I, Senator Dodd on the Head Start program, and Senator Clinton on IDEA. As I did yesterday, I pay tribute to the chairman of the subcommittee, Senator Specter, because when education issues have been before the Senate, he has voted for increases in funding.

But the Senator from West Virginia will remember, during the budget consideration, this body asked for $5 billion more in education funding. The budget went to conference. We did not get $5 billion. We did not get $4 billion. We did not get $3 billion. We did not get $2 billion. We did not get $1 billion. We got zero.

Now we have the opportunity, with the amendment offered by the Senator from West Virginia, to do something for the neediest children in this country. Those are Title I children.

In the early 1960s, this Nation made a commitment and said: For the poorest of the poor children in this Nation, we are going to recognize a national responsibility. Those were Title I children. We have, over a long period of time, tried to focus on improving opportunities for the most disadvantaged students. But as my friends and colleagues on our Education Committee said, we heard the President of the United States say: We are going to do even more for those children with the No Child Left Behind Act. Instead what we have seen is a failure to meet that commitment.

One of the most important reasons for supporting the Senator from West Virginia, the Senator from Connecticut, and the Senator from New York on their amendments is that we find, when we provide this help and assistance, it works. You have positive results.

I refer you to what has happened in my own State of Massachusetts. Today, in my State of Massachusetts, we are No. 1 in the country for fourth graders and tied for first for eight graders on the Nation's Report Card because we did a real No Child Left Behind, the Education Reform Act, 8 years before the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law. The reforms included smaller class sizes, better trained teachers, and supplementary services. Parents were involved in decisionmaking. This is what the Senator from West Virginia wants to do. He wants to make sure the whole country can catch up and make sure we keep the commitment we made when this President signed the No Child Left Behind Act and said we were going to have proficiency guaranteed to all the children in this country. The Senator from West Virginia says: Well, we are not going to leave the more than 3 million children behind who will be left behind without his particular amendment. I thank the Senator from West Virginia for offering the amendment. I hope the Senate will adopt it.

Finally, Mr. President, I am a strong supporter of and pay tribute to our leader on Head Start, the Senator from Connecticut, who used to be the chairman of our children's caucus. He has been the battler and fighter for the program. Every study shows that the money invested in children at the earliest age is the most productive and useful in education. Head Start children are less likely to repeat a grade, less likely to need special education services, and more likely to complete school. I also applaud the work of the Senator from New York on IDEA. We are far behind in meeting our responsibility to many of the children who have faced some of the most difficult challenges--those who have both physical and mental disabilities. The amendment offered by the Senator will go a long way to providing the resources needed to ensure that students with disabilities receive the resources they need to succeed. I applaud her efforts.

With these amendments on Title I, Head Start and IDEA, we have an opportunity to speak about the future. Education is about opportunity. It is about fairness. It is about competitiveness. And it is about national security. Hopefully, the Senate will go on record and support these three measures. Our children and our schools need our help. They need it now more than ever, and so does the Nation. I urge my colleagues to approve all three of these amendments.

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