Gephardt Statement on Bush Visit to St. Louis, MO

January 5, 2004 -

Des Moines - Rep. Dick Gephardt made the following statement today on President George W. Bush's visit to LaClede Elementary in St. Louis, Missouri and the impending second anniversary of the signing of No Child Left Behind.

"The second anniversary of No Child Left Behind would mean more to America's students and teachers if George Bush hadn't broken his promise to make funding public education as important as raising standards in our schools. George Bush didn't just break the spirit of his promise to improve public education; he broke the obligation of the federal government to our students, educators and local communities to help them reach higher standards.

"The impact of that broken promise is real. Over 50,000 teachers will not receive the training and professional development they were promised. Over one million children will go without after-school programs because the Bush administration cut after-school programs by 40 percent. Funding for bilingual education was cut for the first time ever. And the Bush proposal for the future of Head Start will result in larger class sizes and less health and nutrition services.

"I have a different approach to education. I will fully fund No Child Left Behind and make the necessary changes to the law to achieve high standards while incorporating greater input from state and local educators. I will expand the availability of after-school programs and Head Start and place more emphasis on helping young students begin to learn by creating a network of early childhood education centers called Brightness Centers.

"We also need to guarantee students that education doesn't stop after high school. I'll make the first $10,000 of college education costs tax deductible and I'll tell students interested in attending college that if they train to be a teacher and teach for five years where they are needed, the federal government will pay their school loans. If it's good enough for our military, it's good enough for our teachers and the next generation of students.

"George Bush always makes time for campaign photo-ops in the Midwest and fundraising events, but he's shortchanging our future by not taking the time to make critical investments in public education."