The federal role in education has been the subject of serious debate lately.
Critics have questioned why the U.S. Department of Education is necessary,
and in the past few months both houses of Congress have considered legislation
to eliminate the agency or merge it into other departments. Thankfully,
those measures were abandoned. But now crucial Education Department initiatives
focused on improving the quality of education across America are at risk.
In a break with long-standing bipartisan support for education, the proposals
now being considered by Congress would gut critical education services and
support for this nation's schools. The U.S. House of Representatives voted
in August to cut $3.9 billion from federal education spending for fiscal
1996. Such a measure would drastically reduce the level of federal investment
in education-cutting help for our poorest schoolchildren, and hurting college
students and their families as they struggle to pay tuition.
The impact of these cuts would be grave. By a slim majority, the House of
Representatives voted to eliminate all funding for the Goals 2000: Educate
America Act, which is now assisting schools in 47 states to raise standards
of discipline and achievement. In addition, the House would slash more than
$1.1 billion for improvement of basic skills in the nation's poorest schools,
and cut nearly 60 percent of funds geared toward creating safe and drug-free
learning environments. And the list goes on. Not one major education program
is spared significant reductions in funds.
Such unprecedented cuts in federal education assistance represent the beginning
of the greatest long-term reduction in federal support for education in
our nation's history, and they couldn't have come at a worse time. Projections
indicate that high school classrooms will have a 15-percent increase in
students over the next seven years. That means an already overcrowded high
school of 1,000 students will get 150 more. This is a tidal wave of teenagers
who, if the House has its way, won't get the basic skills they need, the
high standards and disciplined learning environment they deserve, and the
opportunity to go to college.
Further, cutting education is not the right way to go to balance the budget.
Instead of taking crucial education dollars out of the hands of states and
local communities, President Clinton's budget proposal balances the budget,
while investing $40 billion more in education and training over the same
seven-year period. In addition to investing wisely in education, this administration
has focused-since the day we took office-on streamlining the agency to save
money. As a result, our department now does much more with less than during
any other previous administration.
Our staff of about 5,000 is one-third smaller today than the staff of 7,700
employees at the U.S. Office of Education in the former Department of Health,
Education and Welfare. We administer more dollars per employee and are smaller
than any other Cabinet agency. Administrative costs account for only 2 percent
of our budget, much of which goes to accountability and quality control.
The Education Department delivers 98 cents of every dollar to states, school
districts, postsecondary institutions and individuals. And we are working
to cut red tape by reviewing every regulation to see if it is necessary.
So far, one-third of the department's regulations have been eliminated.
Years of bipartisan support for education have resulted in considerable
enthusiasm and energy today in many communities and schools across the country
that are trying to improve education. President Clinton's initiatives such
as Goals 2000 and the school-to-work plan are helping these local efforts
expand. Now is not the time to turn back. We must focus on the important
task at hand-helping our nation's schools educate young Americans to navigate
these changing times.
Public education in this country surely should be more demanding, and it
is still not where it should be to educate all of our young people for the
future. But it is not flunking out by a long shot, even though public education
is at ground zero of almost every social, economic and cultural tension
of our times. In some communities I have visited, the local public school
remains the best and only anchor for young people who are trying to pull
themselves up.
We live in difficult and insecure times, and many Americans are concerned
about their children's education. However, despite what a vocal minority
would have us believe, the vast majority of the American people recognize
the value of education and the role my department can play in making it
better.
Every poll I have seen this year shows that large majorities of Americans-ranging
from two-thirds to more than 80 percent-believe that continued support for
the Department of Education and its programs is important. And President
Clinton has demonstrated that balancing the budget is possible without sacrificing
education.
In an era when this nation faces an education deficit that is as great a
long-term threat as the current budget deficit, investing in education now
is the only way I know to ensure our future prosperity. Gutting Education
Department programs now would only set back efforts to improve education
in our country.