A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

   FOR RELEASE                              Contact: Kathryn Kahler    February 23, 1995                                 (202) 401-3026

Statement by Richard W. Riley U.S. Secretary of Education

Regarding the Proposed Rescission to Investments in Education

I am deeply concerned about the severe and shortsighted cuts imposed by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS and Education yesterday. The magnitude of these kinds of cuts -- at precisely the time that our nation needs to invest in our future -- represents a grave misunderstanding of the direction Americans want for their children and grandchildren. Coming on the heels of the attack on the school lunch program, these actions break faith with America's children.

At a time when every poll shows that crime and school safety are a number one concern of Americans, the Committee's actions to eliminate funding for programs for safety and drug prevention programs in schools represent a rejection of what the American public wants.

Polls also show that an overwhelming majority of citizens favor increased investment in quality education. The Committee's actions to slash bipartisan initiatives to support states and local communities in their work to raise academic standards and improve their local schools is a dismissal of the public interest.

And the sharp reduction in funding for education technology programs will enable fewer local communities to put state-of-the- art tools of learning in classrooms where they are most needed to prepare our students for the future. This certainly cannot be what the Speaker of the House had in mind when he said, "We must bring technology into the classroom and radically rethink our education system."

The Republican majority changed the name of the former House Education and Labor Committee and added the word "Opportunity." But the measure of the Congress's commitment to students must be evaluated not by titles, but by actions. Yesterday's actions mean less opportunity for America's students.

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