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

   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    Contact:  Kathryn Kahler    June 7, 1995                                       (202) 401-3026

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

in response to the Goodling/Gunderson proposal to merge the Departments of Education and Labor

For America's students to succeed in today's ever more complex, technically sophisticated information age, our nation must have a sharp focus on education. Shifting the focus away from education, as the Goodling/Gunderson proposal would do, is a shortsighted and counterproductive response to meeting the future needs of our children.

Creating a mega-bureaucracy in which essential education issues are given short-shrift and ultimately defunded, is simply the wrong way to go. In contrast to this proposal, the Department has been pursuing a dramatic reorganization plan that cuts costs, streamlines operations, and improves efficiency.

From a purely practical and financial standpoint, this merger proposal will not reduce the deficit in any significant way and would do nothing to improve education. The amount of actual overlap between the two departments is minimal, and studies have shown that cost-savings are infinitesimal or non-existent.

We need to reduce the nation's budget deficit, but this proposal doesn't help. Until we address the education deficit, there will be no long term solution to the budget deficit.

To create a more secure future, we don't need any more unrealistic quick fix proposals or bureaucratic shuffles. We need increased investment in education, and a cabinet secretary whose sole function is to address this challenge.