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Senator Byrd

Leadership.      Character.      Commitment.

Remarks by U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd

September 02, 2003

Fulfilling the Promise of the "No Child Left Behind Act"

U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd offered the following remarks as he introduced an amendment that would fully fund the nation's Title I education program -- a program that provides critical dollars to schools in poor school districts.

When Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act nearly two years ago, we made a deal with the American people.

We said that from now on, we will hold schools more accountable than ever before.  We will require them to make sure that all children succeed academically.  Not just the wealthy, not just those who live in the nice parts of town, but all children -- poor students, students from Appalachia to Alaska, children with disabilities, and students of all races and ethnicities.  Schools must leave no child behind.

But in return, we promised to give schools the resources they need to improve.

Mr. President, this bill does not fulfill that promise.  And, there is no better example of that promise than the Title I program for disadvantaged students.  Title I helps the students who need help the most -- the millions who are being left behind.  It is also the program that, under the No Child Left Behind Act, will hold schools accountable for improving student performance.

 That is why, when Congress wrote the No Child Left Behind Act, it authorized specific funding levels for Title I for every year through fiscal year 2012.  The authorized amount for fiscal year 2004 is $18.5 billion.  That is enough to fully serve 6.2 million needy children, according to the Congressional Research Service.  This bill provides just $12.4 billion.  That is enough to fully serve only 4.1 million children. 

My amendment would increase Title I funding by $6.1 billion, for a total of $18.5 billion, the fully authorized level for fiscal year 2004.  And, it would extend the full educational benefits of Title I to 2.1 million children who otherwise would be left behind.  This would allow us to keep the promise we made in the No Child Left Behind Act.

This amendment is fully offset for FY 2004.  It achieves this by rescinding FY 2004 advance appropriations in the FY 2003 Labor-HHS appropriations bill and reappropriating those monies in FY 2003.  This is the exact same mechanism that Chairman Stevens and Chairman Specter are using to add $2.2 billion to the base bill.  My amendment simply builds upon this and adds $6.1 billion more for Title I.

Mr. President, students and teachers across the country are desperate for more funding.  In West Virginia, the department of education announced this summer that 326 of the state's 728 schools failed to make "adequate yearly progress."  That's 45 percent of all the schools in the state.  In many other states, more than half of all the schools failed to make adequate progress.

I ask my fellow Senators:  Where is the money going to come from to help these schools improve?  State governments are facing a fiscal crisis.  And yet this appropriations bill underfunds Title I by more than $6 billion.

This bill is a betrayal of the No Child Left Behind Act, and it is unfair to all the people in this country who are working so hard to implement the provisions of that Act.  Parents and teachers want their schools to be held accountable.  They want every child to succeed.  They're holding up their end of the bargain.  Now it's time for the federal government to hold up its end of the bargain.

As students all over the country return to their classrooms this month, it's important to remember that this amendment is not just about dollars.  It's about hiring good teachers, improving the curriculum, reducing class sizes, and buying educational materials – all the elements that are key to helping students reach their academic potential.

I voted for the No Child Left Behind Act.  I support the reforms in that law.  But schools need more funding if we're truly going to leave no child behind.  I urge my fellow Senators to approve this amendment.  We gave our word to the people when we passed the No Child Left Behind Act.  Let us keep our word.

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