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News :: Children : Civil & Human Rights : Education : Elections & Legislation : Political-Economy : Right Wing |
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U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson: Leaving Nearly Every Child (Except the Wealthy) Behind; Shorts Local Schools $1.6 Million in Promised Funding to Improve Education |
Current rating: 0 |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
27 May 2004
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Despite his populist rhetoric, U.S. Representative Tim Johnson has been ineffective in ensuring that our local education system benefits from the resources promised from the federal level to meet the requirements of the controversial 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). On the other hand, Johnson makes sure that the children of the wealthy are well-provisioned with tax cuts for private education. |
Our local school systems struggle under the burden of limited resources to meet the needs of all children for a quality education. The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was trumpeted by President George W. Bush and Republicans in Congress as the solution to ensuring quality education for all children. The NCLB imposed strict requirements for academic progress on the nation’s schools, while promising that the resources needed to achieve those lofty goals would be provided from the federal level. U.S. Representative Tim Johnson touted his support of the NCLB in a press release (http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/il15_johnson/121401education.html) after voting in favor of the bill.
The Children’s Defense Fund recently summed up the current status of the NCLB:
"It set challenging new goals for America's public schools with a renewed focus on closing the achievement gap between affluent students and those from poor and minority communities by setting high standards and holding schools accountable to meet them. President Bush made a simple promise to the 47 million American children in our public schools to provide schools the necessary resources and funding to meet the tough new standards mandated in the law. That promise has been broken.
"The Bush Administration, and its allies in Congress, have consistently shortchanged NCLB by billions of dollars. For the upcoming 2004–2005 school year, this underfunding already will result in 7,000 school districts and 11 states actually losing significant funding for Title I—the very program intended to raise the achievement of the nation's most disadvantaged students. The President's proposed budget for the 2005–2006 school year calls for $9.4 billion less than he and Congress agreed would be necessary to fund NCLB, including $7.1 billion less than the $20.5 billion promised for Title I. This shortfall will affect nearly every school district in America. "
We can see that the reality surrounding No Child Left Behind has turned out to be substantially less than promised by the political rhetoric that accompanied its passage. The academic achievement requirements remain, but the promised funding needed to implement those goals has been substantially less than promised.
In fact, schools in Champaign, Mahomet, Rantoul, and Urbana have been shorted nearly $1.6 million from the originally promised NCLB funding for the upcoming 2004-2005 school year (http://www.childrensdefense.org/data/nclb_underfunding.asp). Champaign will lose 25% of the promised and needed funding, Mahomet 22%, Rantoul 21%, and Urbana 23%. In turn, this increases the burden on local property taxpayers, while our schools will still be held to the announced standards at the risk of losing even more federal funding under the provisions of the NCLB that take funds away from schools that fail to meet the standards.
Perhaps we should not be surprised at Johnson’s duplicitous grandstanding on this issue. It’s something he was famous for as a state representative before he was unwisely sent to Washington by voters who have been deceived by the local media’s uncritical support for this weasel of a politician. However, his record in the House of Representatives on issues that affect most residents of the 15th Congressional District is becoming increasingly clear. The Children’s Defense Fund gives Johnson’s voting record in Congress a 25% overall rating on issues that affect our children (http://www.cdfactioncouncil.org/scorecard2003.pdf). While this record is not as abysmal as many Illinois Republicans (seven of whom have the dubious distinction of having a 0% rating by the CDF), it is a far stretch from the centrist rhetoric that Johnson projects to cover-up his elitist, often reactionary voting record.
On the other hand, if you’re a wealthy parent, Johnson has a deal for you. He supported the House GOP budget resolution that extended the $1,000 education credit to higher incomes. Previously, those earning more than $149,000 a year could not claim this credit. The Republicans, including Johnson, voted on May 18 to extend the credit to those making up to $250,000 a year. It just so happens that this extension of the tax credit to the wealthy includes Johnson and other members of Congress, who currently earn $158,100 a year. Over ten years, wealthy parents with 2 children would save $20,000 with this largess that shifts the burden to other taxpayers. Johnson happens to have _nine_ children, although he is likely not claiming all of them on his taxes for this credit since some of them are too old at this point to do so.
The failure of Representative Johnson to hold up his end of the bargain on No Child Left Behind is even more shocking when one considers the fact that he seems to have no problem making sure that the wealthy, including him, can better educate their children at the largess of the taxpayers. Perhaps it is time that the voters who have mistakenly supported Johnson in the belief that he looks out for our interests in Washington to reconsider when it comes time to vote this November. Working families need good education more than ever for their families. Our schools need adequate funding to do the job they are obligated to do. If the government cannot afford to invest what it promised in the education of the children of working families, voters rightfully should ask how it can afford to subsidize private education for the wealthy. |
See also:
http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0430-04.htm
http://www.childrensdefense.org/data/nclb_underfunding.asp
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