Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 113 Part 3.djvu/472

 113 STAT. 1990 CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—APR. 15, 1999 against limits established on the level of debt held by the public; (3) provides for a Senate super-majority point of order against any bill, resolution, amendment, motion or conference report that would use Social Security surpluses on anything other than the payment of Social Security benefits, Social Security reform, retirement security, or the reduction of the Federal debt held by the public; (4) ensures that all Social Security benefits are paid on time; and (5) accommodates Social Security reform legislation. SEC. 302. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PROVIDING ADDITIONAL DOLLARS TO THE CLASSROOM. (a) FINDINGS.— Congress finds that— (1) strengthening America's public schools while respecting State and local control is critically important to the future of our children and our Nation; (2) education is a local responsibility, a State priority, and a national concern; (3) working with the Nation's governors, parents, teachers, and principals must take place in order to strengthen public schools and foster educational excellence; (4) education initiatives should boost academic achievement for all students; and excellence in American classrooms means having high expectations for all students, teachers, and administrators, and holding schools accountable to the children and parents served by such schools; (5) successful schools and school systems are characterized by parental involvement in the education of their children, local control, emphasis on basic academics, emphasis on fundamental skills and exceptional teachers in the classroom; (6) the one-size-fits-all approach to education often creates barriers to innovation and reform initiatives at the local level; America's rural schools face challenges quite different from their urban counterparts; and parents, teachers, and State and local officials should have the freedom to tailor their education plans and reforms according to the unique educational needs of their children; (7) the consolidation of various Federal education programs will benefit our Nation's children, parents, and teachers by sending more dollars directly to the classroom; and (8) our Nation's children deserve an educational system that will provide opportunities to excel. (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS. —I t is the sense of Congress that— (1) Congress should enact legislation that would consolidate 31 Federal K-12 education programs; (2) the Department of Education, the States, and local educational agencies should work together to ensure that not less than 95 percent of all funds appropriated for the purpose of carrying out elementary and secondary education programs administered by the Department of Education is spent for our children in their classrooms; (3) increased funding for elementary and secondary education should be directed to States and local school districts; and

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