Congressman Jim Moran's News Commentary

As many families in Northern Virginia know, September 7th marks the unofficial last day of summer and first day of a new school year. This weekend parents and children will be scrambling to make last minute school supply purchases as a new focus on the fall's activities begins.

Last year, many schools in Northern Virginia grappled with the new end of year testing mandated by the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) policy. The past few months have offered a needed respite for teachers, school officials, parents and students to take stock of the new guidelines and consider what the future holds for the region's school system.

Since NCLB's inception, schools across the country have experienced problems trying to implement the new law because it has yet to be funded anywhere near an adequate level. One might think that given all the problems schools have had, greater funding from the federal government would be forthcoming to assist our states and localities with the challenges posed by these new requirements.

Unfortunately, once again it appears the Bush Administration has taken the opposite course. A White House memorandum issued May 19th, shows that, despite previous denials, the President is working up a fiscal year 2006 budget that will make deep cuts in key government services. Out of those key cuts, the Department of Education will be hit the hardest, incurring a total cut of $1.5 billion below the President's proposed 2005 funding level.

Losing $1.5 billion in education funding will lead to the elimination of vital services that enable our children to succeed academically and become productive members of society. Barring the Administration scaling back its tax cuts (which appears highly unlikely at this time), the only way the Department of Education can meet it's budgetary requirements under the President's proposal is to cut funding from such important programs as Pell Grants, special education, and vocational training. The other option is to eliminate whole programs entirely.

Either way, the implications for our nation's schoolchildren are unpalatable. This Administration continues misdirecting the American public with rhetorical flourish while quietly shortchanging meat and potato priorities that have worked to build this country into the beacon of democracy it is today. Starving our children's educational needs hurts their futures and those of our entire nation.