“Today, I voted against passage of H.R. 5 because it undermines our ability to ensure all students are given equal opportunities to reach their full potential. Instead of working towards a bipartisan solution to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), this partisan bill includes extreme policies that would prevent America’s students from succeeding. This bill keeps education funding at sequestration levels, removes accountability provisions, weakens requirement standards, and eliminates and weakens protections for disadvantaged students.

As the daughter of two longtime educators, I know that education is the great equalizer. This bill will not level the playing field but rather promote greater education disparity. H.R. 5 shifts funds away from vulnerable schools like many across the 7th Congressional District. This bill is not what students in my district, or any district in this nation, need to achieve the American Dream.

I acknowledge that the ESEA must be reauthorized and No Child Left Behind is long due for reform. This is why I support the Democratic substitute bill which includes key tenets of accountability, provides intervention and support to all students who need it and assures that students with disabilities are given the same chance to succeed as their peers.

I urge my colleagues to put aside partisan bickering. Let’s work together to reauthorize the ESEA. Our failure to act means we are failing our nation’s students and limiting our ability to compete globally.”

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