Jim Jeffords

Mr. JEFFORDS

Mr. JEFFORDS. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the amendment. The role that teachers play in the efforts to improve educational opportunities for young people is perhaps the most important next to the role of parents. The bill before us includes significant changes related to the critical job of providing teachers the quality professional development activities they deserve. Supporting our Nation's teachers is a key element of education reform. A 1999 survey by the U.S. Department of Education, pertaining to the preparation and qualifications of public school teachers, reported that continued learning in the teaching profession is essential to ``building educators' capacity for effective teaching, particularly in a profession where the demands are changing and expanding.'' Over the last decade, States have been developing standards that are directly tied to academic achievement and performance. S. 1 builds on that movement. Having a highly qualified teaching force is a major factor in getting students to meet and exceed the standards. While there is near total agreement that strong, capable teachers are very important to a successful educational system, we have done little to help our teachers be at the top of their profession. There are still too many educators teaching outside their field of their expertise. Too often, teachers are offered one-shot, one-day workshops for professional development that do little to improve teaching and learning in the classroom. Professional development activities often lack the connection to the everyday challenges that teachers face in their classrooms. A recent evaluation of the Eisenhower Professional Development program notes that ``the need for high quality professional development that focuses on subject matter content and how students learn that content is all the more pressing in light of the many teachers who teach outside their areas of specialization.'' Title II of this bill addresses these serious professional development deficiencies. S. 1 draws on the strongest elements of the Eisenhower program while including authority for other initiatives that have an impact on teacher quality. The bill provides flexibility to school districts to address the specific needs of individual schools through activities such as recruitment and hiring initiatives; teacher mentoring; retention; and other long-term professional development efforts. S. 1 prohibits Federal dollars from being used for ``one- shot'' workshops that have been criticized for being relatively ineffective because they are usually short term and lack continuity. In addition, these one-day workshops are often isolated from classrooms and schools which serve as the professional development laboratories. S. 1 authorizes a major investment of funds, $3 billion, which will be used by school districts to improve the quality of teaching in the classroom. The funding level of the teacher quality section of this bill represents the combining of funds and authorities from the current Eisenhower program and the class size reduction program. The purpose of combining the funding streams is to give school districts the flexibility they need to make the investments that will lead to having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom--ether by using the funds to hire teachers or providing first rate professional development or both. This bill clearly states that Federal funds must be used for activities that will improve teaching and learning in the classroom, including the hiring of highly qualified teachers if that hiring will improve student performance. The decision as to how the Federal funds will be used will be made by the local school district. My home State of Vermont serves as a good example of success through local decisionmaking. Vermont strongly supports funding for class size reduction. Yet, since the first dollar was appropriated for class size reduction, Vermont sought greater flexibility to use most of the money for professional development activities that would improve the quality of the teacher in the classroom. Because Vermont already had small classes that met the Federal mandated level of 18, a large portion of Vermont's share of the class size reduction monies has been used for professional development. I want other States to do what Vermont has done if that is what is in the best interest of its students. Reducing class size is important. Having a dynamic, highly qualified teacher at the head of the classroom is of equal or perhaps, even greater importance. Title II of this bill supports both efforts and does so in a manner that allows school districts to come up with their own recipe for improving student achievement and performance. I am opposed to the class size reduction amendment because I believe that local schools are in a better position than we are to determine how best to distrbute funds in regard to professional development and teacher hiring. S. 1 as passed by the committee gives local school districts the opportunity to make the decision about the expenditure of dollars for the purpose of improving their teaching force which will, in turn, lead to overall student improvement. I see the hour of 12:30 p.m. has arrived.

Mr. JEFFORDS. I certainly agree with the Senator.

Mr. JEFFORDS. I am aware of your amendment. I also said on the Finance Committee, not only can I assure you it will get notice here, I assure you I will communicate your wishes to the chairman of the Finance Committee and support you. Amendment No. 383 to Amendment No. 358

Mr. JEFFORDS

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Virginia be allowed to proceed as in morning business for 5 minutes.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 5:15 today, the Senate proceed to a vote on the Warner amendment No. 383, with no second-degree amendments in order to the amendment.

Mr. JEFFORDS. I agree with the Senator 100 percent. I suggest that all amendments that are filed--only all those filed by 5 p.m. tomorrow be considered to be voted on, or some appropriate language that would make that the law.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote be set aside for 2 minutes to allow the Senator from Virginia to explain his amendment.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Certainly. I ask unanimous consent for 5 minutes.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I come from a teaching family. My mother and sister are teachers. I know of the effort they put into teaching and buying supplies to make things go a little bit better. It is very common and accepted in the sense that it is sort of part of the job. But it shouldn't be. We are at a time when our teachers' salaries are so much lower than they ought to be. I think it is wrong to expect teachers to continuously take money out of their pockets in doing their job, when it should be taken care of through the school system. I think they would appreciate and are entitled to have a tax credit of $1,000 to take care of those expenditures. I will pursue that in the Finance Committee for my good friend.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Yes. I think it is one of the best amendments we will have.

Mr. JEFFORDS. I believe we can accept this amendment.

Mr. JEFFORDS. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. JEFFORDS. I think the Senator should ask for them now.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Massachusetts. We are working really well together on both sides. I praise all our Members. We are beginning to make real progress on this bill and, hopefully, we will have it finished well within the time allotted to us. Amendment No. 388, As Modified

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Specter's second-degree amendment be modified with the changes that are at the desk, and I state that this is just a drafting change and makes no substantive changes in the language.

Mr. JEFFORDS

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Virginia for raising this issue. The person he is referring to is the mother of a 5- year-old. I also have taken as a cause Ngawang Choephel, who is a young man from Tibet who attended college and then went back to Tibet to work on trying to make a history of the language and the culture there and was arrested and, without any trial at all, imprisoned and still is in prison. I finally had to go to the Chinese just to get the mother to see her son, which she was guaranteed to do under Chinese law. We finally did succeed in getting the two together, but he remains incarcerated in Tibet. These are just a few, I am sure, of many such incidents. We should always keep these in mind when we decide what kind of relationship we are going to have with China. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. JEFFORDS

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. JEFFORDS

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet on Tuesday, May 8, 2001, at 9:30 a.m., on election reform.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 8, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct an oversight hearing. The committee will receive testimony on the President's proposed budget for FY2002 for the Forest Service.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 8, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct an oversight hearing. The committee will receive testimony on the President's proposed budget for FY2002 for the Department of the Interior.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet for a hearing on Better Pharmaceuticals for Children: Assessment and Opportunities during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 8, 2001, at 9:30 a.m.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property and Nuclear Safety be authorized to meet on Tuesday, May 8, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct an oversight hearing on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on May 8, 2001, to conduct a hearing on ``Oversight of the Mission of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, OFHEO, and the Financial Safety and Soundness of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.'' The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. JEFFORDS

Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 84, submitted by Senators Lott and Daschle.