John Boehner - 8th District of Ohio

Share This Page Slashdot Del.icio.us Google Digg Reddit Newsvine Furl Yahoo Facebook

Jun 4, 2008

Washington - Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today issued the following statement opposing the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act (H.R. 3021), which would create a massive and unproven $20 billion federal school construction program:

“This massive $20 billion ‘green scheme’ would place faceless Washington bureaucrats in charge of priorities historically and best handled by states and local school districts that understand the unique needs of their students, teachers, and communities.  Worse yet, it drains critical funds that could be used to improve educational opportunities for low-income students and students with disabilities.  

“Disadvantaged students and students with disabilities deserve the same high-quality education as their more privileged peers, but this flawed legislation sacrifices their needs in favor of a sweeping school construction role the federal government was never meant to play.  And by insisting that arcane, Depression-era Davis-Bacon mandates be applied to school construction projects, the bill’s Democratic supporters have ensured that this boondoggle’s costs will soar even further, costing taxpayers and students alike.  The American people expect their leaders in Washington to work together to help close the achievement gap in our classrooms, not pave the way for even more federal intrusion into state and local school matters.”

NOTE: The Congressional Budget Office estimates that $20 billion would be spent over the next five years on school construction under this legislation.  Historically, the federal government has focused its attention and funding on programs that improve student achievement such as funding Title I grants to school districts to help educate low-income and other disadvantaged students and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which helps states and school districts provide special education for children with disabilities.  States and local school districts traditionally have financed school construction projects.

Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Darke, Miami and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County.  He was first elected to Congress in 1990.