(WASHINGTON, DC) – Congressman Dennis Moore (Third District -- Kansas) today heard from several education experts at a joint hearing with the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and House Budget Committee Democratic Caucus. Moore heard from speakers about national problems they face in implementing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA).

“Today’s panelists voiced the same concerns that I’ve been hearing from Kansas educators. For too long now, the federal government has underfunded NCLBA—a measure I vote for—leaving schools strapped for the resources to give our children the educations they deserve,” Moore said after the hearing. “The Third District is home to some of our nation’s best schools, but they cannot continue to perform at top levels without adequate funding.”

Today’s hearing included panelists Senator Edward Kennedy; Representative George Miller; Wendy Puriefoy, President of the Public Education Network; Krista Kafer, Senior Education Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation; and John Porter, Principal of T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.

“When Congress passed NCLBA, they made a promise to our schools that they would provide resources and support to help them meet a new standard of excellence,” Moore said. “The federal government’s refusal to fully fund NCLBA threatens to break this promise—falling about $8 billion short in Fiscal Year 2004 alone.”

Moore met with public school superintendents in the Third District last January about how NCLBA would affect local schools. In April, he held public meetings on NCLBA in Wyandotte, Johnson, and Douglas Counties to hear concerns from parents, teachers and educators on the impact to our children’s education.

After listening to constituents, Moore responded by introducing H.R. 2394, the Keeping Our Promises to America’s Children Act (K-PAC). Moore’s bill would allow a state education agency or school district to suspend implementation of NCLBA provisions until it is fully funded. The Secretary of Education would be prohibited from penalizing the state or school district for this action.

“Over and over again, I heard pleas that NCLBA not become another unfunded mandate like IDEA legislation for special education,” Moore said. “I want to make this law work. Our schools can succeed if provided with the resources promised. I am dedicated to doing everything I can to ensure that all children in Kansas receive a quality education.”

Last Friday, Moore and Representative Tom Allen (First District -- Maine) offered an amendment to H.R. 2660, the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2004. The amendment would have allowed a separate vote on a measure to delay implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) during FY 2004, since it is not fully funded by the appropriations bill. It failed on a vote of 199-223.