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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 1999

NEA President Urges House To Make School Modernization a 'Top Priority'

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Bob Chase, president of the National Education Association (NEA), today urged House Speaker Dennis Hastert to heed the call of freshmen legislators to bring public school construction and modernization to the House floor this year for debate.

"The need to modernize our public schools has never been more apparent, and the severity of the crisis deepens by the day," Chase said. "Clearly, the time is at hand for a federal partnership with the states in addressing this crisis.

"The condition of America's classrooms is a bipartisan concern, just like the conditions of our bridges and highways," Chase said. As proof, he cited proposals by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT), both of which would subsidize zero-interest bonds to finance up to $25 billion in school modernization.

"The condition of America's public schools should be a top priority for Congress," said Chase. "Modern schools, small class sizes, and educational technology will all enhance student achievement. The time is now to act on this problem, because the cost of school modernization and construction costs facing the states already exceeds $200 billion. Any further delay in modernizing our schools will only increase the final cost of this monumental effort.

"NEA applauds the freshmen legislators for making a strong statement in support of modern schools, and we urge Speaker Hastert to bring the Rangel and Johnson proposals to the floor for full debate," Chase said.