Every Child Achieves Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, at Zillah High School in my home State of Washington, Jeff Charbonneau teaches science and engineering classes. Nearly half of the students in his school are struggling with poverty or come from low-income backgrounds. But despite the challenges poverty can present for students, Jeff and his colleagues engage their students and work tirelessly to help them succeed.

That dedication had paid off. Zillah High School graduates more than 95 percent of its seniors, and Jeff was named National Teacher of the Year a couple of years ago. But despite all of that success, today Jeff's school is labeled as ``failing.'' The reason: Last year, Washington State lost its waiver from No Child Left Behind requirements. That means most of the schools in my home State are listed as failing.

That is not fair to teachers like Jeff who pour their energy into making sure students can succeed. It is not fair to Washington State parents who are still facing a great deal of uncertainty about their child's school. It is not fair to students who deserve better than the current K-through-12 education law. It is time to finally fix No Child Left Behind. I am working hard to fix this broken law for teachers in my home State like Jeff.

I am working to restore certainty for parents in Washington State and across the country because they want to feel confident in the school where they send their child. I am working to make sure all students can get a quality education at our public schools no matter where they live or how they learn or how much money their parents make. The Every Child Achieves Act is our chance to finally fix the current law.

It gives States more flexibility, while also including Federal guardrails to make sure all students have access to a quality public education. I look forward to making this good bill even better. It is why I am disappointed with the majority leader's decision last night to file cloture and move toward ending debate on the bill. We still have several important issues to address. Senator Franken has an amendment to help protect LGBT students from bullying and discrimination at school.

I think it is an absolutely critical issue. When students do not feel safe at school, we have failed to provide them with the educational opportunities they deserve. I hope all of our Senate colleagues agree that we need to protect LGBT students from bullying and discrimination. We also have an amendment to expand access to high-quality early childhood education from Senator Casey, making sure kids can start kindergarten ready to learn. It is one of the best investments we can make to help them succeed in school and later in life. I look forward to having that debate on the Senate floor.

We also need to improve accountability. Our bipartisan bill already includes some Federal guardrails to help students get access to a quality education, but there is more we can do to strengthen those measures and make sure all kids, especially our most vulnerable students, are able to learn and grow and thrive in the classroom.

So we have many issues yet to work through concluding debate on this bill. Getting this right cannot be more important for students across the country. Providing a quality education is not just good for students today, it is an investment in our future workforce, it is an investment in our future economy, and it will help our country grow stronger. Around the country, and in my home State of Washington, parents, students, teachers, and communities are looking to us to fix the No Child Left Behind law. We cannot let them down.

I yield the floor.

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, as we continue to debate this bipartisan bill to fix the badly broken No Child Left Behind law, I want to take a step back to lay out why this is so important.

First of all, the idea of a strong public education for all children is part of who we are as a nation. It is sewn into the fabric of America.

Providing quality education is also an economic imperative. When all of our students have the chance to learn, we strengthen our future workforce, and that helps our country grow stronger. And we empower the next generation of Americans to lead the world. Education is like insurance for our Nation's future economic competitiveness in the years to come. It opens more opportunities for more students, and it helps our economy grow from the middle out, not the top down.

One of the best ways I believe we can strengthen our education system is by making sure more students start kindergarten ready to learn. As we work to fix No Child Left Behind, we also have the opportunity to expand access to high-quality early childhood education and set students on a path toward success.

I am very proud of the bipartisan early learning grants we secured in the base of this bill. I think we should continue to build on that bipartisan progress to make sure more students have access to high-quality early learning programs. That is exactly what Senator Casey's amendment would do. I urge my colleagues to support it.

First of all, it is important to understand why early learning is essential. Learning begins at birth. Research suggests that before children set foot in kindergarten, they have already developed a foundation that will determine all of the learning, health, and behavior that follows. Early learning programs can strengthen that foundation so more students can start their K-12 education on strong footing.

Preschool programs can be especially important for students from low-income backgrounds. A child growing up in poverty will hear 30 million fewer words by her third birthday compared to a child from a more affluent family. That is a serious disadvantage. By the time she starts kindergarten, the deck will already be stacked against her and her future success.

Studies have confirmed both the short-term and long-term benefits of quality early learning. Children who attend preschool are less likely to repeat a grade. They are less likely to be placed in special education. They are less likely to drop out of school, depend on social safety net programs, or commit a crime. And they are more likely to go to college and earn higher wages. Research suggests we get back between $7 and $8 for every dollar we invest in high-quality preschool programs.

Simply put, early learning is one of the smartest investments we can make for our families, our children, and our country. But today just 14 percent of our 3-year-olds in America are enrolled in Federal- or State-funded preschool programs and 41 percent of 4-year-olds are enrolled.

If we are serious about closing education gaps in grades K through 12 and if we are truly committed to making sure all students have the chance to succeed, we have to invest in quality early education.

I was pleased that during the committee debate on this bill, we were able to pass a bipartisan amendment for early childhood education. I thank my colleague Senator Isakson for working with me to include that in the committee markup. Throughout this process, I have appreciated the way he has worked with me on a bipartisan basis to improve the legislation before us.

Our amendment, which is now part of the base bill we are considering, would create a grant program for States that want to improve early childhood education coordination, quality, and access. The program would target resources to low- and moderate-income families. States that want to serve children from birth to the time they enter kindergarten will be eligible. It will help support the work that States like my home State of Washington are already doing to make sure more of our youngest learners have access to preschool. These grants will help States improve the quality of their early childhood system and also expand access to high-quality early learning opportunities for more children.

While I am very proud of what we have achieved in this base bill on our early childhood education, this is not the last step we need to take to improve and expand access to high-quality preschool. The grants are a step in the right direction, but we need to significantly increase investments to ensure that every child in this country starts kindergarten ready to succeed.

My colleague, the senior Senator from Pennsylvania, offered an amendment that would expand access to high-quality preschool programs. It would provide Federal funding to every State that commits to improve access to high-quality learning opportunities for all of our low- and moderate-income 4-year-olds. For the States that already meet that goal, it will help them offer preschool to 3-year-olds. This amendment would support States that don't yet have the infrastructure needed to provide preschool to all low- and moderate-income kids. With preschool development grants, these States will be able to build up their early learning systems. This amendment also provides funding for early Head Start and childcare partnerships to improve the quality of childcare for infants and toddlers through age 3 and provide funding for early learning services for young children with disabilities. Finally, his amendment recognizes the importance of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which I helped to create to deliver voluntary parent education and family support services to parents with young children.

I am glad to say this amendment will be fully paid for by closing a wasteful corporate tax loophole. Our Tax Code is riddled with a lot of wasteful loopholes and special interest carve-outs. Far too many of these tax breaks are skewed to benefit the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations.

Today some of my Republican colleagues objected to bringing up his amendment solely because it would close one of those corporate tax loopholes. It is disappointing that they are choosing the biggest corporations over our youngest learners.

I urge our Senate to consider this amendment. I support it because I believe investing in our youngest learners is so important for our children and their families, and it is one of the smartest investments we can make so students can start kindergarten ready to learn and succeed later in life.

I don't believe this is a partisan issue. When I talk to sheriffs in my State, they tell me the young people they bring into the police station might have chosen a better path in life had they had a stronger start in school. That is why law enforcement officials across the country want Congress to expand early learning.

Military leaders have stressed the importance of early learning investments. In fact, at a Senate hearing last year, Air Force Brig. Gen. Douglas Pierce, Retired, said: ``How we prepare our youngest kids to learn and succeed has a profound impact on our military readiness.''

Business leaders have called on Congress to support preschool programs. Why? Because they need the students of today to be able to create and take on the jobs of the 21st-century global economy.

Lawmakers from red States and blue States alike see early learning as a wise investment. Alabama, Kansas, Michigan--States with Republican Governors and Republican-controlled legislatures--have recently made stronger investments in early learning.

It is now time that the U.S. Senate catch up with what State lawmakers, business leaders, law enforcement officials, and military leaders recognize. We need to invest in early childhood education so all of our students can start school ready to learn.

The importance of early childhood education is something I have witnessed firsthand. Before I ever thought about running for office, I taught preschool in a small community in my home State of Washington. I remember that the first day with new students would always start the same way: Some kids would not even know how to hold a pencil or turn a page in a book. But over the first few months, they catch up; they learn how. They learned how to listen at story time. They learned how to line up for recess. By the time they left for kindergarten, they had basic skills so they could tackle a full curriculum in school. I have seen the kind of transformation early learning can inspire in a child.

If we are serious about strengthening our education system, we have to make sure more children have the chance to get a strong start in preschool. In reauthorizing this Education bill, we have the chance to help more students start kindergarten ready to learn.

With the amendment Senator Casey offers, we have the opportunity to set kids on the path toward success not just in grade school but into adulthood. We have the chance to fortify our economic competitiveness for years to come.

I urge my colleagues to support his amendment, to support this bill that already contains bipartisan early learning grants, and then take a step further and support the Casey amendment.

I yield the floor.

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Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to speak in favor of the Franken amendment, which we will be voting on shortly. I want to start with the story of Chandler, who was a 9th grader in Arkansas who experienced daily bullying and harassment. At school, his classmates harassed him based on his perceived sexual orientation. His mom described him as a good kid. She said all he wanted was to fit in, but Chandler couldn't walk down the hall between classes without kids harassing him. He wrote to his school counselor saying he couldn't handle ``being an outcast for four more years.''

And while teachers knew about the bullying, the school district never put a plan in place to address his concerns. And one day in 2010, Chandler took his own life after enduring endless bullying and tormenting at his school.

Chandler's story is more than a tragedy, it feels like an all-too-common trend for students across the country.

As a mother, grandmother, a former educator, and as a citizen, I believe Congress has to act to protect kids such as Chandler. When kids do not feel safe at school, when they are relentlessly bullied because they are different, when they endure harassment simply because of who they are, we have failed to provide them with the educational opportunities they deserve. We have failed them.

As we debate our Nation's K-12 education bill, we need to do everything we can to prevent bullying, harassment, and discrimination and provide students with a safe learning environment. Today, we will consider an amendment to address the unique challenges LGBT students face.

I thank Senator Casey for his work on the Safe Schools Improvement Act. It is a bill we will not be voting on but will continue working on. I thank, especially, Senator Franken for his tireless leadership on the Student Non-Discrimination Act.

On the HELP Committee, I have been a proud cosponsor of this legislation for years, and today I hope all of our Senate colleagues will join us in protecting students from discrimination based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Discrimination, bullying, and harassment at school leads to students who feel unsafe. It leads to kids who skip classes so they avoid harassment. Some students drop out of school because they don't feel safe there. If students don't feel safe, then there is very little else we can do to improve their education that will matter.

This type of bullying and harassment can be severe, particularly for LGBT students. The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network recently did a survey on the experiences of LGBT youth in our schools. In that survey, 6 out of 10 lesbian, gay, and bisexual students reported feeling unsafe at school and 8 out of 10 transgender students said the same.

Eighty-five percent of LGBT students report they have been harassed because of their sexual or gender identity. Even though bullying and harassment is prevalent for these students, they and their families have limited legal recourse for that kind of discrimination. I believe our students deserve better. The amendment we will be voting on will help to tackle this problem.

The student non-discrimination amendment would prohibit discrimination and harassment in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. The amendment would also prohibit any retaliation for lodging a complaint of discrimination. That would give our LGBT students who are suffering from bullying and harassment legal recourse, and it would allow Federal authorities to address discrimination.

This amendment would offer LGBT students similar protections that currently exist for students who are bullied based on race, gender, religion, disability, or country of national origin. Unless you think LGBT students don't deserve protection from discrimination the way these other students do, this should be easy to support. This amendment is absolutely critical for expanding protections for LGBT students. Again, I thank the junior Senator from Minnesota for his tremendous work.

I know some of our Republican colleagues have argued that taking steps to prevent bullying would only create lawsuits. But I believe these students deserve justice. Giving students and families legal recourse would help provide that.

Under this amendment, the process for legal recourse would be similar to title IX, which actually has been on the books since 1972. In the majority of title IX cases, a school is more than willing to fix the problem so it no longer engages in discriminatory practices. After all, school leaders want to do the right thing and end bullying or harassment in their classrooms. They want to make sure their school is safe for a particular group of students. They want to make sure students are not discriminated against simply because of who they are. With this amendment, this same process would be afforded to LGBT students.

I have also heard some critics of this amendment say there is no need to focus on LGBT students. They don't want to define who would be covered in an anti-discrimination amendment. But that logic doesn't follow what we already know works. There is a reason the civil rights laws of our country clearly define who is protected from discrimination. For example, our civil rights laws make it clear that it is unlawful to discriminate based on race and gender. A generic anti-discrimination policy will not cut it. A vague policy would lead to years of litigation about who is and who is not protected and what legal standards should apply. Making meaningful progress to prevent bullying, harassment, and discrimination requires us to clearly define who will be protected.

We know LGBT students are being bullied. They are being harassed. They are being discriminated against. Ignoring that fact with vague language doesn't help those students; it does them a real disservice, and it is wrong.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. The pain physical and emotional abuse can cause is tragic.

In Ohio, a young man named Zach is an openly gay student. Since he was in the third grade, he has been called names at school. That abuse has escalated since then. When he was 16, Zach was physically attacked and repeatedly punched by another student during his third-period class. In a video from the ACLU, Zach's mom said it is not that Zach attended a bad school. She said: ``It's just not a good school for gay or lesbian children.''

It should not matter what school a child attends; all students deserve a safe learning environment. Bullying and harassment take that away from too many of our Nation's students.

I want to take a moment to note the historical significance of this debate and the vote we will be taking on shortly. A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court settled a question that for decades has been an issue of debate in our country. After years of fighting for equal rights, LGBT couples finally have the guarantee of marriage equality nationwide and the protections that all married couples enjoy.

I am proud of how far our country has come. Since the Court's ruling, this--right now, today--will be the first vote this body takes on legislation aimed at ending discrimination against LGBT individuals and in this case discrimination against LGBT children in our schools. Surely we can agree that a minority group of students who have long endured bullying, harassment, and discrimination deserves the same protections we afford other groups of students. There is no excuse for a school or for a United States Senator to stand by as our kids endure harassment and discrimination that puts their academic success and emotional well-being in jeopardy. The country will be watching.

I urge our colleagues to support this amendment and give students across the country the assurance that we are on their side.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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