As the spouse of a public school teacher, I understands the importance of a quality education for our children and the challenges faced by teachers and the need for parental involvement.

I am pleased to have passed legislation to preserve the Education Block Grant Program. These critical funds are used to improve academic performance by reducing class size, purchasing computers, enhancing teacher training and funding remedial reading programs.

Unfunded federal mandates on our local school districts are not the answer to improving our schools. For this reason, I voted against the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) bill because it took the wrong approach to improving our nation's education system. The firsthand input of public school teachers like my wife and two of my sisters, and the input of many other public school teachers I have spoken with, shows that NCLB created an unfunded federal mandate for decisions that should be left up to teachers, parents and local school officials.