Better schools for 21st century are mandatory

America stands at the dawn of a new century a moment of opportunity when more families than ever can achieve the American dream.

We dream of peace and continued prosperity in a world where every nation looks to America for leadership. We are challenged to develop new technologies that will improve our lives, and find medical breakthroughs to cure todays dread diseases.

If America is to fulfill its dreams, we cant forget tomorrows world leaders and researchers are sitting in our classrooms today. Do we have a first-class public education system that teaches our children how to think and how to succeed in the new century? Average isnt good enough.

I am committed to helping parents, teachers and local leaders build a foundation of excellence and opportunity for every child. That means making sure all children have the best teachers, learn in safe schools and are challenged to meet the highest standards.

The tragic school shooting in Bethel made all Alaskans aware of school violence. Other deaths have made us aware of the plague of drug/inhalant abuse in our schools.

Our test scores, compared to children in other countries, are still too low. The achievement and dropout gap between poor and middle-income students is still too wide. Too many students dont read well or meet minimum standards in math and science; too many enter college unprepared.

Im committed to helping children learn and to build better, safer schools. Education is about children. Success is defined by the knowledge and critical thinking skills our children learn. We must make sure parents, teachers and local leaders have the power to use federal education dollars to meet our childrens most important learning needs. Those closest to the classroom know better than bureaucrats in Washington what students need be it more teachers, math and reading tutors, better textbooks or new classrooms and computers.

Republicans this year spent $500 million more on education than the President requested. The issue now is who sets the priorities. Im for more school construction, more teachers and putting more computers into classrooms. And I believe state and local administrators, working with parents, are best able to decide how to prioritize those issues.

The U.S. Senate soon will debate the Educational Opportunities Act (S.2). It is a bill that returns money, power and flexibility to the local level where it belongs. The vast majority of money for our schools always has come from states.

The federal government only provides about 6 percent of the total school budget in Alaska. Yet those dollars require the most paperwork and carry the most red tape.

Our schools need more innovators and fewer federal bureaucrats.

We all remember one teacher who made a positive difference in our lives. We need to encourage local officials to set high teacher standards and reward the best teachers with more pay. Parents should have opportunity scholarships that allow them to escape failing schools. But we must also do more to make sure our schools dont fail a different kind of test: providing a safe environment.

Teachers and principals must be allowed to remove kids who pose a threat to others from the classroom. Children cant be allowed to keep other students from learning. Local officials must have the power and tools to put troubled students in special classrooms. We must demand safe, drug-free schools. For the youths who refuse to change, we need to get tough. If they break the law, they should be punished they should learn societys laws mean something.

We should not tolerate one more school shooting. We, at the federal level, can provide more learning tools.

The Republican education bill provides aid for rural schools, allowing districts with fewer than 600 students flexibility to combine funds for local initiatives that will improve student achievement.

The bill provides more aid for anti-drug programs, such as fighting inhalant abuse. Of specific help to Alaska, it increases funds for so-called impact aid, money to school districts that cannot tax extensive federal facilities in their areas.

While the president is proposing to cut Alaskas share to $51 million next year, the Republican education bill would increase current impact assistance by 10 percent with Alaska getting $105 million.

Education will determine Americas future. If we want better, safer schools, the federal government has to get out of the way.

It has to give parents, teachers and local leaders the flexibility to fix our schools.

We need to provide the 21st-century education system our children deserve.

Frank Murkowski is one of Alaskas two U.S. senators. He is a Republican