JOBS, EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE COMMITTEE

MODERNIZING AMERICA’S SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, Mayors believe that providing our children with a strong and meaningful educational experience is essential to the growth of our nation’s cities and states; and

WHEREAS, it is in our national interest that all students are given the best chance to achieve high standards of learning in safe and modern classrooms; and

WHEREAS, research demonstrates that an overwhelming number of America’s public schools are in urgent need of repair and/or renovation; and

WHEREAS, research also suggests that school facility problems negatively impact the safety and learning of school children everywhere; and

WHEREAS, in order to accommodate record school enrollment that is expected to continue to rise over the next decade, this country will need to build thousands of new schools; and

WHEREAS, comprehensive local, state, and national investments in public education strengthen and create a more productive and diverse workforce for our cities,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors believes that the federal government, supported by state and local efforts, should contribute toward improving the current unacceptable conditions of overcrowded, unsafe and deteriorating schools, in which our children are being asked to learn; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors strongly supports a federal government role and commitment to address the urgent national school modernization and renovation needs plaguing urban, suburban, and rural communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors believes that these results can be best achieved through a delicate partnership among the federal government and state and local governments; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors firmly believes that school construction and renovation are critical national issues that must be addressed during the 106th Congress; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress and the President to consider the bipartisan agreement currently before the U.S. House of Representatives that would provide federal support to state and local efforts to modernize and build new schools.