Ehrlich on Washington column, September 28, 1998

SEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of September 28, 1998 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. MORE DOLLARS TO MARYLAND CLASSROOMS Recently, I hosted Karl Wickman, a Harford County middle school teacher in Washington. This summer, the Sallie Mae educational corporation awarded him its First Class Teacher of the Year Award, which honors those outstanding elementary and secondary teachers who demonstrate excellence during their challenging first year of teaching. I am especially proud of Karl’s selection to represent Maryland. Sallie Mae selected him along with other state representatives from 1,400 nominations nationwide. I always enjoy spending time with teachers and young students. During my visits to schools, such as Parkville High School and Churchville Elementary, I meet exceptional and caring teachers, like Karl, preparing their students to succeed in the future. These experiences always remind me that, alongside my parents, teachers have had the most profoundly positive effect on my life and are truly some of the best people I know. A high quality education is usually the result of some basic tenets: mastery of basic academics, parents engaged and involved in their children’s education, a safe and orderly learning environment in the classroom, and maximized dollars to the classroom that can do the most good. Last week, my colleagues in the House and I passed the Dollars to the Classroom Act (H.R. 3248). H.R. 3248 consolidates 31 federal elementary and secondary education programs into a single grant to each state and gives state and local decision-makers broad