Bush backs education

President Bush is supporting education through many endeavors. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 provides historic levels of funding combined with a commitment to rigorous academic standards. The president is investing more money in the K-12 education program than at any other time in our nation’s history.

The Bush administration’s 2005 budget requests a $1 billion increase for the Title 1 program which provides funding to more than 15 million students in high poverty school districts. He has also requested another $1 billion increase for students in special education. But he doesn’t stop there.

Bush has proposed increasing the Pell Grant funding for college students to $12.9 billion, which is an increase of $856 million. This increase would help an estimated 5.3 million students. I urge the teachers and professors of Maine to support our president in November.

Rick Pare

Orono