 | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | | Politics: Senate Democrats pitch own Head Start plan">Archive of stories pre April 2007 | | | | | | | 
Archive of stories pre April 2007 | News submitted by: MIB
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democrats announced their Head Start plan Tuesday, calling for significant spending increases and preschool coordination and no shift of power to the states.
The Democratic plan does not include two ideas that dominated debate in the House: a plan to give up to eight states control over Head Start money and management, and a provision to allow religiously affiliated Head Start centers to make hiring decisions based on religion.
"The last thing we need is to turn Head Start into Wrong Start or No Start," said Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, ranking Democrat on the Senate education committee.
The House approved its bill last week in a 217-216 vote backed only by Republicans. Head Start, up for congressional renewal, provides social and academic support to poor students.
Senate Democrats want to increase Head Start spending from $6.7 billion this year to more than $16 billion by 2008. By comparison, the House bill would increase spending to $7.4 billion over that time, plus $5 million a year for states to administer the pilot project.
The Democratic plan would also expand Early Head Start, which serves infants and toddlers; increase college-degree requirements and training for teachers; and expand state efforts to coordinate Head Start with other pre-kindergarten, reading and child-care programs.
The House Republicans also stressed coordination, saying a limited number of states should be given a chance to merge the federal program with other efforts to serve needy children.
Sen. Judd Gregg, the Republican chairman of the Senate education committee, said Tuesday he remains hopeful the Senate can produce a bipartisan bill.
Also, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, introduced a bill calling for 200 "Centers of Excellence" built around exemplary Head Start programs. The centers would get extra money to coordinate childhood programs and track how families receive services, among other tasks.
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/07/30/headstart.democrats.ap/index.html
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