SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : District Joins U.S. Education Campaign

In an attempt to help “redefine this nation’s priorities,” Capistrano Unified School District trustees have unanimously approved joining a national campaign aimed at urging Congress to spend more on education.

“With the 1992 presidential election behind us, one national fact is crystal clear: The Cold War is over and it is time to reinvest in America,” Supt. James A. Fleming said in a report to the board. “With state and local governments reeling from recession, school boards face a stark reality. The federal government must make a serious commitment of rebuilding America by ensuring that each and every child has an opportunity for a quality education.”

To help spread that message to Congress, the board on Monday approved sending a “Reinvest in America” resolution to Washington. The resolution, among other things, points out that “America’s competitors in the global marketplace invest more tax dollars on children and elementary and secondary education than does the United States.”

The district joins such organizations as the American Assn. of School Administrators, National School Boards Assn., National Education Assn., American Federation of Teachers and the National PTA in sending the resolutions to Congress.

“The goal of this campaign is to present to Congress and the White House . . . thousands of local school district ‘Reinvest in America’ resolutions, just as debate opens on what educators hope will become the first federal budget of the post-Cold War era,” Fleming said.