John Baldacci on Education Democratic ME Governor; previously Rep. (ME-2)

Voted YES on allowing school prayer during the War on Terror.

Voted YES on requiring states to test students.

Voted NO on allowing vouchers in DC schools.

Voted NO on vouchers for private & parochial schools.

Opposes requiring schools to allow school prayer.

H.R.340:

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve the quality of public education and raise student achievement by increasing investment, strengthening accountability, raising standards for teachers, improving professional development and teacher compensation, rewarding successful schools, and providing better information to parents, and for other purposes.

Any State or local educational agency that is adjudged by a Federal court of competent jurisdiction to have willfully violated a Federal court order mandating that such local educational agency remedy a violation of the constitutional right of any student with respect to prayer in public schools, shall be ineligible to receive Federal funds under this Act until such time as the local educational agency complies with such order.

No DOE funds shall be available to any educational agency which prevents participation in constitutionally protected prayer in public schools by individuals on a voluntary basis. [This is weakened in HR340 by requiring a federal court ruling on each school district before the removal of DOE funds.]