cC ^ U." ^ sr gin' i ^^ '^' Southwest Collection Texas Tech Univ. Lubbock, TX 79409 U s F; ``t Budget Could Be News Briefs Plan Gives College Test Of Latino Political Clout Guidance to Poor By Joseph Torurs By 1995 that number in- Under a new plan announced by President Clinton, child- It's a window of opportunity creased to more than six mil- ren from poor families would have the chance to pair up with that's already the target of a lion, or 14 percent. mentors, tutors, and counselors as early as grade six to gear political stone or two But the The administration's budget them toward college, reports Associated Press. federal government may fi- proposals included raising Clinton unveiled the $140 million effort Wednesday, say- nally address the paramount funding for Title I of the Ele- ing there are plenty of poor children who just need a little need to raise the academic mentary and Secondary Edu- spark to go on to great things." performance and high school cation Act by $393 million to The High Hopes for College program aims to provide child- completion rate of Hispanic $7.8 billion. Title I awards ren from disadvantaged families with support to guide them to students nationwide. grants to school districts that college and brighter futures. Clinton's fiscal 1999 budget a!- - President Clinton's $1.7 provide additional services to lots $140 million and an additional $70 million to be phased in trillion budget for fiscal year help low-income K-12 stud- during 2000 and 2001 for the program. 1999 calls for spending $600 ents meet academic stan- Under Clinton's proposal, colleges would form partner- million on an education plan dards. In 1994-95, 32 percent of ships with middle and junior-high schools that have large that increases funding for all students served by Title I concentration of children from low-income families. The programs affecting Hispanic were Hispanic. president hopes to reach more than 1 million students at 3,000 students. El President Clinton y el Vice Presidente Gore The administration request- middle schools over the next five years. Pressed by the Congression- durante una junta donde prometieron trabajar ed $394 million, a $33 million By working with parents, churches, local businesses and al Hispanic Caucus during a increase, for adult education. para el mejoramiento de la educaci6n con los din- community groups, children in the program would receive in- •White House meeting last Hispanics make up 34 percent formation on the significance of attending college. They year to give the community's eros del nuevo presupuesto. El nuevo presupuesto of the 3.9 million adults would receive help as minor as filling out a college applica- proximos educational concerns top pri- se considera por el Congreso durante los served through Adult Basic tion, and as major as taking part in trips to campuses, sum- ority, the president has taken meses. Education courses. Sixty-sev- mer programs and after-school activities to whet their appe- the first step. en percent are enrolled in tites for college. Vice President Al Gore and English-as-a-Second-Lan- They also would have to take tougher classes to prepare Education Secretary Richard ministration didnt just throw who never enrolled in school, guage classes. them for the academic rigors of poet-secondary education. Riley revealed the adminis- money at the problem, they is 30 percent, more than dou- Of all schools seeking teach- Their parents would receive a "21st Century Scholar" certifi- tiation's goals for Hispanic conceded. It made a genuine ble the national average. It ers for their ESL and bilin- cate that spells out the amount of college aid for which their has been there or higher for education at a White House effort to consult with the cau- gual education classrooms, children would be eligible, Clinton said, "so they will never ceremony Feb. 4, the same cus and Latino educational the past 30 years. Hispanics 27.2 percent have difficulties have any doubt that if they do their part, they can, in fact, go on day Clinton submitted his groups. make up 56 percent of all U.S. filling vacancies, according to college." proposal to Congress for the Here's why Hispanics insist immigrants, but 90 percent of to the U.S. Department of Edu- The program was the brainchild of Rep. Chaka Fattah, D- - nation's first balanced budget that education of their child- all immigrant dropouts. In cation. Fewer than one in five : Pa., who patterned it after programs in Philadelphia that pro- in 30 years. ren must become a national 1976, there were 2.8 million teachers serving Limited- vide disadvantaged students with mentors, tuition assistance Hispanic advocates ap- priority: Latino kids attending public English-Proficient students and general encouragement. plauded both the action and the The Hispanic dropout rate, schools, making up 6.4 per- are certified in either ESL or "These young people ... are the future of our country, and way it was handled. The ad- which includes immigrants cent of the student population. Continued on Page 3 the choices that they make in their lives will either tax our so- ciety or benefit our society," Fattah said. "This life that these young people have been given is not a dress rehearsal. This initiative challenges them to do their absolute best." Social Security Fix a Clinton Priority President Clinton today prodded Congress to make saving surplus funds for a future fix of Social Security "the driving principal of this year's work," reports Associated Press He also announced that the first of four regional forums on overhauling Social Security would be held April 7 in Kansas Established 1977 - Texas' Oldest Hispanic Owned Newspapers City, Mo. It was Clinton's first extended remarks on Social Security since he suggested in his State of the Union address last Month tr,1i- ‚I. that Congress set aside any budget surplus to help shore up the . ta),.1ivy lmY I 6 pI) - y_ . lirsil_ nation's retirement program. Social Security currently takes in more payroll taxes from working Americans than it pays out in benefits to retirees. But In what Councilman Victor Lubbock City Council from alent to the "old mil tax" used only unwarranted but unwel- c6me as well. The solution is after baby boomen' start to retire around 2010, that situatior Hernandez said was an effort placing before the voters the to reduce the ad valor em prop- easy, place the issue before the will be reversed. Without changes, Socia1 Security by 2029 that the City undertake some issue of a tax increase to be erty tax rate; and voters." will be unable to pay due retirement benefits. positive steps toward reaching used for "economic develop- d. the creation of a Region- ment initiatives:; al Economic Development 1'he steps outlined were " If we act soon, less is more," Clinton told his audience of a region-wide resolution to meant as initial steps which b. a temporary "cap" on the Commission. mostly students. "We can take relatively modest steps in any long-term economic develop- Hernandez said were needed amount of funds which can be Councilman Hernandez number of directions to run this 2029 number well out into the ment goals, the Councilman to be undertaken. "The reso- future. introduced 4 resolution to be transferred to Market said that "It is critical that the Lubbock,, Inc, at a rate equiv- issue of whether or not the citi- lutions to this issue will not be Most GOP leaders in Congress want to use the anticipated considered at the week's easy, nor will they be neces- alent to the "old mil tax"; zens wish to continue to fund budget surplus for tax cuts. meeting. sarily popular with all -- but C. a resolution which calls economic development initia- Clinton disagreed and said Congress instead should put the Of the seven members of the they will be vital to this City's for an election which would tives' be determined. Just as money aside. "I think it should be the driving principle of this Council only 4 were present continued growth and well- determine, once and for all, there are those adamant in years work in the United States Congress. Do not have a tax on Thursday and none sec- being," said Hernandez. cut. Do not have a spending program that deals with that onded the motion for consid- the preference of Lubbock Cit- their position of continuing to With no one seconding the surplus." eration of the resolution. izens to either: a) continue to fund economic development and "economic development by whatever means, there are resolution when placed before "I was encouraged that Speaker (Newt) Gingrich said the The resolutions called for the Council, the resolution es- initiatives" through a rate those just as adamant that the other day that he felt we should save the surplus until we had a, a voluntarily imposed sentially died but alternative fixed Social Security first," Clinton said. moratorium, prohibiting the equivalent to the "old mil continued use of taxes to fund tax"; or b) have a rate equiv- economic development is not efforts are being planned by However, what Gingrich said was that Congress could save Comenkats Hernandez. any budget surplus for Social Security and still give Ameri- cans a tax break -- if Clinton would give up new spending pro- Aprobacion De Presupuesto posals. ro The Clinton administration is forecasting that, not only Every now and then we Podria Ser Prueba will the budget be balanced for the first time in 30 years in fis- cal 1999, but there will be a $200 billion surplus over the next have to remind our readers Po Joseph Torres Los defensores hispanos latinas de la enaePanza.