mr. chairman , i rise in support of the school readiness act which will reauthorize the head start program , but this measure will not get my vote if the amendment allowing for religious discrimination is adopted by this house . 
i think that we can all agree that this is not a perfect bill , though it is certainly an improvement over the headstart reauthorization bill that the 108th congress considered . 
as a former mayor of the city of alexandria , virginia , i know just how important head start programs are to communities because they help to provide our low-income preschool-aged children much needed services such as child development , educational , health , nutritional activities which help them receive greater advantages in life . 
more importantly , these programs help to level the playing field for disadvantaged children and prepare them for school . 
in addition to the educational services that are provided by head start programs , some of the other services include health screenings , such as dental and eye care . 
statistics have shown that children who receive these crucial services , along with a hot breakfast every morning , have increased their readiness for school . 
in my congressional district , one of the most successful head start programs is the alexandria head start . 
this is a collaboration that the campaign center , the city of alexandria and the alexandria city public schools system formed about 37 years ago . 
ahs serves over 250 head start children and because of a wonderful group of dedicated educators and involved parents , these children are truly getting a `` head start. '' i am pleased that many of my low-income constituents are served by head start programs . 
i am concerned , however , that the school readiness act 's authorized funding levels , with limitations , will allow less than one-half of the eligible preschoolers , to participate in head start . 
unfortunately the cost of the iraq war and massive tax cuts have produced a fiscal crisis which now translates into the under-funding of critical programs like head start and others focused on our low-income citizens . 
i am saddened that so many children , who truly would benefit from participation in a head start program , will not be given a chance of doing so , and as a result , will be far less likely to reach their true potential . 
another area of concern in this bill relates to teacher quality . 
the school readiness act will require that half of the head start teachers nationwide have at least a b.a . 
in child development or a related field by 2011 , and that all new teachers , beginning three years after the enactment of the bill have at least an associate 's degree or be enrolled in a program to achieve an associate 's degree . 
while i certainly agree that our head start teachers should be highly educated , however , unless additional funding is provided for increased salaries , it will be extremely difficult for head start programs to attract and more importantly , retain the highly educated teachers the bill requires . 
why would someone who is interested in being a teacher and possesses the education and background the bill requires , choose to make $ 25 , 000 a year as a head start teacher instead of $ 41 , 000 as a kindergarten teacher for a school system that provides its teaches with cost-of-living adjustments ? 
the non-profit trust for early education said it best in a recent report , `` if we do not provide appropriate compensation for our pre-kindergarten teachers , they will leave the pre-kindergarten classroom. '' the school readiness act needs to provide head start programs with the financial ability to recruit and retain our nation 's brightest teachers to educate our nation 's most disadvantaged . 
i am also adamantly opposed to the boustany amendment . 
if a head start program is being administered by a faith-based institution and it is receiving federal funding for the program , it must not be permitted to discriminate on religious grounds when making employment decisions . 
it is as simple as that . 
head start teachers and workers not only provide cognitive development services to children ; they help in the development of children 's character . 
most preschoolers have a strong sense of right from wrong . 
this will be setting a confusing example if we authorize discrimination of any kind . 
this amendment is opposed by every credible anti-discrimination an civil rights protection organization , and i ask my colleagues to oppose it . 
it was once said that `` education is the great equalizer in a democratic society , and if people are not given access to a quality education , then what we are doing is creating an underclass of people who will ultimately challenge our very way of life. '' while i recognize the shortcomings of the school readiness act , it is a worthwhile effort that will help our low-income children by working to level a very un-level playing field , so they will be prepared and successful in school . 
