Speech #860152653

Since August last year the subcommittee has been conducting a full study of the problems besetting the more than 1 million men. women. and children who perform an indispensable service in providing every one of us with the agricultural necessities of life by traveling from State to State to meet the uniquely heavy seasonal demands of the agricultural industry. The migratory agricultural workers have often been called our most displaced and forgotten people. Although considerable progress has been made in recent decades through the determined efforts of State and local governments. private organizations and the farmers themselves. the migrant workers still suffer many privations in the area of income. housing. health. and community acceptance. But perhaps the greatest privation lies in the field of education. particularly for the thousands of children who follow their parents from crop to crop and who. in many cases. rarely see the inside of a school building. Even in the best of circumstances the constant movement of these migrant children is enough to insure a serious lag in their educational lives. When you add to that the problem of their special environment and upbringing. the fact that they often are needed to work in the fields to help supplement the meager family income. the fact that some parents are unaware of the importance of education. the language barrier frequently present. and the financial difficulty confronting many communities which are suddenly overwhelmed for brief periods by an influx of large numbers of migrant children. it is not hard to appreciate the scope and depth of the problem. The first bill I have introduced attempts to meet this obvious and vital need for providing the children of our migratory workers with better educational opportunities. The other bill is a small program to help provide the workers themselves with a start in practical education. I have been gratified to note. Mr. President. the number of farmers who have begun to recognize the benefits to them of having educational opportunities available in their area for migrant children. During the field hearings held last fall through Michigan. Wisconsin. and Minnesota in the Midwest. and in New York. New Jersey. and Pennsylvania. I had occasion to talk to many growers who cited. time after time. the major "headache" and expense resulting from a high and rapid turnover in their migrant working force. Not only did many growers suffer from the problem of having to "break in" a whole new migrant population from year to year. but they often had to suffer the cost and loss of efficiency caused by a steady stream of departures during the course of a single season. They were also faced with the danger of serious accidents to small children left to their own designs in the field and with the problem of providing care for the children or losing the full efforts of their parents. Against this backdrop. many farmers who were fortunate enough to be located in an area that provided good educational facilities for migrant children told me how many migrant families returned year after year to the same farms because "here our children can get an education." Personal experience has taught these farmers what a stabilizing influence an educational program can have in their community. It decreases the turnover. and consequently the expense of finding replacements. It provides a happier and more willing work force. And perhaps not least important. it helps give the farmers themselves a peace of mind they might not otherwise enjoy. Unfortunately. however. despite the manifest value to the migrant. the farmer and the community of providing good educational opportunities. it is often impossible to do so under existing conditions. States like Texas with approximately 95.000 domestic migrants at the peak season. or California with around 59.000. or Florida with more than 25.000. simply do not have the funds. instructional capacity or classroom space to cope with the educational needs presented by such an influx. The number of children accompanying these workers can be calculated on the basis of estimates by the Department of Labor that there is approximately one child for every five workers. It is too much to expect States and local communities to be able to absorb large numbers of migrant children into their existing educational systems for relatively brief periods of the year. Most schools are overcrowded and understaffed as it is. and it is hardly surprising that even the most dedicated community can do very little to shoulder this added and heavy burden. This is true in our hardpressed urban areas. the problem is even more acute in the rural sections of the country. It is also understandable that many communities find it hard to rouse sufficient concern over what is. to them. a transitory problem. But it can be emphatically said that this is far from a transitory problem for the migrant children. It is an everyday problemevery day of their lives. Mr.