Federal Federal File

The LBJ Building?

By Christina A. Samuels — November 29, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Rep. Gene Green remembers that in 1965, when he was a high school senior in Texas, his school got some new, state-of-the-art technology—a piece of audiovisual equipment.

After asking his principal how the school could afford it, “I remember being told that it came from new federal money,” Rep. Green, a Democrat who represents a Houston-area district, said in an interview this month.

Mr. Green considers the man he calls nation’s first “education president,” Lyndon B. Johnson, responsible for his school’s receipt of new equipment, as well as for a host of other federal education programs that have aided millions of students.

With that history in mind, the congressman has introduced a bill to name the Department of Education’s headquarters in Washington the Lyndon Baines Johnson Federal Building. The bill has attracted 19 co-sponsors, all from the 32-member Texas House delegation. All of the delegation’s 11 Democrats, and eight Republicans, have signed on.

Rep. Green cited President Johnson’s advocacy of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which authorizes federal aid for high-poverty schools and other federal K-12 programs, and the Head Start preschool program, also started in 1965.

Mr. Johnson also signed the Higher Education Act, which governs programs that provide billions of dollars in federal aid to colleges and universities and their students.

If Congress were to approve Rep. Green’s bill, it would make the Education Department’s headquarters one of several named after government officials.

The Department of Labor’s headquarters is named the Frances Perkins Building, after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famed appointee as labor secretary. The building that houses the Department of Energy’s headquarters is named for James V. Forrestal, the first secretary of defense. In 2001, the Department of Justice’s main building was named for former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.

Education Department spokesman Chad Colby said the department had no comment on the prospect of naming the building.

A similar bill introduced by Rep. Green died last year. But he’s hopeful the bill might be enacted by next year.

“Lyndon Johnson’s first priority in life was education,” Rep. Green said. “So, the Department of Education building is a perfect fit.”

Related Tags:

Events

Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum Boosting Student and Staff Mental Health: What Schools Can Do
Join this free virtual event based on recent reporting on student and staff mental health challenges and how schools have responded.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
Practical Methods for Integrating Computer Science into Core Curriculum
Dive into insights on integrating computer science into core curricula with expert tips and practical strategies to empower students at every grade level.
Content provided by Learning.com

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Biden Admin. Warns Schools to Protect Students From Antisemitism, Islamophobia
The U.S. Department of Education released a "Dear Colleague" letter reminding schools of their obligation to address discrimination.
3 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview in his office at the U.S. Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal What Educators Should Know About Mike Johnson, New Speaker of the House
Johnson has supported restructuring federal education funding, as well as socially conservative policies that have become GOP priorities.
4 min read
House Speaker-elect Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., addresses members of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on Oct. 25, 2023. Republicans eagerly elected Johnson as House speaker on Wednesday, elevating a deeply conservative but lesser-known leader to the seat of U.S. power and ending for now the political chaos in their majority.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addresses members of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on Oct. 25, 2023. Johnson has a supported a number of conservative Republican education priorities in his time in Congress.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal America's Children Don't Have a Federal Right to Education. Will That Ever Change?
An education scholar is launching a new research and advocacy institute to make the case for a federal right to education.
6 min read
Kimberly Robinson speaks at the kickoff event for the new Education Rights Institute at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, Va., on Oct. 16, 2023.
Kimberly Robinson speaks at the kickoff event for the new Education Rights Institute at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville, Va., on Oct. 16, 2023.
Julia Davis, University of Virginia School of Law
Federal Q&A Miguel Cardona: There's No 'Magic Strategy' to Help Students Get Back on Track
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said he's focused on supporting schools on work they're already doing to help students achieve.
8 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023, in Washington. In an interview with Education Week, Cardona said "there hasn’t been another president in our lifetime that has spoken so much on providing dollars for education but also having education be central to the growth of this country."
Mark Schiefelbein/AP