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The fight for school construction is on!" roared Jeff Bates, a community leader for the Northwest Neighborhood Federation in Chicago.

Thirty leaders and staff from around the country descended on Washington DC in February to open the 107th Congress with a bang in NPA's first every 'Luv' tour.

"We're here to ensure that the new Congress understands that we aren't going away until they fix the problem," said Ronn Jordan, a leader with the North West Bronx Community Clergy Coalition out of New York.

Community groups are pressing Congress to pass a $24 billion school construction bill that would alleviate school overcrowding and repair as well as rebuild many of America's crumbling schools. Last year Congress passed a $1.3 billion allocation for emergency repairs to deteriorated schools. While this money represents real progress NPA groups feel that it is only the beginning.

"At a minimum we need to pass the Johnson/Rangel Bill, which generates approximately $25 billion," said Greg Speeter Director of the National Priorities Project, and author of the study on school overcrowding and disrepair "Recess is Over."

"I don't know how you could see all this and still ignore us," added Jean Henry, a youth leader with the NWBCCC who attends an overcrowded school in New York. "We went up and down the halls of Congress - but the key is still going to be the Speaker of the House."

The climax of the trip was NPA's delivery of over 2,000 valentines and dozens of chocolate candy hearts inscribed with the message "make room to learn" to Secretary of Education, Rod Paige. Hundreds of school children across the country made the valentines for Paige, asking him to support the school construction bill.

Paige supported the Johnson/Rangel bill last year when it was first introduced into Congress. As Superintendent of Houston Schools, Paige helped to pass a $678 million bond issue in 1998 for school construction. The money went to repairing 69 schools and building 10 new ones.

A public relations representative from the Secretary's office came down to accept the valentines.

"It's good to show these guys our other side once in a while - NPA is about love - let them feel the love!" Jordan laughed as he left the Department of Education.

While the group initially felt positive about the valentine's delivery, the Secretary's office has declined an invitation to NPA conference.

"All we hear locally is we can't do this because of the budget, because of facilities because of the parents, because of the teacher, because of the union and I'm tired of hearing about what we can't do. This trip let me lift my head up out of the trenches and see that things can change," said Cleo Stewart of Citizens United for the Restoration of Economic Self-Help (CURES) out of Baltimore, Md. "My hope is that when I bring other parents here from Baltimore in March (at NPA) they'll get the same feeling of hope that I have now."