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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SecularBull who wrote (123470)	1/24/2001 9:59:07 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

President Bush Pushes School Choice Tuesday, January 23, 2001 By John P. Martin WASHINGTON — Defining it as "an important moment" for his new administration, President Bush on Tuesday outlined an education plan that would require students to pass yearly standardized tests, give local districts more control over their funding and impose new school accountability standards — a proposal that already was stirring dissent from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Susan Walsh/AP Monday: Bush holds a meeting with Democratic leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House. While never mentioning the word "voucher," Bush also proposed giving $1,500 to parents of students in failing schools to offset the cost of sending their children to another school. "When schools do not teach and will not change, parents and students must have other meaningful options," he said. Democrats have promised to fight any voucher plan, arguing that it will sap money from the public schools that need it most. Bush acknowledged what he called "differences of opinions," on the issue, but said, "I'm going to take my opinion to the Hill and let folks debate it." The debate had already begun. Hours earlier, a coalition of centrist Democrats from the Senate and House gathered to promote their own education package, one that raises federal spending by $35 billion over five years and, like their GOP counterparts, requires states to set achievement standards and calls for accountability among schools and teachers. "Eighty percent of our proposals are common ground and common interests," said Indiana Congressman Tim Roemer. "But there are some areas where there will be some battlegrounds." Besides vouchers, Roemer said some Democrats believe Bush should devote more money to poor schools and they disagree with his call for students to pass yearly tests in grades three through eight. "That may be too much testing," Roemer said. Bush made education reforms a cornerstone of his campaign and long promised it would be his first policy proposal in the White House. His plan mirrors some of the initiatives he shepherded in Texas, which often are credited with improving school safety and test scores. But Bush backed off a voucher plan in Texas when it became clear it didn't have necessary Democratic support. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the president didn't say "voucher" in describing his latest proposal because the plan is targeted just for parents of children in failing schools. "The reason he doesn't use that word is because his plan is not what has traditionally been called a 'voucher' plan," Fleischer told reporters. "A voucher plan is usually a statewide plan for all schools. This plan is focused on accountability and results." The issue also gives the new president his first legislative challenge, and one that will help measure how successful he can be in dissolving partisan gridlock or who will take the blame if he fails. "Both parties have been talking about education reform for quite awhile," Bush said at the White House ceremony, where he stood alongside Education Secretary Roderick Paige. "It's time to come together to get it done." Speaking on the floor of the Senate, Majority Leader Trent Lott said Bush's plan is "not Republican or Democrat — it's what works and what has worked." But Democrats, careful not to appear villainous, suggested the new administration would be sacrificing a shot at substantial reform if it made vouchers a linchpin of its proposal. "I expect the president to be both principled and pragmatic," said Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ill. Asked if Bush would be willing to drop the provision if it meant saving most of the reform package, Fleischer said, "It's way too soon to start talking about negotiating anything." Federal funds make account for only about 7 percent of the overall spending on the nation's schools, but education routinely ranks at or near the top of voters concerns. In a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics survey of about 1,500 adults earlier this month, 32 percent rated education as the country's most important issue. foxnews.com