Politics

Bush: 'Progress' On Education

April 18, 2001 / 5:16 PM EDT / CBS/AP

President Bush said he and Congress are "making good progress" on a bipartisan education reform package that holds struggling schools accountable for student success while giving parents the means to get extra help.

Touring an elementary school and speaking before 1,700 people at Central Connecticut State University, Mr. Bush sought to push his education priorities back toward the center stage as Congress prepares to return from a spring recess next week.

"We're finding agreement that the accountability system has got to have some teeth in it," said Mr. Bush, who was presented with an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Senate and White House negotiators earlier this month drafted a tentative compromise plan that would provide an alternative to Mr. Bush's voucher proposal. Under the plan, the federal government would force persistently failing schools, after receiving years of extra aid, to give students the option of transferring to another public school. As a last resort, a failing school would be reopened as a charter school with a new staff and curriculum.

The plan also proposes taking money from failing schools and giving it to families for tutoring programs.

Senators will take up the education bill next week.

"We haven't agreed 100 percent all across the board but we're making good progress," Mr. Bush said Wednesday.

He also said his education budget would triple the amount of money available for character education in the classroom.

"Education is not complete unless we teach our children not only how to read and write but the difference between right and wrong," he said.

Mr. Bush's original proposal would have allowed families to use their share of the federal funds given to low-performing schools for tuition to private schools. Under the compromise, parents could use some of the money only on supplementary after-school, weekend or summer tutoring programs.

Democrats have raised the possibility of a filibuster over vouchers if they are introduced on the Senate floor by Republicans. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., has said he will introduce a voucher amendment.

Voucher opponents say the $1,500-per-pupil allowances would drain money from struggling public schools.

Administration officials say education spending under Mr. Bush's budget would go up 11.5 percent to $44.5 billion. About 20 percent of that would go to Title I programs for the country's poorest students.

Democrats have attacked Mr. Bush's numbers, saying he can't pay for both his education plans and his proposed tax cuts. They also say his increase is less than what education received in previous budgets, which Republicans deny.

"This historic legislation deserves historic increases in education funding as well," Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said in a statement. "Surely, in a time of record budget surpluses, we can afford tprovide schools with the help they need to teach our children better."

Kennedy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, added, "Its nonsense to think that we can reform our schools on the cheap. We agree with President Bush to hold schools more accountable for improvement. But we can't do that without training more teachers or providing more tutors and after-school learning programs for our children."