Politics

Education Pick Vouches For Himself

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 10, 2001 / 7:45 AM EST / CBS

Widely praised for his stewardship of the Houston schools, Education Secretary-designate Rod Paige sailed through his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, warning of an "education recession" and saying he means it when he says no child can be left behind

There was no opposition to Paige, reports CBS News Correspondent Bob Fuss, and he's expected to be confirmed on the same day as President-elect Bush is inaugurated.

Paige promised to work with Republicans and Democrats to improve the nation's educational system and reiterated his support of private school vouchers.

But, when asked by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., whether vouchers would be a priority under his leadership, Paige said, "Not a priority, Senator.

"It is not that I'm coming to this body with any particular entrenchment," Paige told a confirmation hearing before the Senate Education, Labor and Pension Committee. "What I am trying to find is what works."

"I think there is room for us to talk about this. I am willing to hear and eager to hear your views," he said.

Paige described himself as a supporter of "parental choice" which can take many forms, including charter schools and magnet schools.

But earlier, in prepared remarks submitted to the committee, Paige said, "The power of informed parental choice can change the status quo.

"Failing schools should be given a finite period to change. If they fail to do so, children of low-income parents should have the option of transferring to another public school or using their share of federal funds to pay for another option, including tutoring, a charter school or a nonpublic school," he said.

Paige also held fast to his support of testing teachers as well as pupils. "There are complaints that it just isn't fair to rate schools and to expect teachers and children to meet goals for performance," he said. "I disagree. America cannot go speeding into the future looking through a rearview mirror."

In a show of bipartisanship, he offered high praise for his predecessor, Secretary Richard Riley, a Democrat.

But Democrats, while offering strong support for Paige, have made clear they plan to oppose efforts to spend federal money on private schooling.

Kennedy, serving as chairman of the confirmation hearing while the Democrats have temporary control of the Senate, said that support for Paige by members of the committee is "an auspicious signal that we can work well together on education."

Kennedy singled out vouchers as a "failing concept."

"I, for one, don't think we should abandon our schools in order to strengthen them," Kennedy said. "What we are interested in is trying to strengthen educational opportunity advantage for all children."

During his campaign, President-elect Bush proposed giving students in chronically lagging schools the financial means to go a different school - including private institutins. Paige, who's run the Houston schools since 1994, used private-school vouchers in a program to relieve overcrowding.

Some conservatives have expressed concern that Paige and Mr. Bush might retreat from a campaign promise to allow students in these troubled schools the financial means to go elsewhere - including private schools.

"This is one thing where conservatives could really put a good idea into practice," said David Almasi, of the National Center for Public Policy Research's Project 21, a black conservative think tank. "It's something he could take to the bully pulpit and talk about."

Paige has been praised for raising test scores, firing administrators of lagging schools and expanding alternatives to such schools in Houston's heavily minority, 210,000-student district.

Also a former university coach and dean and a Houston school board member, Paige, 67, would be the first black secretary in a department charged with federal programs that target the disadvantaged.

Democrats are hoping for a sign of bipartisanship on federal school-repair funding. Paige, who's led a district where two-thirds of the children are poor, has told Congress the federal government could do more to help fix crumbling buildings in high-poverty
schools.

Like Bush, Paige has drawn fire for intensive testing. Critics say students are coached, disabled children are excluded, and those who speak English poorly are discouraged by the English-only exams. And groups opposed to in-school advertising criticized the district's exclusive contract to sell Coca-Cola products.

Paige has earned the support of rank-and-file educators - with national awards from several groups. They hope he could bring to the 22-year-old department the perspective of running a major school system. Terrel Bell, appointed by President Reagan in 1981 to oversee the planned dismantling of the fledgling education department, was a school superintendent in Utah.