Online NewsHour: Education Policy-- October 20, 1998



	LOCAL OR FEDERAL?

October 20, 1998
	Politicians are squaring off over the direction of education spending. Republicans favor local control, while Democrats prefer federal control. After this background report, Phil Ponce leads a discussion.

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Oct. 20, 1998:
A background report on education reform.

Sept. 16, 1998:
How are schools handling the teacher shortage?

Sept. 15, 1998:
Should teachers be graded?

April 29, 1998:
The school voucher debate.

Feb. 4, 1998:
The president's proposal to lower class size.

NewsHour coverage of education issues.

PHIL PONCE: Both the Senate and the House began debate today on a $500 billion spending bill. The details have been negotiated over the last several weeks. Still, many members have not read the 3,500 page, forty pound document.

SEN. BYRD: What a monstrosity, what a gargantuan monstrosity! Do I know what's in the bill, are you kidding - no, I don't know what's in this bill. I know a few things that are in it but only God knows what's in this monstrosity.

PHIL PONCE: The budget agreement includes eighteen billion dollars for the International Monetary Fund -- twenty billion for emergency peacekeeping missions in Bosnia -- one point seven billion for home health care -- one point four billion for community policing programs, as well as money for the Defense Department, farmers, and anti-drug programs among others. One of the most contentious issues has been funding for education.

Politicians fight to control education issue.

PRESIDENT CLINTON: Parents have a right to know whether their children are mastering the basics. And every parent already knows the key - good teachers and small classes.

PHIL PONCE: Eight months ago in his State of the Union address, President Clinton detailed his education priorities -- key among them -- a five year, $7.4 billion plan to hire 100,000 new teachers and reduce average class sizes in first, second and third grades and a ten year, $10 billion bond proposal to help build or renovate 5,000 schools. Neither proposal made headway in the Republican-controlled Congress until recently, when opinion polls showed education at the top of voters' concerns. The budget agreement includes one point two billion dollars in new education spending to pay for 30,000 new teachers in schools across the country. It's the first installment in the White House plan to add 100,000 teachers and decrease class sizes. But Republicans successfully fought efforts to add money to the budget for building new classrooms and repairing old schools. On the Newshour last week, both sides claimed credit.

REP. DICK ARMEY: When the President's people were willing to work with us so that we could let state and local communities take this money, make these decisions, manage the money, spend the money on teachers as they saw the need, whether it be for special education or for regular teaching, with a freedom of choice and management and control at the local level, we thought this was good for America and good for the schoolchildren, and we were very excited to move forward on that.

GENE SPERLING, White House Budget Advisor: Because of the President fighting tough, being willing to threaten a veto, and staying here, negotiating in a unified, Democratic front, we got $1.1 billion, $1.2 billion, so that we can get 100,000 teachers in reduced class sizes to 18 for the critical first, second and third grades.

PHIL PONCE: Both the House and Senate are expected to approve the measure by tomorrow.