03-11-2000

EDUCATION: Senate Panel Flunks Clinton School Aid Plan

Republicans dealt staggering blows to President Clinton's major school
initiatives on March 9 by approving a bill that rejects his plan to hire
100,000 new teachers and help finance the renovation of crumbling school
buildings.


By a party-line 10-8 vote, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions Committee passed legislation (S. 2) to renew the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act. GOP panel members plowed under Clinton's
initiatives while crafting their own program to send federal dollars to
state and local educators with fewer federal strings attached.


Committee Democrats, led by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., vowed to reprise
the debate when the bill reaches the Senate floor, probably in early
April. But the panel's votes demonstrated a unified front among
conservative and moderate Republicans, which made the prospect of
overturning its actions appear remote. The passage of the GOP version
could lead to a veto, and a tough fight this fall when Clinton and
congressional leaders try to work out education spending levels on
appropriations bills.


Spearheaded by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., a former governor, GOP committee
members pushed through amendments during three days of markup sessions-on
March 7, 8, and 9-to permit states to use the federal money with few
restrictions, other than prescribing broad directions to improve the
scholastic performance of low-income and minority students.


Most of the nearly $20 billion in the ESEA bill allocated for fiscal 2001
would go to states and local schools in the form of block grants
consolidating major programs that up to now have been financed separately.
Under the Republicans' approach, governors would have wide discretion on
how to spend the money.


In addition, a Gregg amendment, approved on a party-line 9-8 vote, would
let low-income students transfer to another school and take their $400 to
$700 federal allocation of money under ESEA's Title I program with them.
"The money follows the student," Gregg explained. The plan,
which would begin as a demonstration program in 10 unspecified states, is
almost identical to a controversial "Straight A's" proposal
passed by the House.


Republicans turned down an amendment by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who
sought $1.75 billion to continue the President's program to hire 100,000
new teachers and reduce class sizes in the first three elementary grades.
"As a former teacher, I can tell you it really makes a difference if
you have 18 kids in a classroom instead of 35," Murray said.


The committee also rejected a bid by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to include
Clinton's plan to provide $1.3 billion to help local schools finance the
renovation of dilapidated buildings.


While the committee sought to leave most educational decisions in the
hands of local school districts, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., convinced his
Republican colleagues that the House and Senate education committees
should review parental complaints about textbooks. Such complaints would
be sent to the Education Secretary, who would forward them to the
committees. Democrats scoffed that the plan would turn the congressional
committees into "superschool boards."


David Hess

National Journal