[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1020-S1021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION

  Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize the extremely generous and thoughtful gift for the education 
of our nation's children that was announced today by the Bill and 
Melinda Gates Foundation. Although relatively young, the Foundation 
already has a track record of making significant contributions for the 
sharing of new technologies and improving the educational opportunities 
of all our children. For example, in 1999, Bill and Melinda Gates 
provided $1 billion to establish the Gates Millennium Scholars program, 
which will provide scholarships for academically talented minority 
students who would otherwise not have the financial resources to attend 
college.
  Today, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will announce a new gift 
of approximately $350 million, and more than $200 million of this gift 
will be directed to Washington state schools and districts. This gift 
is comprised of a series of grants that are designed to raise academic 
standards and help all students meet those standards.
  The grants are broken into two elements. The first is a series of 
grants for the development state, district, school and classroom 
leadership. Our educators are doing an outstanding job teaching our 
children. This funding, however, will give our teachers even more 
support and enhance their education which will in turn improve the 
education of our students. This series of grants consists of $100 
million for state challenge grants for Leadership Development, $45 
million for the Teacher Leadership Project, and $25 million for 
national teacher training and teacher quality initiatives.
  The second series of grants will encourage the development of model 
schools and districts. Throughout our state, educators and school 
administrators have hundreds of innovative and creative ideas to 
improve education. With this funding, educators can turn

[[Page S1021]]

their ideas into reality and implement new solutions and ways to teach. 
This series of grants consist of the $30 million Washington State 
School Grant Program which will serve approximately 140 schools, and 
the $150 million School District Grant Program which includes $50 
million for 10-11 districts in Washington State.
  Finally, the Foundation is providing the Seattle School District with 
a $26 million grant that will assist the district in its use of 
technology to help students meet Washington state's challenging 
academic standards.
  I'm sure my colleagues join me in thanking Bill and Melinda Gates for 
their significant and considerate contribution to education. I know 
that current and future generations of students will benefit greatly 
from this gift. The education of our children is the key to the success 
of our country and the Gateses have given all of our students an even 
greater chance of succeeding.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I want to share with my colleagues some 
great education news for schools in Washington state and around the 
country. Today, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced a 
nationwide commitment to provide $350 million over three years to help 
students succeed in the classroom.
  As a former educator in Washington state, I'm especially pleased that 
more than $200 million dollars will go to Washington state classrooms. 
This generous contribution will put money where we know it will make a 
difference: helping all students achieve by developing strong 
leadership skills in our teachers and administrators.
  As we work here in the Senate on our national education policy, 
today's announcement is a reminder that educating our children is a 
team effort--and there are important roles for federal, state, and 
local officials, as well as businesses, nonprofit organizations, and 
individuals.
  For years, the people I represent have seen first-hand the generosity 
and sense of community that Bill and Melinda Gates possess. Their 
foundation has worked to vaccinate poor children against diseases, to 
bring computers to libraries across the country, and to provide 
scholarships to talented minority students. We in Washington state have 
known about it since the beginning, and I'm proud that today, the whole 
nation gets to see it--and benefit from it.
  I couldn't be more proud of the Gates Foundation on this special 
occasion and can't wait to see the many ways this will improve 
education for millions of students.
  As we begin our work to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act, I hope that this major announcement serves to remind us 
that local school districts--on their own--don't have all the resources 
they need. Individuals have a role to play as mentors, volunteers and 
coaches. Charitable foundations have a role to play, and the federal 
government also has a role to play.
  I hope the Senate will follow the important and thoughtful example 
set by the Gates Foundation to do our best to give all students the 
resources and the tools they need to reach their potential.

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