    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [March 11, 1999]
    [Page 355]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Senate Action on the Kennedy-Murray Amendment to Proposed
    Education Flexibility Partnership Legislation
    March 11, 1999

        I have long supported the ed-flex concept, and I was pleased when
    the congressional leadership decided to take up this bill as one of its
    first matters of business. Today, however, the Senate used this bill to
    undermine one of our most important educational achievements--an
    initiative to hire 100,000 well-prepared teachers to reduce class size
    in the early grades to a national average of 18. The Senate not only
    voted down an amendment to ensure long-term funding for this initiative
    but passed an amendment that would allow local school districts to
    completely opt out of class size reduction. I will work hard for the
    elimination of this amendment in conference. We should be working
    together to make continued progress on obvious national needs such as
    reducing class size--not attempting to tear down the bipartisan work we
    did last year to address this problem.