    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [March 10, 1999]
    [Page 343]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Kennedy-Murray Amendment to Proposed Education
    Flexibility Partnership Legislation
    March 10, 1999

        I am pleased that the Senate leadership has finally agreed to allow
    an up-or-down vote on an amendment to hire 100,000 teachers to reduce
    class size in the early grades. Last year, with bipartisan support,
    Congress enacted a downpayment on this class size initiative, and school
    districts across the country will soon receive funds to begin hiring
    teachers. It is now time for Congress to finish the job by making a
    long-term commitment to class size reduction. I call on every Senator to
    vote for the Murray-Kennedy amendment to bring every class in the early
    grades down to a national average of 18.
        I will vigorously oppose any Republican amendments to undermine the
    bipartisan agreement we reached last year on class size by diverting
    those funds to other uses, including special education. While we should
    increase funding for special education--as we have done in past years
    and as my budget recommends continuing to do in the future--we should
    not take this money from the recently enacted class size initiative. We
    should not pit our children against one another or change the rules now
    on our critical efforts to reduce class size. Smaller classes will help
    all students do better and will reduce the need for special education
    services by helping teachers identify and assist as early as possible
    children who have learning problems. I call on every Member of Congress
    to reject these efforts to tear down what we accomplished last year, and
    call on them instead to build on that significant bipartisan
    achievement.