[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
[June 26, 1999]
[Pages 1024-1025]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
June 26, 1999

    Good morning. This month schools across America are letting out for 
the summer and beginning to plan for the fall. Today I'd like to talk 
about what we must do to help our schools prepare for the school year 
ahead and prepare our children for the future, by reducing class size in 
the early grades.
    For 6\1/2\ years, our administration has made improving our 
children's education one of our highest priorities. This year, in my 
State of the Union Address, I outlined a plan to help our schools, our 
teachers, and our students meet high standards. The plan would hold 
States and school systems accountable for fixing failing schools. It 
would require teachers to be qualified in the classroom in the courses 
they teach. It would insist that we put an end to social promotion but 
to do it in the right way, by investing in our children and in our 
schools, from funding after-school and summer school programs to 
modernizing and rebuilding 6,000 schools across our country to finishing 
up our commitment to hook all of our classrooms up to the Internet by 
next year.
    Reducing class size is one of the most important investments we can 
make in our children's future. Recent research confirms what parents 
have always known: Children learn better in small classes with good 
teachers, and kids who start out in smaller classes do better right 
through their high school graduation.
    But in far too many of our schools, 30 or more students are pressed 
desk to desk in a single classroom. Too many teachers have to spend more 
time maintaining order than maintaining high academic standards. And 
with the largest school enrollments in our history still to come, the 
problem is only going to get worse.
    Now, if we're serious about preparing our Nation to succeed in the 
21st century, we must do more to help all our children succeed in 
school. That's why last year I asked Congress to commit to reducing 
class size to 18 in the early grades. And with bipartisan support, 
Congress approved a big downpayment on my plan to put 100,000 well- 
prepared teachers in the classroom.
    I'm pleased to announce that later this week we'll deliver on our 
promise with $1.2 billion

[[Page 1025]]

in grants to help States and local school districts begin hiring the 
first 30,000 well-trained teachers for the new school year. That means 
by the time children go back to school this fall, communities in all 50 
States will have more good teachers and smaller classes in the early 
grades, where it matters most.
    Now we must finish the job. Unfortunately, there are some in 
Congress who are backing away from their commitment to reduce class 
size. Last year Congress came together across party lines to make this 
promise to the American people. They should come together again this 
year to keep it. I think a promise made in an election year should be 
kept in the years when there are no elections.
    So today, again, I call on Congress to put politics aside and put 
our children's future first and finish the job of hiring 100,000 highly 
trained teachers. We know smaller classes will help them succeed in 
school. We know higher quality teaching will help them succeed. We 
already have the plan to make it happen if Congress keeps its word.
    We've got a chance to use this time of prosperity to improve our 
children's education and to help them make the most of their lives. This 
isn't a partisan issue anywhere in America; it shouldn't be in 
Washington. Schoolchildren get the summer off, but we should make this 
summer a season of progress for our children, our schools, and our 
future in the new century.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 6:07 p.m. on June 25 in the Oval 
Office at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 26. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
June 25 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.