    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [August 28, 1999]
    [Pages 1469-1470]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    August 28, 1999

        Good morning. This week students all over the country are getting
    ready for the first day of school. Like every year, parents will send
    their children off to school with new backpacks and fresh hopes that
    they'll get the world-class education they need and deserve. Today I
    want to talk about our continuing efforts to strengthen and renew our
    Nation's public schools by encouraging more choice, competition, and
    creativity.
        For more than 6\1/2\ years now, Secretary Riley and I and our whole administration have worked hard to
    raise standards, raise expectations, and raise accountability in every
    public school in America. I have advanced a comprehensive plan to
    strengthen and renew our Nation's schools and education agenda for the
    21st century--

    [[Page 1470]]

    from reducing class size to improving teacher quality, from modernizing
    and rebuilding thousands of schools to finishing the job of connecting
    every library and classroom to the Internet, from putting an end to
    social promotion to expanding after-school and summer school programs.
        We've also worked hard to promote the creativity, competition, and
    accountability that can turn around failing schools and make our good
    schools even better. That's the big reason I've encouraged States to
    pass charter school laws and urge communities all across our country to
    give charter schools a chance.
        Charter schools are innovative public schools started by educators,
    parents, and communities, open to students of every background or
    ability. But they're freer of redtape and top-down management than most
    of our schools are, and in return for greater flexibility, charter
    schools must set and meet the highest standards, and stay open only as
    long as they do.
        Also, charter schools don't divert taxpayer dollars from our public
    school system; instead, they use those dollars to promote excellence and
    competition within the system. And in so doing, they spur all our public
    schools to improve.
        I am proud of the progress we've made so far. When I was first
    elected President, there was only one charter school in the entire
    country. This year there will be more than 1,700 of them. We're well on
    our way to meeting my goal of establishing 3,000 charter schools
    nationwide in the first year of the new century.
        For an increasing number of families, charter schools are the right
    choice. In fact, there are now waiting lists at 7 out of 10 existing
    charter schools, as more parents realize that more innovation and
    creativity can produce good results for their children.
        Let me give you just one example. When Bowling Green Elementary
    School in Sacramento ranked third from the bottom in its district,
    parents and teachers decided they had to do something to take control
    and turn the situation around. So they set up a charter school there.
    Since becoming a charter school, Bowling Green has seen student
    performance soar, with greater gains in test scores than any other
    school in the school district.
        The charter school movement is a real grassroots revolution in
    education. We must do everything we can to support it. Today I am
    pleased to announce nearly $100 million in funding for charter schools
    all around America. These funds will help teachers and parents open new
    charter schools in 32 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
        They will help existing charter schools hire more well-trained
    teachers; buy more books, computers, and educational software; and
    ensure that classrooms are safe and accessible for all students.
    Finally, these funds will help charter schools develop accountability
    systems to measure whether they are meeting or exceeding State
    standards.
        Charter schools are living proof of what parents and teachers can do
    to reinvigorate public education. Investing in them means investing in
    accountability and excellence and a much better future for our children.
        But just as our children are returning to class, the Republican
    leadership's risky tax cut plan would undermine these investments by
    forcing deep and irresponsible cuts in education and other important
    national priorities. So, as Congress comes back to Washington, let's
    remind them what the creators and the students of America's charter
    schools already know: We're all accountable for our children's future,
    and an investment in it is our best investment in all our future.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Edgartown School in
    Martha's Vineyard, MA.