    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [August 29, 2007]
    [Pages 1126-1130]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Hurricane Katrina Recovery Efforts in New Orleans
    August 29, 2007

        The President. Madam Principal, thank you
    for having us.
        Principal Doris Hicks. You're quite welcome.
    It's our pleasure.
        The President. Laura and I are honored to be
    here. During the moment of reflection, it is a time to ask for the
    Almighty's blessings on those who suffered, those who lost a loved one,
    and remember that there's always a more blessed day in the future. And
    that's what we're here to celebrate, a more blessed day. And there's no
    better place to do so than in a place of hope, and that's a school. And
    so we're honored that you would welcome us.
        Mrs. Hicks. Thank you.
        The President. We love being with your teachers and your students.
    Thanks for being here.
        Governor, thanks for coming.
    Governor Kathleen Blanco is an educational reformer. She has done what
    leaders are supposed to do, and when she sees a problem, address them
    head on and pass law and budget necessary to achieve educational
    excellence. And you've done so, Governor. I congratulate you for your
    leadership.
        I'm proud to be with the Congressman. Jeff, thanks for coming. You care deeply about the
    students of this district, and we're glad you're here.
        I do want to thank Don Powell for
    joining us. Don is the recovery man who represents the White House and
    the administration here in Washington--from--in Louisiana from
    Washington. And I thank you for your service.
        I appreciate the State education superintendent, Pastorek. Superintendent, thanks for coming. He's got a vision
    of excellence for the schools in New Orleans and for Louisiana. He
    shared that vision with us earlier.
        I appreciate Paul Vallas, superintendent
    here in New Orleans, for his willingness to take on this challenge. He
    doesn't view it as a problem; he views it as an opportunity. I first met
    Paul in Chicago, where he was an advocate then like he is today of high
    expectations and strong accountability to make sure every child learns.
        I appreciate Hilda Young; Sister Finnerty, she's the superintendent of the Catholic
    school system here. I thank all the teachers, students, and parents
    who've joined us.
        Hurricane Katrina broke through the levees; it broke a lot of
    hearts; it destroyed buildings. But it didn't affect the spirit of

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    a lot of citizens in this community. This spirit can be best reflected
    when you think about a principal who refused to allow a school to be
    destroyed by the flood and worked hard to not only rebuild the building
    but keep the spirit alive. Or it can be reflected in the fact that
    teachers commute. We met a seventh grade teacher today who commutes 30 miles every day to be able to
    impart knowledge and to share wisdom with students who will be leading
    New Orleans in the future.
        And so it's--my attitude is this: New Orleans, better days are
    ahead. It's sometimes hard for people to see progress when you live in a
    community all the time. Laura and I get to come--
    we don't live here; we come on occasion. And it's easy to think about
    what it was like when we first came here after the hurricane and what
    it's like today. And this town is coming back. This town is better today
    than it was yesterday, and it's going to be better tomorrow than it was
    today. And there's no better place to find that out than in the school
    system.
        First, I do want to thank our fellow citizens for their generosity
    when it comes to helping New Orleans and the gulf coast rebuild. The
    citizens of this country thus far have paid out $114 billion in tax
    revenues--their money--to help the folks down here. And I appreciate the
    Governor. Last night we went to--
    we had a nice dinner here in New Orleans--by the way, I have yet to
    recover. [Laughter] Dooky Chase's, if you want to eat a lot of good
    food, go there. But during that dinner, the Governor expressed her
    appreciation to the taxpayers of America. In other words, the taxpayers
    and people from all around the country have got to understand, the
    people of this part of the world really do appreciate the fact that the
    American citizens are supportive of the recovery effort.
        Of the 114 billion spent so far and resources allocated so far,
    about 80 percent of the funds have been disbursed or available. And of
    course, Don and I will try to work through
    the bureaucracy in Washington, just like folks down here are trying to
    work through the bureaucracy, to make sure that there are adequate plans
    for the money. And so we're working through this kind of collaborative
    effort of Federal, State, and local folks working together to make sure
    that taxpayers' money is spent wisely on priorities.
        But there's been a commitment--and a strong commitment. A lot of
    people down here probably wondered whether or not those of us in the
    Federal Government not from Louisiana would pay attention to Louisiana
    or Mississippi. In other words, it's one thing to come and give a speech
    in Jackson Square, it's another thing to keep paying attention to
    whether or not progress is being made. And I hope people understand we
    do. We're still paying attention. We understand.
        One of Don Powell's jobs is to make
    sure that the Federal Government understands the hurdles that remain
    to--for recovery. One hurdle was the levee system. We fully understand
    that New Orleans can't be rebuilt until there's confidence in the
    levees. It's one thing to plan; it's another thing to convince people
    that the levees will work. And there's been a lot of effort by the Army
    Corps of Engineers. A matter of fact, Don Powell announced the other day
    that we're going to complete work to improve storm and flood protection
    infrastructure to a 100-year protection level by 2011. And that's a
    commitment, and it's an important commitment to make.
        We're also going to fund $1.3 billion network of interior drainage
    projects to ensure the area has better hurricane protection. In other
    words, there's Federal responsibilities. The levee system is the Federal
    responsibility, and we'll meet our responsibility. And there's a--
    obviously, we want to work together with the State and local governments
    as well. Obviously, it's a collaborative effort.
        One of the things that Kathleen and I have been working on a long time is wetlands
    restoration in order to provide more

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    protection for the folks down here. We got a good bill out of the
    Congress, and there's an opportunity now for Louisiana to have the cash
    funds necessary to begin a serious and substantive wetlands restoration
    program.
        I appreciate the fact that Al Gonzales was down yesterday, talking about how the Federal
    Government can help on local law enforcement matters. I firmly believe
    local law enforcement is just that--local. It requires a commitment by
    the local folks to hold people to account for crime. But the Federal
    Government can help. And so Al was down yesterday, announcing and
    opening a family justice center to help the victims of domestic
    violence. The VA is going to build a medical center in downtown New
    Orleans as part of the Federal commitment to helping people here
    recover.
        And so I come telling the folks in this part of the world that we
    still understand there's problems and we're still engaged. And
    Don will continue to make sure that we
    listen and respond when possible.
        But let me talk about the school system. There is nothing more
    hopeful than a good school system. And I firmly believe that excellence
    in education is going to be the leading edge of change for New Orleans.
    Margaret Spellings, who is the Secretary
    of Education, understands this concept. The Government has provided
    Louisiana with more than $700 million in emergency education funds to
    help not only the public school system but also the parochial school
    system. And that's money well spent. It's money spent on construction;
    it's money spent on creating incentives for teachers to return; it's
    money incent to make sure children who went to other school districts--
    those school districts got reimbursed. It was good money spent because
    education needs to be the number-one priority of the State, just like
    Kathleen Blanco has made that the
    priority.
        New Orleans is about to open 80 schools--nearly 80 schools this
    fall. That's a remarkable achievement, nearly half of which happen to be
    charter schools. I believe in freedom to manage and accountability to
    make sure everybody learns. And that's the essence of the charter school
    movement: freedom to manage, but accountability to make sure no child
    gets left behind.
        And that's the spirit of the superintendent--both
    superintendents here. They believe in high expectations and measuring.
    It's what I call challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. If
    you don't believe that somebody can learn, you'll set low expectations.
    If you believe every child can learn, you'll raise the expectations, and
    then you'll insist upon measurement to make sure that each child is
    tracked, that we disaggregate results. That's a fancy word for making
    sure that we understand whether or not each school is meeting certain
    standards and then help for those that aren't, changes for those that
    aren't, and praise for those that are. And we're at MLK, and we're here
    to heap praise.
        Mrs. Hicks. Thank you. I agree.
        The President. This is the first public school to open in the Lower
    Ninth Ward. It is a tribute to volunteers, concerned parents, and
    citizens who care about education. It is a tribute to the fact that
    there's teachers who taught in makeshift classrooms during renovations.
    In other words, they care about the buildings, but they care more about
    education and were willing to teach no matter what the circumstances may
    be. And it's a tribute to a principal----
        Mrs. Hicks. Thank you.
        The President. ----who had a clear vision.
        Mrs. Hicks. Thank you.
        The President. And so we're here to herald excellence and to thank
    the good folks in this community for supporting this school, with the
    understanding that this school is one of the great beacons for hope.
        I want to thank the educational entrepreneurs who've joined us,
    those who are

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    in the process of helping find new teachers. Teachers--there was a great
    concern obviously when schools were reopening as to whether or not there
    would be enough teachers. And people responded. People responded to the
    call to help provide, at a grassroots level, the support necessary to
    encourage people to teach. TeachNOLA is such an example. If you're
    interested in being a teacher, from around the country, get on the
    Internet on teachNOLA and you'll find opportunities to come here to
    Washington--to New Orleans to teach. We've got somebody from Washington
    who came down to help rally support for the school system. Teach For
    America is active in this community.
        The charter school system, by the way, spawns all kinds of different
    opportunities for people to be involved with schools. I think of KIPP
    McDonogh 15 School. It's a high standard school. It is a school that
    says, ``If there are rules that prevent us from teaching, we'll try to
    figure out how to get around them, because what matters more than
    anything is teaching a child.''
        I was impressed that when they got into the school system there,
    when they first got going in this particular school, they extended the
    school day with class every other Saturday. They said, ``What does it
    take to catch up? What do we need to do to meet standards?'' And the
    principal--the former principal put it this
    way: ``It took a hurricane to speed up and really jump-start the reform
    efforts in New Orleans.'' In other words, the hurricane was disastrous
    for many reasons, but it also gave a great opportunity for a new way
    forward, seized by the Governor
    and the superintendents and the principals, by the way.
        Laura and I care a lot about the libraries.
    That's why we're dedicating books. We're proud to be a part of the
    rebuilding of this library. Laura has got a foundation and has
    established the Gulf Coast Library Recovery Initiative, all aiming to
    make sure that these libraries are stocked with books. You ought to
    apply to her foundation, by the way. [Laughter] I think you'll have a
    good opportunity. [Laughter]
        The First Lady. Absolutely.
        Mrs. Hicks. I know.
        The President. I'll try to work it for you.
        Mrs. Hicks. Good. [Laughter]
        The President. I'll never forget, one time when I was Governor of
    Texas, a woman looked at me, and she said, ``Reading is the new civil
    right.'' It had a profound impact on the policies that we have pursued
    since I've been in public office and Laura has
    pursued as a lifelong reader. And that person was right. We've got to
    start making sure those youngsters can read at grade level and stay
    reading at grade level. No better way to send the message that that is a
    commitment, by making sure the libraries are stocked.
        I want to share a story with you about a woman named Rebecca
    Jeanfreau who's here. Where are you,
    Rebecca? There you go; thanks for coming. She was a Boston architect.
    She studied to become an architect and was in a firm. But she is from
    New Orleans. And she started thinking about the community she loved. And
    so she said, ``I needed to act, and I'm ready to act.'' And she came
    back to be a teacher. She left a promising career as a architect to come
    back to a community that she--that is dear to her heart.
        It's that spirit, by the way, that is going to allow me to predict
    with certainty, New Orleans' better days are ahead for the New Orleans
    people. I mean, this is a--and there are stories like Rebecca all over this community, people who have heard a call
    to come back and help. No better way to help, by the way, than to teach.
        But there are all kinds of different ways people can help the people
    of New Orleans and the gulf coast recover. You can contribute to the
    NGOs or the local organizations that are still helping heal hearts. You
    can help with sending books to schools. You can get on web sites to
    determine where the needs are. And if you're a citizen of this country
    who cares about making

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    sure this part of the region fully recovers, please participate. Please
    find a way to help and continue to do so.
        So, Governor, I'm honored
    you're here. Laura and I are thrilled to be in
    this school. We're really pleased that MLK School has given us an
    opportunity to herald excellence.
        Mrs. Hicks. Thank you.
        The President. We care deeply about the folks in this part of the
    world. We ask for God's blessings on the families who still hurt and
    suffer. And we thank God for the recovery efforts that thus far have
    taken place.
        Thank you for your time.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:40 a.m. at the Dr. Martin Luther King,
    Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology. In his remarks, he
    referred to Rep. William J. Jefferson; Hilda Young, president, Friends
    of King Board; Eric Johnson, seventh-grade math teacher, Dr. Martin
    Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology; and Gary
    Robichaux, former principal, KIPP McDonogh 15 School for the Creative
    Arts.