[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 10 (Monday, March 15, 1999)]
[Page 390]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Kennedy-Murray Amendment to Proposed Education 
Flexibility Partnership Legislation

March 9, 1999

    For the second day in a row, the Republican leadership has continued 
its efforts to stand in the way of voting on an amendment to finish the 
job of hiring 100,000 teachers to reduce class size. Communities across 
the country need to know that Congress will live up to the bipartisan 
commitment we made last fall to fund this effort. The American people 
expect us to work together to improve the education of our students. I 
call on the Republican leadership to allow an up-or-down vote on more 
teachers and smaller classes, and I call on every Senator to support the 
Murray-Kennedy measure to reduce class size and hire well-prepared 
teachers across the Nation.