[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 35 (Monday, September 4, 2000)]
[Pages 1941-1942]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

August 26, 2000

    Good morning. For millions of American children, this is the last 
glorious weekend of summer vacation. Ready or not, they're picking out 
new clothes and packing their school supplies for a promising new school 
year.
    When that first bell rings on Monday, it signals not just the start 
of a new semester but also the highest enrollment in our Nation's 
history. This fall a record 53 million students will fill our 
classrooms. Unfortunately, thousands of school districts are struggling 
to find enough teachers to fill them.
    Today I want to talk about this critical teacher shortage and the 
steps we're taking to address it. For nearly 8 years now, Vice President 
Gore and I have pushed to invest more in our schools and demand more 
from them. We've dramatically increased Federal investment in after-
school and summer school. We've raised standards, strengthened 
accountability, and worked to turn around failing schools. Today, math, 
reading, and SAT scores all are up, and more students than ever are 
going on to college.
    Because America needs good new teachers more than ever before, we've 
set out to hire 100,000 of the highest quality, and we're pushing hard 
toward that goal. Since 1998, we've helped local schools hire a third of 
that total, and this year we've asked Congress for funding to reach 
50,000.
    We've also provided housing discounts for teachers moving to 
distressed communities and the forgiveness of student loans for those 
who commit to stay. All across our Nation, school districts are looking 
for a new generation of dedicated teachers. In Cleveland, for example, 
administrators hired more than 200 teachers over the summer, but they're 
still looking for another 400. And Cleveland is not alone.
    With a strong economy and such a tight labor market, it's hard to 
find so many qualified professionals, and the challenge is growing. Over 
the next decade, America will need to hire 2.2 million new teachers both 
to handle rising enrollment and to replace those teachers set to retire.
    By working together as communities and a nation, we can meet the 
growing need for more teachers in our classrooms. Today I'm announcing 
the first-ever national on-line teacher recruitment clearinghouse. By 
logging on to www.recruitingteachers.org, school districts can find 
qualified teachers, and teachers can find out where the jobs are.
    I'm also directing Secretary Riley to notify every school district 
about this new tool and to provide them with information about how to 
make the most of it. This will transform what has been a hit-or-miss 
process into a more efficient, effective exchange of information. And 
over time, this site will help us to alleviate the national teacher 
shortage and to bring down class size.
    Studies show what parents already know: Students perform better in 
smaller classes with more individual attention and greater discipline. 
In a few short weeks, Congress will return to Washington hot from the 
campaign trail, but America's families know this isn't just an election 
year; it's also a school year.
    They want Congress to put progress before partisanship and to pass 
an education budget that reflects our national priorities. I urge 
Congress to pass my package of proposals to continue cutting class size 
and boosting teacher quality. These initiatives would provide $2.75 
billion to recruit, train, and hire teachers, to reduce the class size 
and to invest in teacher quality so we can make real progress toward our 
goal of having a qualified teacher in every classroom.
    I also urge Congress to take prompt action on our proposal to help 
local school districts tackle the enormous challenge of modernizing old 
schools and building new ones. The average American public school was 
built 42

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years ago, and decades of use have taken their toll. It is high time we 
get our children out of trailers and into 21st century classrooms.
    At the start of this new school year, parents and teachers 
everywhere are telling students to do their best. In turn, their 
families have a right to expect that we, here, will do ours. So let's 
not make them wait another year for the resources they need.
    With more teachers, smaller classes, modern schools, and faith in 
their future, our children will do more than reach for their dreams; 
they'll achieve them.
    Thanks for listening.

 Note:  The address was recorded at 12:59 p.m. on August 25 in the 
Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on August 
26. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on August 25 but was embargoed for release until the 
broadcast.