[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 5 (Monday, February 7, 2005)]
[Pages 122-123]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony for Margaret Spellings as Secretary of 
Education

January 31, 2005

    Please be seated. Thanks for coming. Laura and I are pleased to be 
here at the Department of Education with Margaret Spellings. Madam 
Secretary, thanks for inviting us over.
    I have known Margaret for a long time, before we both came to 
Washington. When I was the Governor of Texas, she was the senior adviser 
for education, and at the White

[[Page 123]]

House she has been my senior domestic policy adviser. For more than 10 
years, she's been right down the hall or by my side, and now I look 
forward to having her take her seat in the Cabinet Room.
    It's good to be here with members of her family. I've known her 
husband for a while, Robert Spellings. It's good that Robert and Britain 
are with us. Mary and Grace are with us as well, Margaret's daughters. 
Her parents, John and Peg Dudar, are here, as are other members of her 
family. Welcome to Washington, DC.
    I'm pleased Members of the Congress have come. I am so grateful that 
Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Mike Enzi are with us today. Thank you 
both for coming. I appreciate Congressmen John Boehner, Ralph Regula, 
and Mac Thornberry from Texas for being here. You're very gracious to 
take time to be here. Thank you all for being here.
    Looking around, I see other nominees for the Cabinet and members of 
our administration, all fans of Margaret. I see a few Texans have come 
up from the great State. Thank you all for being here. We're honored 
you're here. I know Margaret is especially honored you're here.
    She will be an outstanding Secretary of Education. She has been 
involved in all our efforts to strengthen American public schools. She 
was instrumental in getting the No Child Left Behind Act passed, that 
will help raise standards in our public schools. She believes, as I do, 
that every child can learn, and that every school must teach.
    In the past 4 years, we have made great strides. Today, children 
across America are scoring higher on State reading and math tests. The 
achievement gap in America is closing. We've made important progress, 
but Margaret understands there is still more work to be done.
    We will maintain the high standards of No Child Left Behind. We will 
extend those high standards and accountability to America's public high 
schools. Today, only about 60 out of every 100 students entering our 
public high schools ever make it to graduation 4 years later. Margaret 
understands, as do I, that is unacceptable. We're committed to ensuring 
that every high school student succeeds and leaves with the skills he or 
she needs to succeed in college or the workplace.
    Because most new jobs in our 21st century economy will require post-
secondary education or training, Margaret understands we need to make 
higher education more affordable and accessible for all Americans. We 
will reform the student aid system and increase college assistance for 
low-income students. We'll increase the maximum award for Pell grants 
and make them available to students year-round. And we will expand 
access to community colleges, so that more Americans can develop the 
skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workplace.
    Margaret is the right person to carry out a reform agenda. She is 
talented. She is smart. She is capable, and she is a lot of fun to be 
around. [Laughter] She is a mom. She has a personal stake in the success 
of our Nation's schools. She knows that to build on the progress of No 
Child Left Behind, the Government, the President, and the Secretary of 
Education and those who work in this building must listen to those 
closest to our children--their parents, their teachers, and their 
principals. She will be a thoughtful and determined leader of this 
Department. The people who work in this building will find out that they 
are very lucky to have been led by the likes of Margaret Spellings. I am 
proud to welcome her into my Cabinet.
    Margaret.

Note: The President spoke at 10:47 a.m. at the U.S. Department of 
Education. The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary 
also included the remarks of Secretary Spellings.