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American Morning

President Bush to Deliver Speech on Education Reform

Aired August 01, 2001 - 10:08   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: We are waiting for President Bush to give a speech on education reforms for the National Urban League. It's their annual meeting. And we'll join that live as soon as it starts.

But first let's turn to CNN's senior White House correspondent John King. He can kind of set the stage for us -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donna, this one of several issues, the president trying to make his views known and influence the Congress. Education was the president's number one priority after his tax cut plan, but it has been stalled in the Congress. You might remember a few months back the president urged Congress to send him the compromise education bill before it left on its July 4 recess. That didn't happen.

Then the president held a public event urging the Congress to send him the compromise education bill before its August recess. That recess due to begin on Friday and White House officials conceding now that bill very unlikely to make it to the president.

So the president will use this speech to the National Urban League one, to appeal for that group, that organization to help him get this bill through the Congress, and two, to outline his vies on one of the controversies.

Two major issues holding up this bill as the House and the Senate try to resolve their differences, one, spending levels. The Senate bill spends considerably more than the House bill. Number two, and the point the president will focus on today, accountability and how do you define a failing school. What the president wants to do is hold schools accountable and tie their federal money to improving performance. Just how to do that has been the subject of the debate between some Democrats and some Republicans, not necessarily a partisan issue, just a philosophical debate over whether the federal government should stop sending money to schools that aren't performing or whether the federal government should send more money to help them perform better.

So the president will outline his views today. Some frustration here at the White House. They had hoped the president could have signed this bill more than a month ago. They're now hoping it will reach the president's desk in September after Congress comes back and the president comes back from an August vacation -- Donna. KELLEY: John King at the White House, thanks, and we'll be seeing you again shortly.

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