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CNN Live Event/Special

Bush Signs No Child Left Behind Education Bill

Aired January 08, 2002 - 09:44   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, at 44 minutes after the hour. We've been telling you all morning long, that we're just about a minute away from the president signing his education bill.

We are going to dip on the activities here in Hamilton, Ohio. And listen to the wind-up to the president's introduction.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

REP. HOHN BOEHNER (R), OHIO: ...a fair shot at their american dream.

(APPLAUSE)

BOEHNER: None of this would have been possible without an awful lot of help. And there are three people behind me that played a very big role in this bill. The first is my colleague in the House, Congressman George Miller. Someone...

(APPLAUSE)

BOEHNER: Some have described him as left of center. He might be even a little more left of that. And as he described it one day, we spent ten years throwing rocks at each other. We were partisan warriors in a fight in Congress over, really, a different view of what the federal government's role should be.

But I can tell you he and I both shared of the same feelings and the same goals of making sure that our schools are bet -- get better -- and that really no child in America doesn't have the opportunity that we've had. And George and I put our partisan differences aside and agreed to work together in a bipartisan way over the course of the last year. And I can tell all of you, I could not have had a better partner.

Somebody who stood with me when things got very difficult. And he was there getting shots from the left because he was working with a conservative like me. I was getting shots with the right because I was working with a liberal like him.

(LAUGHTER)

BOEHNER: But it goes to show you when you put children first and you put your partisan differences aside, there's nothing you can't accomplish.

(APPLAUSE)

BOEHNER: And then late this summer we were joined by two of my colleagues in the Senate. Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Judd Gregg. Ted's the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Judd's the ranking Republican.

And over the course of the last four or five months, we worked very closely together to resolve thousands of differences between the two bills. I could say a lot about Judd Gregg. I always call him the curmudgeon. He's from New Hampshire.

(LAUGHTER)

BOEHNER: But Judd was the conservative anchor in these conversations.

And Ted Kennedy. Well, what can you say? The gentleman's been there for 40 years in the United States Senate, this year.

(APPLAUSE)

BOEHNER: I, as a conservative Republican, have had this image of Ted Kennedy, which most of you can probably understand.

(LAUGHTER)

But I want you all to know one thing, that I couldn't have been further from the truth. Ted Kennedy was someone -- Ted Kennedy was someone who knew the details of this bill, who worked hard from everyday when we got into these meetings and he knew how to come together and come to an agreement. He was getting tremendous pressure from the liberals in his own party, about things that they wanted that frankly weren't achievable.

But the four of us worked through a lot of difficult moments. We worked through September 11th. We came together two days later and made an agreement that whether we're at war or not, our children are our future. And it was important to show the American people that we could do our work, and that we could resolve our differences and make sure that the next generation has better schools in spite of what was happening.

(APPLAUSE)

BOEHNER: And work we did. And we worked with many of our other colleagues that are also here, conferees from both the House and Senate, who put countless numbers of hours in to bring us to where we are today.

But, let me say that none of us would be here, and none of the work that we would have done would have ever occurred had it not been for the vision, the courage and the leadership of one man. The vision, to put forward a plan that really would improve our schools. The courage to stick with it, not only during the campaign, but after the campaign, after he took office. And the leadership, the leadership to stand tall and to move this bill throughout the year.

We all know the president's been through a lot since September 11th. He's done a great job on behalf of our country and on behalf of the war.

(APPLAUSE)

BOEHNER: In spite of everything that was on his plate, and all of the pressure that was on him, the president, too, believed it was important that we finish this bill.

The president started this process in a bipartisan way in Austin, Texas, on December 22nd, in the year 2000. He insisted that we bring Democrats and Republicans together. And he, too, believes that we're first Americans and second -- secondly, Democrats and Republicans. And that we can produce this bill...

(APPLAUSE)

BOEHNER: He knew we could produce this bill in a bipartisan way. And I can tell you, as proud as I am of the product the president's about to sign, I'm just as proud of the process that we all engaged in, in getting ourselves here. Because being bipartisan is hard work, requires to you have faith and trust in people that you often have great differences with.

We had, as I said earlier, shots fired at us from both the left and the far right. But in the end, the way to produce a good bill and to rally the country around it, is to go through a process that we have. And it would not have happened had it not been for our president.

So, ladies and gentlemen, join me in welcoming my friend, and our president, George W. Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Thank you all very much.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Thank you all very much.

(APPLAUSE)

BUSH: Thank you very much.

CROWD (chanting): USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

BUSH: Okay! I know you all are anxious to get back to class.

(LAUGHTER) BUSH: So please be seated. Thank you for such a warm welcome. It's great to be in the home of the Big Blue.

(CHEERING)

BUSH: Hamilton High School. I want to thank you all for coming. I particularly want to thank my friend, the governor of the great state of Ohio, Governor Taft, for being here.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank Tracy Miller for being so hospitable.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank all who've come to witness this historic moment. For those of you who've studied the history of our government, you know, most bills are signed at the White House.

But I decided to sign this bill in one of the most important places in America: a public school.

(APPLAUSE)

We've got large challenges here in America. There's no greater challenge than to make sure that every child -- and all of us on this stage mean every child, not just a few children...

(APPLAUSE)

...every single child, regardless of where they live, how they are raised, the income level of their family, every child receive a first-class education in America.

(APPLAUSE)

And as you know, we've got another challenge, and that's to protect America from evil ones. And I want to assure the seniors and juniors and sophomores here at Hamilton High School that the effort that this great country is engaged in, the effort to defend freedom and to defend our people, the effort to route out terror wherever it exists, is noble and just and right, and your great country will prevail in this effort.

(APPLAUSE)

I long peace, but I also understand that, if we do not lead the world against terror, that your children and your grandchildren will not grow up in a society that is as free as the society that we have today.

Freedom is a precious gift that one generation can pass to the next. It is a gift and a promise that I intend to keep to the American children.

(APPLAUSE) And we owe the children of America a good education. And today begins a new era, a new time in public education in our country. As of this hour, America's schools will be on a new path of reform and a new path of results. Our schools will have higher expectations.

We believe every child can learn.

Our schools will have greater resources to help meet those goals. Parents will have more information about the schools and more say in how their children are educated. From this day forward, all students will have a better chance to learn, to excel and to live out their dreams.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank the Secretary of Education Rod Paige for being here and for his leadership.

(APPLAUSE)

I asked Rod to join my administration because I wanted somebody who understood what it meant to run a school district, in Washington, D.C.

I didn't need somebody that based his knowledge on theory. I wanted somebody who based his knowledge on experience.

And Rod was a teacher, a school board member, and the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. He did a fine job there, and he's doing a fine job in Washington.

(APPLAUSE)

Reaching this moment has not been easy, as you can tell from Chairman Boehner's discussion.

(LAUGHTER)

But we made it because of the willingness of four fine leaders to do what was right for America. We made it because proud members of the House and the Senate, loyal to their parties, decided to set partisan politics aside and focus on what was right for America.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to thank George Miller. I call him Big George, Jorge el Grande.

(LAUGHTER)

As John mentioned, George and I aren't from the same political ideology. Except when I met with George in Austin, I could tell he shares the same passion I share for making sure that every child gets educated and he, like me and others, realize that a system that simply shuffles children through the schools is a system that's going to leave people behind. And so, we made up our minds right then and there to do something about it.

I appreciate so very much my friend Judd Gregg from the state of New Hampshire being here. He was my campaign manager in the New Hampshire primary. I still invited him to come with me.

(APPLAUSE)

After here, we're going to New Hampshire. I look forward to singing Judd's praises because he is a solid, solid United States Senator. Honest, full of integrity. And like the others here, he buckled down to do what was right for the children.

And then, of course, there's Senator Edward Kennedy. The folks at the Crawford Coffee Shop would be somewhat in shock when I told them I actually like the fellow.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

He is a fabulous United States Senator. When he's against you, it's tough. When he's with you, it is a great experience.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

And I'm signing this bill here because it's the home of the chairman, John Boehner.

(APPLAUSE)

John did a really good job.

BUSH: He shepherded the process, he made sure people showed up for the meetings, he was dogged in his determination to get this bill done. It would not have happened without his leadership.

And all four of these members up here need to be proud of the legacy they've left behind.

This is a good bill for the American children, and I'm proud to sign it in their presence.

(APPLAUSE)

There are other members of the Congress who are here, as well, and I want to thank them for coming. Senator Evan Bayh from the state of Indiana is here.

Evan, thank you for your leadership on education reform.

(APPLAUSE)

Senator Mike DeWine, of your state of Ohio, who helped to author... (APPLAUSE)

... who helped to author the safe and drug free schools part of this bill.

Thank you for your leadership.

(APPLAUSE)

Steve Chabot of Ohio, Van Hilleary of Tennessee, thank you both for coming, as well.

(APPLAUSE)

In that box is the bill. I don't intend to read it all.

(LAUGHTER)

It's not exactly light reading.

(LAUGHTER)

But if you were to read it all, you would find that it contains some very important principles that will help guide our public school system for the next decades.

The first principle is accountability. Every school has a job to do, and that's to teach the basics and teach them well. If we want to make sure no child is left behind, every child must learn to read and every child must learn to add and subtract.

(APPLAUSE)

So in return for federal dollars, we are asking states to design accountability systems to show parents and teachers whether or not children can read and write and add and subtract in grades three through eight.

The fundamental principle of this bill is that every child can learn, we expect every child to learn, and you must show us whether or not every child is learning.

(APPLAUSE)

I read a quote one time from a young lady in New York. She said, "I don't ever remember taking an exam. They just kept passing me along. I ended dropping out in the seventh grade. I basically felt nobody cared."

The story of children being just shuffled through the system is one of the saddest stories of America.

BUSH: "Let's just move them through." It's so much easier to try to move a child through than trying to figure out how to solve a child's problems. The first step to making sure that a child is not shuffled through is to test that child as to whether or not he or she can read and write or add and subtract. The first way to solve a problem is to diagnose it.

And so what this bill says, it says, every child can learn, and we want to know early, before it's too late, whether or not a child has a problem in learning.

I understand taking tests aren't fun. Too bad.

(LAUGHTER)

We need to know in America.

(APPLAUSE)

We need to know whether or not children have got the basic education.

No longer is it acceptable to hide poor performance. No longer is it acceptable to keep results away from parents. One of the interesting things about this bill, it says that we're never going to give up on a school that's performing poorly, that when we find poor performance, a school will be given time and incentives and resources to correct their problems. A school will be given time to try other methodologies, perhaps other leadership, to make sure that people can succeed.

If, however, schools don't perform, if, however, given the new resources, focused resources, they are unable to solve the problem of not educating our children, there must be real consequences, there must be a moment in which parents can say, "I've had enough of this school." Parents must be given real options in the face of failure in order to make sure reform is meaningful.

BUSH: And so, therefore, this bill's second principle is that we trust parents to make the right decisions for their children. Any school that doesn't perform, any school that cannot catch up and do its job, a parent will have these options: a better public school; a tutor; or a charter school. We do not want children trapped in schools that will not change and will not teach.

(APPLAUSE)

The third principle of this bill is that we've got to trust the local folks on how to achieve our standards, to meet the standards. In Washington, there's some smart people there, but the people who care most about the children in Hamilton are the citizens of Hamilton. The people who care most about the children in this school are the teachers and parents and school board members, and therefore...

(APPLAUSE)

... schools not only have the responsibility to improve, they now have the freedom to improve. The federal government will not micromanage how schools are run. We believe strongly that the best path to education reform is to trust the local people. And so, the new role of the federal government is to set high standards, provide resources, hold people accountable and liberate school districts to meet the standards.

(APPLAUSE)

I can't think of any better way to say to teachers, "We trust you." And first of all, we've got to thank all the teachers who are here. I thank you for teaching.

(APPLAUSE)

Yours is indeed a noble profession.

BUSH: And our society is better off because you've decided to teach.

And by saying we trust local folks, we're really saying we trust you -- we trust you. We want you to have as much flexibility as possible to see to it that every child that walks in your classroom can succeed.

So thank you for what you do.

(APPLAUSE)

And a fourth principle is that, we're going to spend more money, more resources, but they'll be directed at methods that work, not feel-good methods, not sound-good methods, but methods that actually work, particularly when it comes to reading. We're going to spend more in our schools, and we're going to spend it more wisely.

If we've learned anything over the last generations, money alone doesn't make a good school. It certainly helps, but as John mentioned, we've spent billions of dollars, with lousy results. So now it's time to spend billions of dollars and get good results.

(APPLAUSE)

As John mentioned, too many of our kids can't read. You know, a huge percentage of children in poverty can't read at grade-level. That's not right in America. We're going to win the war overseas, and we need to win the war against illiteracy here at home, as well.

And so this bill...

(APPLAUSE)

So this bill focuses on reading. It sets a grand goal for the children. Our children will be reading by the third grade. That's not an impossible goal. It's a goal we must meet if we want every child to succeed.

And so, therefore, we tripled the amount of federal funding for scientifically based early reading programs. We've got money in there to make sure teachers know how to teach what works. We've got money in there to help promote proven methods of instruction.

There are no more excuses, as far as I'm concerned, about not teaching children how to read. We know what works. The money is now available, and it's up to each local district to make sure it happens. It's up to you, the citizens of Hamilton, to make sure no child is left behind.

The federal government can spend money and we can help set standards and we can insist upon accountability, but the truth of the matter is, our schools will flourish when citizens join in the noble cause of making sure no child is left behind.

This is the end of a legislative process. My signing this bill is the end of a long, long time of people sitting in rooms trying to hammer out differences. It's a great symbol of what is possible in Washington when good people come together to do what's right. But it's just the beginning of change.

And now it's up to you, the local citizens of our great land -- the compassionate, decent citizens of America -- to stand up and demand high standards and to demand that no child, not one single child in America, is left behind.

Thank you for letting us come.

(APPLAUSE)

May God bless.

ZAHN: Is he going to sign it?

(APPLAUSE)

ZAHN: There you have it, the president wrapping up his speech on what he is calling, "a new era of public education," as he signs this education bill. The president, of course, waiting almost three weeks to sign this bill to get maximum mileage out of a display of what he calls bipartisan support for this package of legislation.

The president, among other things, said that schools, as a result of this bill, will have greater resources, that parents will have more information to make better choices and essentially what this bill does, is require new reading and math tests, takes aim at failing schools and raises teacher standards.

This stop in Hamiliton, Ohio, is the first of a three-state stop today. The White House calling it a victory tour, as the president goes to constituencies that were very involved in helping push for the passage of this bill.

There you have it, the president in Hamilton, Ohio. Now going out into the crowd. Perhaps talking to some students, as he has signed what has been called, "a landmark education bill."

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