Nancy Kassebaum: “I wish to express my appreciation for the stewardship and leadership that the Senator from Vermont [Mr. Jeffords] has…”

“I wish to express my appreciation for the stewardship and leadership that the Senator from Vermont [Mr. Jeffords] has given to educational issues. He was dedicated to this issue when he was in the House. He has continued that dedication in the Senate and has managed, of course, the Goals 2000 legislation for the Republican side of the aisle. This is legislation which addresses education from the bottom up. It reinforces support for local control. It reinforces the importance of the school boards. It reinforces the need to work from the local level and encourages States to be participants in the partnership. It has the strong support of the National Governors Association. It is not a mandatory bill. It is a bill that addresses the importance of education with the interests of students, parents, and teachers at the heart of it. It is for these reasons I am supporting this bill, and I wish to express appreciation to all staff and Senators who have been very involved in addressing the issue in this Chamber.”