Political Quotes

“this amendment addresses the issues which have been talked about at some length already today on this bill, which are the opportunity-to-learn standards. I think that issue should be reviewed a little bit so everybody understands what we are talking about. What this amendment does is essentially eliminate the opportunity-to-learn standards. Now that does not fundamentally undermine the bill, to eliminate those standards. Let us talk about what this bill does. This bill first and foremost sets out the goals--which were agreed to with a couple of additions at the Charlottsville Governors Conference, as called by President Bush and which, of course, then Governor Clinton was the chairman of the Governors Conference and was a major player in designing those goals, which goals, everybody agrees, are excellent and very appropriate--and takes those goals and makes them the goals of the Nation as designed by this bill, Goals 2,000. In addition, the bill, in an attempt to address those goals, sets out a variety of steps. It creates a fund which is available to the States to try to set up plans for the purposes of designing school systems and assisting in developing school systems within the States which meet the goals of the Nation as set forth at the Governors Conference.”