T. Gorton: “the subject before the Senate this afternoon, and until the vote is taken on it tomorrow, is the Lott- Gregg amendment…”

“the subject before the Senate this afternoon, and until the vote is taken on it tomorrow, is the Lott- Gregg amendment to the Teacher Empowerment Act section of this bill. The Teacher Empowerment Act itself is quite significant in a number of ways, primarily in focusing on increased teacher quality across the United States of America but, at the same time, allowing a maximum degree of flexibility in local choices with respect to how that teacher quality is, in fact, enhanced. It provides a significant amount of money for teacher training that can also be used for increasing the number of teachers, for increasing the competition of those teachers most prized by our school districts across the country. For with the amendment that is added today--with the recruiting of people in midcareer from other professions, who will be quality teachers of particular subjects--it will provide a degree of protection against frivolous lawsuits when teachers or administrators or school authorities have taken actions that will protect the safety and security of students in classrooms and of the faculty and administration of the schools themselves.”