A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
October 16, 1998

Contact: Julie Green
(202) 401-3026

STATEMENT BY U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION RICHARD W. RILEY
On the FY 1999 education budget agreement

Yesterday was a very important day for American education. Parents, teachers, students, schools and communities will now get critical resources to help them make needed educational improvements.

Because of the budget agreement, all across America we will begin to lower class size by hiring teachers to give more personalized attention to students in grades 1 through 3.

About 100,000 disadvantaged young people will dream about a place they've never dreamed about before: college. The "Gear Up for College" initiative will provide them with high hopes through mentoring, tutoring, and financial aid information they need to prepare for higher education.

Over a quarter-of-a-million students will have a safe alternative to the arcades and the streets through after-school and summer programs that will enrich their minds and reassure their working parents that their children are involved in wholesome activities.

We now have new tools to help reach the all-important goal of helping every child read independently and well by the end of the third grade through a child literacy bill inspired by the President's "America Reads Challenge" and with significant increases in Title I funding for schools with large numbers of disadvantaged children.

About 36,000 youngsters will get a better start in life through Head Start. The march toward higher standards will continue through help from Goals 2000. Teachers will get the knowledge they need to teach technology effectively in America's classrooms.

The doors of college will open wider for all, thanks to the largest maximum award ever for Pell Grants -- $3,125 a year per eligible student.

But the job is not done. Tragically, the majority in Congress turned down the President's plans to create education opportunity zones and to build, repair, or modernize over 5,000 schools nationwide. The American people cannot rest easy when classrooms are overcrowded, unsafe, and not able to handle the technology that students must learn to prepare for the 21st century. This is a national challenge that cannot be ignored. The longer we wait, the worse the problem will become. The time to modernize America's schools is now, while the economy is in good shape and the resources are available. I look forward to working with a new Congress to get these jobs done.

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