656 Mar. 31 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 so hard to get it passed. So we will do that biggest telephone companies, John and have an appropriate opportunity to have Clendenin came. And I saw the chief execu- everyone thanked in person. But I thank you tive officer of the Boeing Corporation, our for beingÐÐ Nation's biggest exporter, Mr. Frank Speaker Foley. We'll look forward to it, Shrontz, is here. And I was told that Joe Mr. President. Gorman is here, the chairman of TRW, but The President. Thank you. I didn't see him back there. Anyway, all these people have come here NOTE: The teleconference began at 9:20 a.m. The President spoke from the Zamorano Fine Arts because they care about you and your future. Academy. I want to especially thank my good friend Dick Riley, who just spoke, for the work he did on this legislation, and many of his staff Remarks on Signing the Goals 2000: members, but especially Mike Cohen, who Educate America Act in San Diego worked on this whole issue with me as a Gov- March 31, 1994 ernor, with Secretary Riley, and Bill Galston in the White House. I want to thank the Gov- Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you ernors and the State legislators who worked very much, ladies and gentlemen, and to the with us, as well as the fine Members of Con- boys and girls here. Let me say first of all, gress of both parties. We have so much par- I've got a lot of people I want to recognize, tisan wrangling in Congress, but this bill but first I think we ought to give the students passed with over 300 votes in the House of a big hand for being so well-behaved and so Representatives, and only 120 voted no; 63 quiet and so receptive. [Applause] I know votes in the United States Senate, only 22 that a lot of you may not understand every- voting no. thing that's being said here today, but it's I want to say, too, that it is very appropriate all being said for your future, and the people for me to be here with all of you to sign who came here today came because they care about your future. this bill. The San Diego School District is I want to recognize, in addition to Con- well known for being on the leading edge gresswoman Lynn Schenk and Congressman of school reform and giving our children a Bob Filner who are here with me todayÐ better future. Your former superintendent, and I thank them for coming; they're up Tom Payzant, now serves as our Assistant here. They voted for the bill. If they hadn't, Secretary for Elementary and Secondary it wouldn't have passed. I want to thank your Education. Give him a hand there. [Ap- Mayor, Susan Golding, for being here; your plause] And I know Bertha Pendleton is con- superintendent of schools, Dr. Bertha Pen- tinuing her outstanding work. I also want to dleton; John de Beck, the president of the say a special word of thanks to your principal, San Diego School Board; Mary Bergen, rep- Dr. Jeannie Steeg. resenting the California Federation of I have been told that your school is one Teachers; Dr. Lois Tinson, representing the of the very best schools in this whole school California Teachers Association; Ken Melley, district and in this State. And I want to thank the associate director of the National Edu- you for striving to achieve excellence in every cation Association; Sandy McBrayer, who's area with a student body that is very diverse, the Teacher of the Year in CaliforniaÐI racially and ethnically and economically. You think you're here somewhere. Stand up. Give look like America will look in the 21st cen- her a handÐ[applause]Ðbless you, ma'am. tury, and we have to win with you. I also want you to know that there are a I also want to thank you for what you put lot of people who are leaders in the business up on the basketball goal; that was very nice. community all over America who work for [Laughter] And I'd like to thank the students this program, and some of them have come here who are wearing their D.A.R.E. T- from a long way away. I saw two, I think shirts, all of you. I love the D.A.R.E. pro- three are here all the way from Atlanta. The gram, and I'm glad you're active in it and president of Bell South, one of our country's support it. VerDate 09-APR-98 10:30 Apr 16, 1998 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 C:\TERRI\P13AP4.001 INET03 Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / Mar. 31 657 Let me tell you why this bill is important in Alaska that works, people in San Diego to the future of the young people here today, shouldn't know about it and have access to and those like you all across America. You it immediately. And finally, it says that our know you're growing up into a world that schools have to be safe and disciplined and is increasingly smaller, where people are con- free of drugs and crime, and we have to work nected financially and by communications to make them so. networks that were unheard of when I was Besides these academic standards, this bill your age. The average young person will will set national skill standards to ensure that change work seven or eight times in a life- our workers are better trained for the high- time. The only real ticket to these kids' future skill, high-wage jobs we want for America is good jobs that come from good skills, and better able to compete in the world. learning a lot in school, and being able to This bill provides fundsÐmodest amounts learn for a lifetime. this year, much more in the years to comeÐ What this Goals 2000 bill does, believe it funds to make our schools safer and freer or not, for the first time in the entire history of crime and drugs, funds for those who need of the United States of America, is to set the most. It provides funds to support the world-class education standards for what innovations of local communities. I am proud every child in every American school should of the fact that this bill contains not one sin- know in order to win when he or she be- gle mandate or order to any State or any local comes an adult. We have never done it be- school district. Instead, it sets standards. It fore; we are going to do it now because of says we know you want to meet them, and this bill. we are prepared to help you if you will be Why do we do that? Because we believe innovative and try some new things and make every child can and must learn at world-class them work. standards of excellence. And those of us who are older believe we have a practical and a I guess I've spent more time in schools moral obligation to see that you have the than any person who was ever elected Presi- chance to do it. This Goals 2000 legislation dentÐthat makes it sound like I didn't pass sets into law the national education goals from grade to gradeÐ[laughter]Ðbut what that, as Secretary Riley said, I worked very I mean by that is I've spent a lot of time hard to write back in 1989. It says that every visiting schools and listening to teachers and student, every student, should enter school watching teaching take place, and I know that ready and able to learn. It says that 90 per- learning does not occur in Washington, DC, cent of our young people should graduate it does not occur in Sacramento, or even here from high school on time, just the way our at the local school board office. The magic competitors do. It says that we must meet of education occurs in the classroom, sup- world-class standards in reading and writing, ported by whatever happens in the home. math and science, history, geography, foreign That's where it happens. language, civics and economics, and the arts. So, in addition to providing funds to try It says that we have to take care of our teach- to help make schools safer, this bill says we're ers better. We have to prepare them better, going to try something new. We're going to enable them to continue to learn. It says that have world-class standards implemented with in a world in which families are under in- grassroots reforms. We're going to give more creasing stress, we can't succeed in our waivers and cut the redtape to districts who schools unless parents are more involved, and want to try new and different and innovative we have to find ways to help them do it. It things. We're going to support schools that acknowledges that most of the problems in let the teachers and the principals try things American education have been solved some- that innovate, that do things to involve par- where by somebody, and we need more re- ents, that are succeeding. We're going to en- search and innovation to make available the courage people to experiment with new and successes everywhere to people who don't different things all across this country.