For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 8, 2004
Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Knoxville, Tennessee
9:53 A.M. EST
MR. McCLELLAN: Good morning, pool. Let me begin with the
President's day. The President had two world leader calls this
morning, to the President of Colombia and the President of Ecuador. If
you all will recall, there was a senior member of FARC who was
apprehended late last week. The President spoke with President Uribe
and the President congratulated him on the recent successes of Colombia
against FARC narco terrorists. And both leaders indicated they look
forward to working together on a successful hemispheric summit next
week in Mexico.
Then the President spoke with President Gutierrez. The President
thanked President Gutierrez for his support in fighting terrorism, and
again, both leaders indicated that they look forward to working
together for a successful hemispheric summit next week.
Q He called Gutierrez to thank him?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. Because they're involved in the -- well, one,
they were involved in apprehending this senior member of FARC last
Friday.
Q Both leaders were involved?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, both countries.
Then the President had his usual briefings. Upon arrival in
Knoxville, the President will meet briefly with a Freedom Corps
greeter. His name is Nathaniel Foster. He's an active volunteer in
the Knoxville community for 25 years now, and he chairs the mentoring
committee of the Knoxville chapter of 100 Black Men of America, which
is a nonprofit which seeks to improve the lives of young African
Americans through mentoring, health and wellness, education, economic
development.
And following that, the President will go to West View Elementary
-- and let me give you a little bit about West View Elementary. West
View Elementary serves 237 students in grades K through 5; 91 percent
of the students are low-income, from low-income families. West View is
a Title I school and they did make adequate yearly progress this year.
Q They did?
MR. McCLELLAN: They did. Eighty percent of 3rd graders scored
proficiently in reading and math on last year's state test, and
students also made above average gains in both reading and math between
2002 and 2003.
When the President first gets there he will briefly visit with
students, about 40 students and 3 teachers from the school in a
classroom, and that will be pool coverage, as it was the other day.
And then, following that, the President will participate in a
conversation on the second anniversary of the No Child Left Behind
Act.
This is the second -- today marks the second anniversary of the
signing of the No Child Left Behind Act. And the President will
continue to highlight the unprecedented commitment we have made to
making sure that every child is learning and succeeding by insisting on
high standards and real accountability and results. And the President,
I expect, will also talk about the historic levels of support we've
provided to make sure we meet that commitment by giving states the
resources they need to implement these standards.
And the participants in that, in the conversation, will include
Secretary Paige, who is traveling with us. It will include the State
Superintendent of Schools for the Georgia Department of Education. It
will include some leaders from education groups, the principal of
Barton Elementary School from Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the superintendent
from Charlotte, North Carolina. And the President I expect will also
touch on the progress that we are making on the national level in
student achievement, and the progress we are making to close the
achievement gap.
And then, following that, the President makes remarks at a
Bush-Cheney 2004 luncheon in Knoxville. Then we will go to Palm Beach,
Florida, and the President, upon arrival, will have a Freedom Corps
greeter there, Gordon Stanley, who is an active volunteer with the
Delray Beach Police Department since 1996. This is part of the
Volunteers in Police Service which is part of our Citizen Corps
initiative. Gordon Stanley is a retired individual living in Florida
and he is spending his time volunteering with the local police
department.
And then he makes remarks at a Bush-Cheney 2004 reception in Palm
Beach Gardens, Florida. And that's all I've got.
Q Is he still loosening up, or is he going to say anything more
directly --
MR. McCLELLAN: He's still focused on the people's business, he's
still loosening up.
Q Do you have anything about the helicopter down, the Blackhawk
helicopter?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. First of all, our men and women in the
military are serving and sacrificing in Iraq for an important cause, a
cause that is making the world a safer and better place. I know
exactly what you all have heard publicly from the Central Command
officials in Iraq. And the President is saddened any time we lose men
and women in the military.
Q Saddened any time --
MR. McCLELLAN: Any time we lose a member of our military. And our
thoughts and prayers are always with the families and loved ones of
those who lose their lives, sacrificing to make the world a better
place.
Q Scott, there are reports that the United States has quietly
pulled out its team searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Is that correct, and does that amount to a concession that you don't
expect to find --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there was a report in one of the papers this
morning that was talking about I think two separate things -- in the
paper talking about some of the members who are responsible for
disposing of weapons, and separate and apart from, I believe, the Iraq
Survey Group. I mean, obviously, you talk to the military about how
they're allocating our resources, but the Iraq Survey Group continues
to do its work. We already know from their interim report that Saddam
Hussein's regime was in serious violation of 1441, which called for
serious consequences.
Q Are our efforts to find weapons being scaled down in Iraq?
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, you want to talk to our military in terms of
the resources being allocated to all our different priorities in Iraq.
But the Iraq Survey Group continues to do its work, continues to pursue
its mission.
Q You mentioned Secretary Paige would be on the trip. 60
Minutes had a show last night detailing how the Houston School District
overstated its graduation rates, or understated dropout rates,
overstated its achievement. Is the President still confident in
Secretary Paige's leadership?
MR. McCLELLAN: Secretary Paige is doing an outstanding job and he
shares the President's commitment to making sure that we set high
expectations, because we believe that every child can learn and
succeed. And that's what the President and the Secretary will be
talking about today in Tennessee. Texas certainly has been a state
that was on the leading edge of improving our public schools.
Q Does he see a need for safeguards to ensure against the sort
of manipulation that was alleged in this --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I disagree with the way you're characterizing
things in the first place, and I think Secretary Paige has addressed
that matter himself.
Q So no additional steps need to be taken?
MR. McCLELLAN: For what? I mean, I disagree with the premise of
your question. I just disagree with the premise of your question in
the first place. What the President is talking about today is the
importance of making sure that we set high standards and real
accountability and we insist on results so that every child is learning
and succeeding. And he will talk about the progress that we are making
as we measure the student achievement.
Q Will he announce any new budget figures or anything --
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, in fact --
Q Can we have a factsheet?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, we have a factsheet that Mr. Deckard is
getting for you right now. And the President will talk about -- as I
mentioned, he will talk about the historic levels of support that we
are providing in terms of resources for states and school districts as
we make an unprecedented commitment to improving public schools.
And this factsheet lays out some of the additional increases the
President will be seeking in his '05 budget proposal. And his '05
budget proposal represents a 48-percent increase for elementary and
secondary education since Fiscal Year 2001. It includes an additional
$1 billion in Title I funding for disadvantaged students; it includes
an additional $138 million for reading programs. The President often
talks about reading is the key to success. And an additional $1
billion for special education programs.
I would just point out that there are still -- there are nearly --
and this is in the factsheet, as well -- that there's nearly $6 billion
in federal education funds that remained unspent, waiting to be drawn
down by the states.
Q -- Democrats who are saying that this measure is not funded
adequately, they're just wrong?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that that argument rings hollow after
what I just pointed out to you, the fact that I just pointed out to you
that there's nearly $6 billion in unspent federal education funds that
states have yet to draw down.
Q Is that just an absorption problem, or is there -- has the
administration looked into why $6 billion is still --
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, it talks in here, it lays out in here that
we've made these resources available to local school districts, but
that they've -- but those states and local school districts have not
been able to take full advantage of the ample resources that are
currently available to them. So we've made --
Q I'm sorry, how much is that --
MR. McCLELLAN: The $6 billion.
Q Why is that? I'm sure you've analyzed that and looked at why
they haven't been able to use the $6 billion. Why would that be?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think there are probably a variety of
reasons. You have to look at each -- at the states and the local
school districts about their ability to spend those resources.
Q -- you guys put out, break it down by states for us?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, the Department of Education has actually put
this information out, so you can get that from the Department of
Education. They actually have or are about to or are putting out this
information. So they can get you all that information in terms of
those questions you're asking right now. We can check and maybe we can
get that to you on the road. The Tennessee numbers are actually in the
factsheet.
Q On the education bill, people -- Democrats like Kennedy,
George Miller worked with the President real closely. Given this
divide over this issue now, what are the chances that the President and
the Democrats can get together on any other legislation in this
election year?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, one, the President has never been someone to
shy away from the big challenges that face this country. And I think
that we've often heard on some very important priorities those same
kind of questions. If you go back to the No Child Left Behind Act two
years ago, there were a lot of questions about whether or not it would
get passed. There were questions about whether or not the Medicare
legislation would get passed.
This President is committed to leading and acting decisively to
address our nation's highest priorities, and we have achieved some
important success on a number of areas, including the two I just
mentioned, as well as passing tax cuts for the American people to get
the economy growing again. And the President is someone that will
continue to remind members of Congress that there are remaining big
challenges that face this country and we need to work together across
the aisle to address those priorities, including one that he talked
about yesterday.
Anything else? Thank you.
END 10:08 A.M. EST
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