Rebuttal from Al Gore: Bush Plan Forces States To Use Vouchers George W. Bush says he wants 'to redefine the role of Washington in the classroom.' The Los Angeles Times today reported that Bush's education plan would force states to adopt vouchers. "It's utterly disingenuous for Bush to imply that his voucher plan isn't the kind of one-size-fits-all solution from Washington that he otherwise accuses Gore of promoting," reported the Times. BUSH SAYS HIS PLAN WOULD NOT REQUIRE STATES TO PROVIDE VOUCHERS "In their campaign appearances, both Bush and running mate Dick Cheney have faced skeptical questions from voters (or, in some cases, students) worried that vouchers will hurt the public schools. In response, first Cheney and then Bush have insisted that the Texas governor's education reform agenda would not require states to provide vouchers." "'If the state of California wants to do that, it's up to the state of California,' Bush said in Redwood City last week. 'I believe in local control of schools.'" "On CNN's 'Larry King Live' on Tuesday, Bush was even more emphatic: 'I don't think the federal government ought to say, you will voucherize. . . . I'm not going to tell the state of Maryland or the state of Alaska, you must have a voucher program. That's up for the local people to decide.'" "BUT THAT'S SIMPLY NOT RIGHT" "But that's simply not right, based on his own proposal...Bush's plan explicitly mandates that states, whether they want to or not, help fund the kind of voucher program that is now the top priority of voucher advocates: one aimed at low-income students in poorly performing public schools. That requirement is the sharp edge -- the enforcement mechanism -- in his accountability system for public schools." Bush's plan "doesn't fit easily with Bush's stump-speech promise to return 'local control' to schools. Which probably explains much of his reluctance to candidly describe his proposal. George W. Bush responds to Al Gore: Gore Brings L.A. Times Into The Debate On Education; Times Says Bush 'More Impressive' "Definite Choices on Schools," Los Angeles Times, Editorial, 9/25/00 All told, however, Bush's leadership quotient in education is more impressive than that of Gore. The Texas Republican has been more willing to take the risks necessary to build bridges across what used to be enemy lines. His tenure as an "education governor" shows him to have promise as a turnaround leader. On education, Bush's determined focus, even if imperfect on some of the specifics, is preferable to Gore's "something for everyone" promises. Bush campaign clears up Gore's misstatements in rebuttal: Governor Bush believes in local control of schools. Under his plan, it's up to individual states to decide whether to enact a voucher program of their own. The Bush accountability plan is based on the philosophy that federal dollars should no longer subsidize failure and parents should have more choices if a failing school doesn't improve. So, his proposal says that any school that receives federal Title I funds must measure student improvement. In the rare instance where, after three years, a school does not make progress toward a state-set standard of achievement, he will give options to low-income parents whose children are supposed to be helped through Title I funding. Parents will either be able to transfer their child to a working public school or will be able to use a portion of their child's federal funds to pay for another option of their choice (tutoring or tuition at another school). If a parent opted to receive funds directly, they would be receiving federal dollars, not state and local dollars. Under my plan, the federal government will no longer pay schools to cheat poor children.