Bush Raises More Cash; Speaks On Education

WASHINGTON, Jan 08, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- President George W. Bush remained on his campaign financing roll Thursday, rattling his cup in two Southern venues after an appearance at a Tennessee elementary school to mark the second anniversary of his No Child Left Behind Act.

At the Knoxville Convention Center, the cup proved silver -- 1,000 people at a $1,000-a-plate lunch added $1 million to the president's re-election coffers, said campaign deputy spokesman Scott Stenzel.

Bush was promised another $1 million later in the evening by about 800 people at a Bush-Cheney dinner at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, Fla.

Bush, who is spurning matching federal funds -- and its limits and regulations -- ended last year with more than $130 million in donations for the year.

His closest Democratic rival, in polling and in fundraising, is former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who raised about $40 million last year, more than any of the other eight Democrats vying for their party's presidential standard.

Thursday's fundraising appearances were Bush's second and third for the new year. On Monday Bush joined contributors in St. Louis.

As in St. Louis, a Knoxville school served as a platform the Bush to draw more general attention to educational reform, a key platform in his 2000 election campaign and a crown jewel in his first term.

"Public education, we've got to get it right," Bush said at West View Elementary School, where 91 percent of its 237 students come from low-income families. "It's the gateway to hope.

"It is essential for this country to have a public education system that responds to the needs of every child so that we can meet great objectives for this country. I know it's trite, it's been said a lot, but it's true: The future of the country depends on our capacity to educate every child."

The law mandates for schools receiving federal funds new, improved early reading programs, higher teacher standards and mandatory testing of students in reading and math skills against set standards.

Students whose schools fail twice to meet benchmark standards are allowed to transfer to other schools to improve their education.

"What the No Child Left Behind Act does, it not only provides extra help for a child that needs help early, it also gives parents more options in the process," Bush said. "A parent can take tax money and send that child to an after-school tutoring program ... the parent can send the child to another public school. In other words, there are consequences (for schools not meeting standards)."

Bush said he would propose a $2-billion increase for fiscal 2005 from 2004's $12.5 billion to help children from low income families and children with disabilities.

Spending on all programs associated with the act is at record highs, the administration said, but critics complain the administration is still falling short in adequate funding.

Copyright 2004 by United Press International.

Source: Info Beat - ((http://www.infobeat.com/index.cfm?action=article&id=121809))