George W. Bush
Education reform is empty if it does not take account the needs
of educators. Teachers are not the object of education reform, they
are the engine of education reform. That's why I have proposed $2.9
billion in funding to help recruit, train, and retain teachers.
In return for the funding, states will be required to establish
a teacher accountability system, which could include such measures
as assessment of teachers based on student results, differential
pay, and subject-specific teacher testing.
I have also proposed increasing funding for the Troops-to-Teachers
Program from $24 million to $30 million annually; establishing the
Teacher Protection Act, which will protect teachers from meritless
lawsuits as a result of maintaining discipline in the classroom;
requiring zero-tolerance policies for student violence and persistent
misbehavior; and establishing a $400 teacher tax deduction to help
defray out-of-pocket classroom expenses.
Despite the fact that as many as 2 million new teachers may be
needed in the next decade, many skilled individuals are prevented
from entering the teaching profession because they do not have the
time or resources to get a formal education degree or teaching certification.
The Troops-to-Teachers Program was designed in 1993 as a partial
response to this problem, facilitating the placement of qualified
military personnel in classrooms across the country by matching
them with school districts that need more instructors and by providing
a stipend as they undergo training and certification. This program
will help place additional highly qualified instructors in the classroom.
As president, I will remind the American people that teachers
have a high calling, and we must respect it. Teaching may never
make someone rich. But the fruits of teachers' labor stand to make
us all, as a nation, much richer. I believe states and local school
districts can best determine salaries for teachers. In Texas, I
increased teacher pay by 33 percent, resulting in an average salary
increase of $8,232. Texas has also received praise for its "state-of-the-art
teacher quality system" from the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.
My education plan will give states unprecedented flexibility to
use federal education dollars to attract the best and brightest
teachers. In return, the federal government will hold them accountable
for results. |
Al Gore
My plan calls for a nationwide effort to help states, communities,
and schools attract outstanding people into the teaching profession.
I recognize that our nation's schools will need to hire 2 million
teachers over the next ten years to address growing student enrollments
and imminent teacher retirements.
My plan will invest $8 billion over ten years to aggressively
recruit new teachers, providing up to $10,000 in financial assistance
for 560,000 college graduates who will commit themselves to teaching
in high-need schools; funding up to $10,000 in signing bonuses for
140,000 professionals who will switch careers to enter the profession;
and ensuring loan forgiveness for 300,000 students who agree to
teach in high-need schools and in shortage curricula such as math
and science.
The $8 billion investment in education will also provide salary
increases to teachers in communities where school districts, businesses,
and teachers' unions adopt aggressive plans to recruit new teachers,
provide mentors, and implement other measures to help new teachers
succeed. All qualified teachers in districts that adopt those plans
will receive salary increases of up to $5,000, and salary increases
of up to $10,000 will be provided to outstanding master teachers
who reach an advanced professional standard.
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Gore and Bush Comment on the Teacher Shortage
