Gov. George W. Bush's Plans for Education in America

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I AM running for President because I believe our prosperity must have a purpose. We must use these times of economic prosperity to improve America's schools. Education is the constant focus of my campaign. My generation was given the gift of the best education in American history. Yet we do not share that gift with everyone. Seven of 10 fourth-graders in our highest-poverty schools cannot read a simple children's book. This is a national tragedy, and we cannot rest until we have confronted it.

As governor, education has been my passion and my priority. Texas is a big state that is getting bigger and more diverse. During my time in office, Texas added more than a quarter of a million students. This placed an enormous burden on Texas school districts to provide the education our children deserve and parents demand. But we met the challenge. We met it with a simple philosophy: education is a local responsibility, but a state priority. While giving school districts more flexibility and authority, we increased the amount of funding the state provides to the schools. As a result, school districts were able to meet the needs of rising numbers of students without raising local property taxes. In fact, a study issued by state budget experts found that the 50 largest school districts, representing 60% of the student population, reported an overall decrease in tax rates.

But more important, we reformed our public schools with a basic set of principles - high standards and high expectations, local control, and strong accountability. The results say it all. Test scores are up for all students in all grades, especially Hispanic and African American youngsters. Since I have been governor, the number of students …