February 23, 1999
Web posted at: 4:22 p.m. EST (2122 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, February 23) -- Governors urged a Senate panel Tuesday to let them be responsible for how their states spend federal education money.

The National Governors Association, which is holding its annual winter conference in Washington, has been pleading with the Clinton Administration not to link federal money for education to performance standards on issues like graduation rates, test scores, and the physical status of school buildings.

Gov. John Engler

Michigan Gov. John Engler, a Republican, stressed to the senators the need for local control and flexibility in education spending. He said Congress has already seen great results in getting people off welfare and into the work force, as states took control of entitlement reform.

"I'm confident there are similar gains waiting for us in education if we can get that freedom," he told CNN.

But a member of the Senate Education Committee told the governors not to expect carte blanche if given more leeway in spending federal education support.

Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota) said he can support more flexibility in how states spend the funds, "but also there has to be some accountability. I believe we've got to insist on that. It can't just be straight blank-check block grant without at least that ..."

Panel chairman Sen. Jim Jeffords (R-Vermont) promised to review issues of spending control but suggested there first must be a better system for measuring the performance of the educational system. He noted that obtaining results from performance studies can take years, making it difficult to find quickly what works.

Tuesday, February 23, 1999

• Clinton and congressional leaders sit down for 'positive' meeting
• Congress ponders independent counsel demise
• Governors want control of federal education money
• Dole does Iowa swing in 'non-campaign'
• Governors drum up support for another Bush presidency
• Republicans waffling on 10 percent tax cut
• Moderate GOP veteran to replace Gingrich
• Chicago's Daley beats Rush for third term as mayor
• Starr, Reno have 15 days to comment on possible independent counsel probe
• White House shifts Y2K focus to states
• Fed chief's talk about economy and overvalued stocks rattles markets
• Legislation aims to keep Y2K bug out of the courtroom
• U.S. Census OKs Web filing test
• Buchanan takes leave from `Crossfire' to explore presidential candidacy
• New Census statistics on blacks posted
• Watergate Hotel to hold GOP fund-raising event
• How to pass legislation: Give it a catchy name
• Clintons returning to Park City for family time on the slopes
• Administration, in policy reversal, rejects Hughes satellite export
• ABC set to air Lewinsky interview

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