THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

I am pleased that a little more than a year after I proposed national Ed-Flex legislation to the nation's governors, an overwhelming majority in Congress has passed a solid Ed-Flex bill. I look forward to signing it without delay. This bill will offer states more flexibility in their use of federal funding in exchange for demonstrated increases in student achievement.

I am particularly pleased that the conference report strengthens accountability measures and preserves our effort to reduce class size in the early grades. The bipartisan work on this legislation shows we can and must work together to improve our nation's schools.

Now Congress can move on to the most important aspects of the nation's education agenda -- finishing the job of hiring 100,000 well-prepared teachers to reduce class size, passing my initiative to help build and modernize 6,000 public schools, and re-authorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act with my plan to hold states and school districts accountable for results.

30-30-30