Bush Proposes School Aid Increases of $600 Million : Plan Is Specific; Departs From Reagan Policies

Vice President George Bush, telling a group of student scholars and teachers that American schools are “absolutely not as good as they must be,” on Tuesday proposed a $600-million boost in federal educational funding to upgrade schools and spur educational experimentation.

Bush’s proposals governing elementary and secondary school spending were the first specific educational programs unveiled by the unofficial Republican presidential nominee in months, despite his longstanding vow to be “the education President.” And they represented a point-by-point departure from the Reagan Administration’s policy to cut federal school aid, which Bush has supported.

“Education is the key to opportunity and, after all, opportunity is what America is all about,” Bush told an audience of high school Presidential Scholars and teachers at the National Press Club.

“Give any American kid an equal chance, and just watch what he or she can do,” he added. “A poor education denies that kid an equal place at the starting line.”

Educational officials, while praising any suggested increase in funding, suggested Tuesday that Bush’s programs continued what they saw as a trend in the Reagan Administration to publicize new programs while cutting funding to more basic, existing programs.

Bush’s proposals came on three fronts. The most expansive would set aside $500 million for a “Merit Schools” program. Under that plan, schools that reach a level of success set by their state would be declared “merit schools.” Successful schools that teach a “significant proportion” of disadvantaged children would be awarded an average grant of $100,000.

According to Bush aides, the program could reach out to 20% of the 25,000 elementary and secondary schools nationwide that serve disadvantaged children. The money could be spent on anything the school wished, from increasing teacher salaries to buying better equipment.

Magnet School Support

Also favored by the vice president was a program already proposed by Education Secretary William J. Bennett to give $50 million in matching funds to states that support magnet schools. Under the third proposal, Bush suggested quadrupling to $50 million the financial support for schools that experiment on programs such as year-round schools, merit pay or other reforms.

Bush did not say how he would pay for the new programs, although under his “flexible freeze” budget plan the vice president would have to cut existing programs somewhere in government in order to spend the money on education. Earlier in his campaign, Bush proposed a college savings bond program modeled on individual retirement accounts that would allow parents to save for their children’s educations.

All told, the Bush proposals run counter to the Reagan Administration’s longstanding efforts to cut federal funding for education. From 1980 to 1988, the average value of grants for poor and middle-class students fell 13%, taking inflation into account, and total student aid fell 10%, according to American Council on Education figures.

Education officials reacted warily Tuesday to Bush’s new proposals.

“These programs have some merit,” said Howard Carroll, a spokesman for the National Education Assn. in Washington. “Our first approach would be (to fund) existing federal programs that are inadequately funded.”

He offered as an example the federal “Chapter One” program that offers underachievers help in basic learning skills. It can only serve half of the children who qualify for it nationwide, he said.

David Merkowitz, a spokesman for the American Council on Education, called the proposals “some evidence of the vice president’s seriousness” about improving education but noted that he has yet to lay out specific proposals on higher education.

First of a Series

The vice president’s staff said the proposals Tuesday marked only the first of a series of plans to be detailed in coming months. “This is not meant today to be comprehensive,” said Charles W. Greenleaf Jr., assistant to the vice president for domestic policy.

Criticized by Dukakis

Education has been a hallmark of Bush’s campaign for months--Tuesday’s was one of the few Bush speeches on any subject that did not include the words “I want to be the education President”--but he has come in for criticism from Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis for failing to spell out specific plans.

Dukakis has called for a national teaching excellence fund, which would receive $750 million in its first year. He also suggested a national student loan program that would rely on payroll deductions for repayment.

Bush’s speech to the students and teachers marked the second straight high-profile campaign day he has spent in Washington. With his campaign close to the primary spending limit, Bush has been forced to husband his resources and he plans more inside-the-Beltway appearances this week.