Dole Attacks Clinton On Education Republican Hopeful To Unveil Plan For Education ‘Warranty’

Calling President Clinton a “pliant pet” of the teachers unions, Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole on Wednesday promised to turn greater control of public schools over to parents.

The attack came a day before Dole planned to propose his idea for a $2.5 billion state grant program to fund “opportunity scholarships” for low-income students to attend private schools, according to his aides.

“We need a government that gives the parents of America fewer orders and more options,” Dole said in unveiling what he called an “education consumers’ warranty.”

In an afternoon speech nostalgic for school days of phonics and spelling bees, Dole derided “global awareness” and “diversity” curricula that he charged have supplanted the basics - reading, writing and arithmetic.

Aides said Dole would unveil a modified school-choice proposal in a speech today in Milwaukee, which has a state voucher program.