Ohio Governor Lauds Texas Education

Saturday, September 2nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) â€” If elected president, George W. Bush will give states the freedom they need to tailor education programs for their students, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft said Saturday in the weekly Republican radio address.

Texas has taken great strides in education in the GOP nominee's 5 1/2 years as governor, Taft said in the speech, taped Friday.

``Governor Bush understands that states are the laboratories of reform in education and that Republican governors are leading the way,'' Taft said. ``Because of high standards and accountability, Texas has led the nation in raising student achievement levels.''

Taft also praised education initiatives in Virginia, Nevada, Texas, Michigan and Florida â€” all states with Republican governors. Those programs include expansion of charter school programs, offering cash bonuses for schools whose students excel and more teacher training.

He touted his OhioReads program, which encourages citizens to become tutors to help children read at grade level by the fourth grade.

``Reading is the basis for all knowledge. Yet too many students slip through the cracks, drop out or finish high school with a diploma that means little,'' Taft said. ``My wife and I both tutor a child, as do more than 13,000 other Ohioans.''

The Republican Governors Association chose Taft to make the weekly speech in part because of education programs proposed by the governor, Taft spokesman Scott Milburn said.