Clinton Promises Education Reform During Stop In Ohio

Saturday, May 5th 2007, 8:05 pm

By: News On 6

CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) _ Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday President Bush has cut education funding so much that some schools are cutting programs such as art, music and dance.

If elected president, the New York Democrat said she would work to revise the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act.

``Yes, I believe in accountability,'' Clinton told a crowd of about 300 at John Hay High School, part of a struggling school district in what U.S. Census Bureau considers to be the nation's poorest big city.

``But one of the saddest parts about what's happening with No Child Left Behind is that schools are cutting so much in their curricula because they are trying to keep up with demands in unfunded mandates.''

It was Clinton's second stop in Ohio, where earlier in the day she delivered the commencement speech at Wilberforce University, a small, historically black school, and urged them remain optimistic about their ability to fight injustice and change society for the better.

``Don't let anyone wear you down to the point where you believe it is not worth trying to change your society any longer,'' she told about 4,000 people and a graduating class of 225 at the private college near Dayton that traces its roots back to 1856.

``Journeys that led to the abolition of slavery still call us to finish the march to justice,'' she said.

The crowd gave a warm reception to Clinton, and broke into applause several times during a 25-minute speech in which largely avoided the hot-button campaign issues like the war in Iraq.

Clinton attended a private fundraiser later in the evening at the Intercontinental Hotel in Cleveland where tickets ranged from $100 to $2,300.

She is scheduled to return to Ohio next Friday as the keynote speaker for the annual Ohio Democratic Party dinner.

Only two Democrats since 1900 have won the presidency without carrying Ohio and no Republican has done so.