Clinton Wants To Use $12 Billion For More Teachers, New Schools

More than $12 billion in federal money should be used to hire 100,000 new teachers and provide tax credits for school construction, President Clinton proposed Monday.

“All these will help our children get the future they deserve,” Clinton said. He had planned to save the announcements for his State of the Union address by the crisis over his alleged relationship with a White House intern.

The teacher proposal, costing $7.3 billion over five years and $12.4 billion over seven years, calls for the federal government to help pay the salaries of local teachers, with more subsidies going to poor districts that often cannot afford the pay offered in wealthier suburbs. The proposal, combined with the building initiative, also aims to reduce class size.

The construction plan calls for giving $5 billion in tax credits over five years, or more than $10 billion over seven, through the issuance of no-interest construction bonds.