Click Here

Click
Here

allpolitics.com

CNN Sites CNN CNN Europe CNNfn CNNSI myCNN CNNfyi AllPolitics Languages

ELECTION LINKS: Dem
Convention GOP
Convention What's
At
Stake Video
Where
They
Stand States
Calendar
Polls
Pres.
Cand. Bios Results/
Exit
Polls/Delegates Money
Races
Community
Government
Guide
Election
2000 AllPolitics
Main

CNN Sites CNN CNN Europe CNNfn CNNSI myCNN CNNfyi AllPolitics
Languages

Search
CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNfn.com The
Web

POLITICS
TOP
STORIES

Former
Starr spokesman cleared of contempt
charges

Bush,
Gore praise Milosevic's ouster

Fact
check: Gore claim of overcrowding at Florida
school holds up

Congress
passes national .08 blood alcohol standard for
drunken drivers

(MORE)

TOP STORIES

Belgrade
celebrates as Milosevic concedes
defeat

Mexican
jet overshoots runway; at least 6
dead

Heated
passions boil over in Palestinians' 'day of
rage'

Jew-Arab
tensions spread to New York

(MORE)

BUSINESS

Techs
trounce Wall Street

Into
the wild blue yonder

EDS
wins $6.94B contract

(MORE)

MARKETS

4:31pm ET, 10/6

DJIA

128.40

10596.50

NAS

111.09

3361.01

S&P

27.29

1408.99

SPORTS

Mariners
complete sweep of White Sox

McSorley
found guilty of assault

Mets'
Bell out of playoffs with severe ankle
sprain

(MORE)

All
Scoreboards

WEATHER

Enter your U.S. Zip:

Click here
for U.S. States or world
cities

WORLD

Belgrade
celebrates as Milosevic concedes
defeat

U.S.

Congress
passes national .08 blood alcohol standard for drunken
drivers

LAW

Forum:
LAPD scandal a stark example of the failure of police
reform

TECHNOLOGY

Technical
troubles delay 100th shuttle
launch

ENTERTAINMENT

Nikki
Cox hoofs it, big time, in
'Nikki'

HEALTH

FDA
approves new form of birth
control

TRAVEL

When
a vacation spot turns violent: What's a traveler to
do?

FOOD

Emeril
Lagasse -- cookin' again on the front
burner

ARTS & STYLE

Architects
devise lofty ideas in
decorating

(MORE
HEADLINES)

MAINPAGE
WORLD
U.S.
WEATHER
BUSINESS
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
SPACE
HEALTH
ENTERTAINMENT

POLITICS

election 2000
government
guide
TIME
analysis and
'toons
community

LAW
CAREER
TRAVEL
FOOD
ARTS & STYLE
BOOKS
NATURE
IN-DEPTH
ANALYSIS
LOCAL

EDITIONS:

CNN.com
Europe

change default
edition

MULTIMEDIA:

video
video archive
audio
multimedia
showcase
news quiz
more
services

E-MAIL:

Subscribe to one
of our news e-mail
lists.
Enter your address:

DISCUSSION:

message boards
chat
feedback

CNN WEB
SITES:

CNNfyi.com
CNN.com Europe
AsiaNow
Spanish
Portuguese
Italian
Swedish
Norwegian
Danish
Japanese
Chinese
Headlines

TIME INC.
SITES:

Go To ... Time.com People Money Fortune EW

CNN
NETWORKS:

CNN
anchors
transcripts
Turner
distribution

SITE
INFO:

help
contents
search
ad
info
jobs

WEB
SERVICES:

CNN
e-store

KeywordTitleAuthor

Fact check: Gore claim of overcrowding at Florida school holds
up

By Brooks Jackson/CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Did Democratic presidential hopeful Al Gore
fabricate a story about overcrowding at a Sarasota, Florida, high
school during Tuesday night's debate with Republican rival George W.
Bush? The Texas governor's campaign spokesman says he did.

"This is another in a disturbing pattern of the vice president
simply making things up," Bush communications director Karen Hughes
told reporters after the Boston debate.

Sarasota
High School student Kaylie Ellis was required to stand
in an overcrowded science class, as Vice President Al
Gore said during Tuesday night's presidential debate,
but just for one day, according to school officials

According to Bush aides, Gore's tale of overcrowded classrooms at
the public high school was just another whopper. They cite the story
as evidence that Gore routinely stretches the facts on the campaign
stump.

Gore said he received a letter from Florida resident Randy Ellis
about the learning conditions his 15-year-old daughter Kaylie faced
at Sarasota High School. Ellis enclosed a photo of her crowded
classroom and a local newspaper article detailing the situation.

"Her science class was supposed to be for 24 students. She is the
36th student in that classroom. She sent me a picture of her in the
classroom. They can't squeeze another desk in for her, so she has to
stand during class," Gore said during the debate.

Did Gore make that up, as Bush aides say? Not even close.

The newspaper article included with the letter was headlined "No
room in the school." It continued: "She has 36 classmates, all
assigned to a laboratory that was designed for 24 students ..."

Gore's error was grammatical --- using the present tense to
describe the student's predicament.

"It did kind of make the assumption that I was still standing,"
Kaylie told CNN.

Understandably, local school officials are upset with the Gore
campaign. Wilma Hamilton, the superintendent of schools for
Sarasota, said the district has enough desks for its students. Added
Dan Kennedy, the school's principal: "It's a matter of not checking
facts and verifying them."

Both officials said that Kaylie only had to stand for just one
day -- and that Gore should have been careful. The Bush campaign
agreed. "Under pressure the vice president simply makes things up.
Now, the president of the United States cannot do that," Hughes
argued.

But school officials concede that other students also did without
desks -- for days and weeks. In fact, the school district is still
struggling with $17 million budget cut after local voters refused to
approve a tax increase.

"I need to have smaller classes to learn better," Kaylie
argued.

But there's also an irony here. Despite budget troubles, Sarasota
High School is already one of the richest in Florida, boasting its
own Web site and a television studio that the schools say rivals
"any network facility."

And it remains unclear whether the added education spending Gore
has proposed would actually ever reach the school. Its budget of
nearly $8.7 million includes less than $27,000 in federal aid, set
aside for gifted and disabled students.

So the Bush camp may have missed an opportunity to criticize
Gore's education policy, in their eagerness to attack his character.
But the fact is- - this is one story Gore did not make up.

ELECTION
2000

Even-keeled
Cheney-Lieberman debate takes global view

(10-06-00)

Bush,
Gore both take family-friendly approach in
Michigan
(10-05-00)

Bill
Schneider: Cheney, Lieberman have specific goals for
debate
(10-05-00)

Tracking
poll: Gore may be opening solid lead -- with a
caveat
(10-05-00)

MORE
HEADLINES

WHAT'S AT
STAKE

What's
at stake in Election 2000
Senate
Overview
House
Overview
Governors
Overview

VIDEO

Watch selected policy
speeches and campaign commercials from the major
presidential candidates.

WHERE THEY
STAND

See where George W. Bush and Al Gore stand
on the major issues.

THE
STATES

Who are your elected officials? What is the
past presidential vote and number of electoral votes in your
state? Find out with these state
political and election facts.

POLLS

Check out the latest numbers or dig back
into the poll
archives.

CALENDAR

Take a look at the key events in the
election season with this calendar.

FOLLOW THE
MONEY

How much money have the candidates raised?
Here are their quarterly
reports to the Federal Election Commission.

COMMUNITY

Chat

Message
boards
Feedback

E-MAIL
UPDATES

Receive news about a
candidate by e-mail.

BushBuchananGoreKeyes
Your e-mail address:

RESULTS
AND EXIT POLLS

View the latest results,
exit polls and delegate count for the primary season.

RACES

If you need to know who's up in 2000 and
what seats are open, launch this quick
guide.

MORE STORIES:

Friday, October 6, 2000

Former
Starr spokesman cleared of contempt charges

Bush,
Gore praise Milosevic's ouster

Fact
check: Gore claim of overcrowding at Florida school holds up

Robert
Novak: Cheney scores points in VP debate

Congress
passes national .08 blood alcohol standard for drunken drivers

Justice
Department subpoenas The Gap in debate tape probe

Congress
passes national .08 blood alcohol standard for drunken drivers

Poll:
Presidential race a dead heat

Tracking
Poll: Once again, Bush-Gore race a dead heat

Analysis:
No change in presidential race after debate

Gore,
Lieberman stump in Florida as Bush swings through Midwest

Even-keeled
Cheney-Lieberman debate takes global view

Bill
Press: Cheney proves he's not up to the job

An
auspicious moment for tiny Centre College, town of Danville

Bush,
Gore campaigns laud running mates' debate performance

Albright
welcomes Russia's support for Yugoslav opposition leader

Florida
Senate hopeful accuses Clinton of revenge for impeachment

House
approves anti-crime bill to fight violence against women

Debate
coaches call Lieberman the winner of a well-tempered event

Backers
of hate-crimes bill vow fight after setback

House
committee approves auto safety bill

Former
House Rep. Sidney Yates dies at 91

Congress
approves funding for HIV-AIDS programs

House,
Senate budgeters agree to drug importation deal

ARCHIVES

Search

CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNfn.com The
Web

Back
to the top

© 2000 Cable News
Network. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which
this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy
guidelines.