ASHCROFT CALLS FOR TRUST FUND

U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft wants to use part of the federal budget surplus to finance a children's classroom trust fund.

Ashcroft said the move would mean $19.3 million for the Cape Girardeau School District over the next 10 years.

The Republican senator from Missouri discussed his trust fund plan during a campaign stop in Cape Girardeau Friday.

Ashcroft spoke to educators and students at Clippard Elementary School.

Ashcroft said a trust fund should be established with 11 percent of the 10-year budget surplus.

The plan would provide $200 billion in additional money to the schools over 10 years.

The money would go directly to communities, bypassing federal and state bureaucracies, the senator said.