"What if everybody in this school wanted to be there? Then your parents could tell irate parents to choose another school."
Concerning speculation about a potential presidential run in 2000, Alexander remained vague in his comments after the speech, despite the recent flurry of advertisements.
"I very well may be a candidate in 2000. [We] need to bring out our best in the country as we go into the new century."
But recent actions seem to indicate that Alexander has become more serious in his pursuit of the GOP presidential nomination.
In August, he launched a $200,000 national advertising campaign pushing his tax code in fourteen states, according to his press secretary. Iowa and New Hampshire, the first states for presidential primaries, were included in the campaign.
The ads also try to separate him from other possible Republican presidential candidates who are pitching a flat tax or a national sales tax program.
Alexander ran for the 1996 GOP Presidential nomination after serving two years in the Bush administration as Secretary of Education between 1991 and 1993. He also served as governor of Tennessee between 1979 and 1987.