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Dear E-Alert Subscriber:
Our children need
a quality education to prepare them to thrive in the global economy
and competitive world. Today, a K-12 education may simply not be
enough. Children also benefit from preschool and kindergarten, and
young adults need two to four years of college to be prepared for
the workforce. Our educational system has yet to adapt to this new
reality.
In my capacity as
the only New England member of the United States House Committee on
Education and the Workforce, I continue fighting to reform and
enhance our current educational system so that all students have
access to a quality education at every stage of their development.
As I mentioned in
an earlier e-newsletter, we continue to spend $8 billion dollars a
month ($11 million per hour) in Iraq. The equivalent of thirteen
days of such funding would fully pay to restore cuts that the
President has proposed in 40 different education programs. A small
fraction of the cost to extend the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts costing
$1.7 trillion (yes, trillion) would also go a long way toward
helping America retain its competitive edge.
Given that this
issue is so important and affects so many of us, I thought you may
be interested to see how it is being addressed.
Preschool
Many
parents want to send their children to preschool, but are concerned
about the financial burden. With incomes remaining stagnant and
health care and home heating fuel costs continuing to rise, families
often have little left over to pay for preschool.
That’s why
I am examining the role that the federal government can play in
supporting states, municipalities and families in their efforts to
provide quality preschool. The earlier we educate our children, the
more opportunities they will have for success.
The Head Start
program, which serves children and families in need, is a good
example of a successful early start program. Unfortunately, Head
Start received no new funding this year in President Bush’s budget,
and the current program is only serving 50% of preschoolers who are
eligible. I believe funding
for Head Start should be increased, and due to the fact that quality
preschool requires skilled educators, I proposed a student loan
forgiveness initiative for early education teachers,
which was passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year,
and now awaits action by the United States Senate.
K-12
Our
children need a quality K-12 education to prepare them for college
and beyond. Since the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the federal
law that sets educational guidelines for states and schools, was
enacted, I have consistently supported funding NCLB to the level
originally promised by President Bush so that local communities have
the resources they need to comply with new federal standards.
Regrettably, while
states are required to implement the new system, the federal
government has not provided the necessary funding to comply with the
new guidelines. Many local schools have been forced to eliminate
programs such as physical education, art, music and drama as a
result of insufficient federal assistance coupled with drastic
reductions in state reimbursements to communities. In fact, the
Republican leadership has under-funded NCLB nationally by billions
since the bill was signed into law in 2001, and the program will be
shortchanged billions more if the President’s budget for fiscal year
2007 is approved. Without the promised federal funding, our local
communities are fighting an uphill battle when making a good faith
effort to comply with NCLB mandates.
I believe it's
critical to hear from those who are directly affected by NCLB and
get their opinion before Congress reevaluates NCLB sometime next
year. As such, I continue to meet with teachers, administrators,
parents and students to discuss what changes need to be made to
improve the existing law. I also remain committed to working with my
colleagues in Washington, DC to appropriately fund NCLB so that our
children receive a quality education.
Higher Education
A college
degree is the cornerstone of the American dream – opening the door
to job opportunities and professional fulfillment as well as
increasing earning power. The global economy is extremely
competitive, and it is important to our country’s economic
prosperity that every qualified student in America be able to pursue
a college degree.
That is why I am
working hard to make college more affordable for students and
families. I support legislation to increase the value of Pell
Grants, which are worth $900 less today than they were in 1975.
Additionally, I have been working to ensure low interest rates on
student loans and enhance work-study programs that provide campus
and community part-time work for students. I specifically support
the House Democrats' New Direction for America plan that would:
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Slash interest
rates on college loans in half to 3.4% for students and to 4.25%
for parents – saving the
average student borrower $5,600.
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Dramatically
increase the tax deductibility of college tuition by simplifying
the maze of tuition laws to allow a 100% tax credit for tuition up
to $3,000 – the equivalent of a $12,000 deduction for most
middle-class families.
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Increase the
maximum Pell Grant to $5,100, giving more than a quarter of a
million additional young people the opportunity to pursue a
college degree.
I have also
authored the
College
Affordability and Accountability Act, which would
renew the federal-state-school partnership to make college
affordable by requiring states to maintain adequate funding for
higher education, providing incentives for colleges to lower tuition
costs and giving more information to students and families to help
them make informed decisions about paying for college.
Investing in Math, Science and Technology Education
Our efforts to
strengthen the entire system from preschool to college must pay
particular attention to math, science and technology education.
Focusing on such academic areas is critical to the future of our
young people and will help ensure our country remains competitive in
the global economy.
The World Economic
Forum recently concluded that the United States has lost its
position as the world’s most competitive economy, sliding from first
to sixth in the Forum’s annual rankings. The rest of the world is
increasing its capacity, its investments and its will to catch up
and surpass us. We cannot afford to ignore this challenge.
I am working with
colleagues to promote the
Innovation
Agenda, which would help Americans create new
thriving industries to provide millions of good jobs and a better
future for our children. In addition, this proposal would help
produce an educated, skilled workforce in the vital areas of
science, math, engineering and information technology.
Under the plan,
America would gain 100,000 new scientists, engineers and
mathematicians in the next four years. It would also place a
high-qualified teacher in every math and science K-12 classroom
offering tuition incentives to talented undergraduates and paying
competitive salaries to teachers.
I will continue to fight for policies to improve our schools because
a strong education system will help take America in a new direction
– toward a strong and rejuvenated economy and a society where no
student is denied access to a quality education.
Sincerely,
John F. Tierney
Member
of Congress
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