Education
In 2007, Congress passed legislation reauthorizing Head Start. Senator Sanders, as a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, worked closely with Head Start teachers, parents and administrators to make sure that the bill expanded eligibility for Head Start, included increased funding allotments for the program, and included greater flexibility to use funds for Early Head Start (ages 0-3).
In the same year, Sanders vigorously supported and helped craft the higher education legislation which became law in August 2007. The legislation represented the largest expansion of federal support for college students since the GI bill was passed over 40 years earlier. Sanders worked successfully to make college more affordable and accessible to low- and moderate-income students by increasing Pell grants, which provide funds to those students so they can afford their college studies. (He is supporting an even larger increase in Pell grants in legislation currently in the Education Committee.) Neither of these large increases in student aid increases the deficit, since both are paid for by reducing federal government subsidies to banks. At the same time, he strongly supported reducing the interest rate on federally-supported student loans. Sanders championed the creation of a new loan forgiveness program in which loans would be cancelled for college graduates who stay in public service jobs - including nursing, education, and law enforcement - for a decade. The legislation provided $17 billion in additional college aid, including $34.2 million over five years in new Pell grants for students attending colleges and universities in Vermont. Another $26.7 million is allotted for increased loans to Vermont students.
As a member of both the Senate's education and veterans committees, Sanders was a strong supporter of the new G.I. Bill - the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. This resulted in the largest expansion of GI education benefits since World War II. The new law could potentially more than double the amount covered in the previous GI Bill, and could open college doors to thousands of veterans, many of whom would not otherwise have considered college because of the expense. The law provides the equivalent of in-state tuition at the highest-priced public college in the state where the veteran lives, based on undergraduate tuition and fees. There is also a monthly housing allowance and a $1,000 stipend for books and supplies. This benefit is also transferable to close family members.
In 2007 and 2008, the HELP Committee considered the question of whether to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Senator Sanders strongly opposes the testing regimen NCLB has put in place, because it greatly narrows school and classroom curricula and makes "teaching to the test" the basis of many courses in public schools. He believes that the federal government should be helping schools, not punishing them with penalties by deeming them "failing" and by withholding funds from the schools which need them most, as NCLB requires. Likewise, he opposes the unfunded mandates in NCLB which obligate that local schools do things without providing funds to pay for what the federal government requires.
In 2009, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka the stimulus package) Senator Sanders was able to reinvest in Vermont's teachers and schools and put money in programs that helped fuel the economy. Vermont received over $70 million in the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, $12 million for Title I funds, and over $25 million in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funds. All of this was used to help Vermont's classrooms and schools thrive despite difficult economic times, and allowed many Vermont teachers to stay in their jobs. It is estimated that over 900 Vermont teachers saved their jobs because of ARRA funding. More information is available here.
Sanders is excited to work with the Obama administration to achieve the goal of leading the world in college graduates by 2020. He knows this goal must start at birth, from quality early learning programs to financial assistance for college so that every American has the opportunity to graduate college if he or she chooses. This is why he is committed to making early learning and childcare programs affordable and accessible, to reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act so that it focuses on students and not tests, and to increase Pell Grants and other federal support for higher education financial aid.
