Education
As someone who has spent countless hours volunteering with teachers, students, and parents throughout Eastern North Carolina, I understand that now more than ever we must continue to make steady and strong investments in education. The investment in youth today translates directly into a more productive and highly skilled workforce tomorrow. Education is a cornerstone of economic prosperity and development, and Eastern North Carolina must be ready to compete in a global economy.
Elementary and Secondary Education (ESEA)
As we work towards reforming our education system and reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – the primary source of federal aid to elementary and secondary education – I depend on the insights of teachers, administrators, and parents to keep me informed of the issues directly affecting our local schools.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the current incarnation of the ESEA, has brought some positive changes to the United States’ education system, including narrowing the achievement gap between groups of students and pushing schools to be more accountable for student learning. However, NCLB has not done enough. Nine years after its inception, we still do not offer all children the same educational opportunities. NCLB is not fair or flexible, and over the years it has not been properly funded. On May 29, 2012, the Department of Education announced that North Carolina would be receiving flexibility from key provisions of No Child Left Behind in exchange for state-developed plans to prepare all students for college and career, focus aid on the neediest students, and support effective teaching and leadership. As we consider a reformed ESEA, Congress must aim to focus on raising standards, encouraging innovation, and rewarding success, while allowing states and districts more flexibility to invest resources where they will have the greatest impact.
Higher Education and College Affordability
Higher education has also become increasingly critical, and I am committed to making higher education more affordable and accessible for everyone. During my time in Congress, I have supported a variety of initiatives to help ease the burden of attending college both at universities and community colleges, including increasing Pell Grant awards and tuition tax credits. Recently, I fought to prevent interest rates on Stafford student loans from doubling this summer for nearly 7.5 million students nationwide and 160,018 in North Carolina. An increased interest payment of 6.8% would have cost the North Carolina students $127 million!
Eastern North Carolina has an extensive network of higher education institutions including four-year universities and community colleges. I will continue to work with these institutions on efforts to improve the services they offer their students. As a member of the Congressional Community College Caucus, I work to increase the public’s awareness of the important role that community colleges play in training skilled workers.
Teachers
I have always been a strong advocate for our educators. Teachers have been denied competitive, professional pay for too long, and recent budget cuts have only worsened the situation. Attracting and retaining qualified teachers requires salaries that are competitive with those in comparable professions. Low teacher pay comes at a high cost for schools and kids, who lose good teachers to better-paying professions. Some 20 percent of new public school teachers leave the profession by the end of the first year, and almost half leave within five years. I am a co-sponsor of the Keep Teachers Teaching Act, which would provide federal grants directly to states or school districts to develop innovative teacher retention programs. Additionally, I have supported two bills that provide teachers with much-needed tax relief because many teachers find themselves using their own paychecks to purchase equipment to use in their classrooms.
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