Education
Affordable education for every American:
- Free public college, community college, and vocational school
- Forgive student loan debt for the working and middle class
- Funding for apprenticeships
- Family-supporting wages for teachers
- High-quality universal preschool
Education is the foundation for our country's future and a fundamental right for all our children. As the son of a public school teacher, I value the enormous impact that schools and teachers have.
It is vital that we continue to improve our public school system from the bottom up. I believe in expanding special education, art, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs so that students have a well-rounded education and can be competitive on the global stage. We live in a changing world and have a skill-based economy. Many companies now hire based on skills, rather than looking at formal degrees. Decoupling skills from degrees and credentialing reform are issues that I am considering in Congress.
Free public college and vocational education
I also believe that we need to give every aspiring student the opportunities and resources to pursue the dream of college education. The cost of college has become exorbitant. Something is wrong when our nation's bright young minds see college as a financial risk that comes with decades of burdensome debt, and I will fight to change it.
We have to make the investment in free public college, free community college and free vocational school. For those in skilled trades, they should be able to deduct the costs for tools. Debt-free college and vocational school not only tackles the rising cost of higher education— it’s also a pro-jobs and pro-economic growth investment.
Student loan forgiveness
I have been a vocal leader in the effort to cancel student loan debt and pause interest, especially for the working and middle class. When I was younger, I took out more than $100,000 in student loans to pay for higher education. I have repaid my loans thanks to good fortune and career opportunities, but I understand the anxiety student loan debt causes.
Student loan forgiveness is also critical to overcome the racial wealth gap. Black students are more likely than their White counterparts to take out student loans and struggle to pay them off. Canceling up to $50,000 in student loan debt would immediately increase the wealth of Black Americans by 40 percent according to the Roosevelt Institute.
Apprenticeships
I am championing apprenticeships in Congress and believe we need more of them in the U.S. Nations such as Switzerland and Germany successfully created robust ecosystems of apprenticeships, where most students participate at a young age, learn needed skills, and have jobs after completion.
Traditional schools benefit from $400 billion annually in federal and state funding while participants in apprenticeship programs receive less than $400 million. With tax credits and modernizing the application process, we should incentivize businesses to create more apprenticeships while increasing federal funding for apprenticeship programs.
Family-supporting wages for teachers
43% of all public school teachers are paid less than $60,000 a year, which forces many to work multiple jobs to cover basic costs. Adjusted for inflation, starting salaries for public school teachers are thousands less than they were 10 years ago. I am a cosponsor of Senator Bernie Sanders’ bill, The Pay Teachers Act, that will raise annual teacher salaries to at least $60,000 per year. Our teachers are essential, and they should be paid a family-supporting wage.
Universal high-quality preschool
Pre-kindergarten education has a direct influence on academic achievement and outcomes later in life. Universal Pre-K is one of the best investments we can make in America’s kids. I am a strong advocate for high-quality universal Pre-K for every child in our country and guaranteeing good wages for Pre-K teachers.
Click here to learn more about the bills that I introduced and cosponsored.