Education for All
Education is supposed to be the great equalizer but in this state, like most others, we mostly fund schools at the local level through property taxes so the quality of education that kids receive is determined by where they happen to have been born. The children of parents who can afford pre-school get a leg-up on the children of those who can't at a time when it's most critical. And some of the smartest, most talented kids are deciding not to go to college due to astronomical costs. These inequalities trap generations of families in a cycle of poverty and leave many in crippling debt which has no benefit to our society or economy. We should be not only incentivizing students to get 2 year and Bachelors degrees, but higher degrees as well.
Together we will:
Together we will:
- Make a historic investment in Pre-K-16 schools and work with local municipalities across the state to set a standard for quality education regardless of zip code.
- Provide universal child-care
- Expand standard education to include Pre-K
- Fund tuition-free public colleges, universities, trade schools, MSIs and masters degrees for doctors, teachers, public defenders, social workers and MBA's that commit to serving in the public sector for at least 10 years
- Pay those with federal student loan debt the amount that they owe to effectively cancel their student debt as we petition the federal govt to cancel it
- Invest in our teachers so they can afford to live in the towns they teach in
- Increase funding for degree programs for incarcerated people
- Fill in the gaps of Pell Grants to include living expenses such as food, housing, transportation and childcare. Expand eligibility to include those who are incarcerated and those who are undocumented.
- Stop the diversion of public funds to charter schools
