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"Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource." -John F. Kennedy
The American Dream means opportunities are open to everyone willing to work. To ensure the equality of this opportunity we must provide a quality education to every child in every school. If just one bright child with a strong work ethic in Brunswick County, or Downtown Danville, or the suburbs of Lynchburg is left behind because of sub-standard education, then our society is responsible.
In Congress I will work hard and fight for the American Dream and support:
Reducing Class Sizes — Overcrowded classes impair a teacher’s ability to give personal instruction to students and students’ educational experience. We need to hire more quality teachers and reduce class sizes.
Providing Free College Tuition — Students who commit to public service in AmeriCorps, Teach for America, or the military after graduation should receive free tuition to four-year public colleges and universities.
Universal Pre-School — Learning is a process that begins at birth. We must ensure that every child enters kindergarten prepared to succeed in school.
Restoring Title I Funding — Brunswick, Buckingham, Cumberland, Greene, and Pittsylvania Counties have all suffered from Title I public school funding cuts by the federal government. We must restore these funds.
Recruiting and Retaining High Quality Teachers — Comparatively low wages, excessive certification requirements, and overwhelming demands from the job have created a teaching crisis. School districts all over the country are unable to staff their classrooms with high quality teachers, particularly in critical math and science classes. Federal funding for public school teachers must be increased to attract and keep talented teachers.
Promoting Math and Science — We are in danger of being scientifically surpassed by the world unless we make an effort to promote math and science in our schools. Our nation’s economic future is dependent on retaining our technological edge. In 1957, the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik motivated Congress to pass the National Defense Education Act to promote mathematics and the sciences in our school system; we need a similar program today.
 Download a .PDF version of this policy paper.
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