Education

No Child Left Behind Act

I believe that every child deserves an A+ education and we shouldn't have our schools ranked 1 to 50, but all should be #1.  I will fight to restore maximum funding to President George Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Act,” which has been under-funded by the House leadership.

Constructing and Maintaining Safe Schools

Our children’s schools must be safe and well equipped and all too often schools suffer from overcrowded and crumbling classrooms. That is why I support incentives for the construction and renovation of public schools.

Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Teachers

In order to attract and retain more teachers, I support the “Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act. This bill expands the teacher loan forgiveness program under the federal loan program, so that teachers can afford to stay in the classroom.

I also support pay incentives for teachers in the neediest of areas.

Increasing Before/After-School Opportunities

Children need safe, drug-free environments to learn the skills for success. I support Federal funding for services, libraries, and before/after-school programs throughout the district.

I also support federal funding for electives such as: art, music, and drama.

Early Childhood Education

I support increased funding for early childhood education programs such as: Birth to 3, Head Start, and Even Start