Education 
 
As the son of an educator, I know that education is the best investment that we can make in our future. Education is the cornerstone to building America’s future.

 

We must make a national commitment to education by strengthening our schools, fully funding special education, and modernizing our classrooms. At the same time, we must work to reduce class size, put in place the means for students to attain higher education, and make sure that we have the best trained, most qualified teachers in the world.

 

I am committed to providing high quality education to all of America’s students, creating a nation ready for the challenges of the 21st century.

 

The primary issue of concern to the Congress in elementary and secondary education is how to improve the effectiveness of the nation's schools in raising the achievement level of all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged by living in areas of concentrated poverty, or have disabilities or limited proficiency in the English language.

 

The low levels of proficiency attained by many of these pupils is often associated with social and economic problems ranging from an ongoing cycle of poverty in some communities to diminished international economic competitiveness for the nation.

 

The federal government plays an increasingly influential role in the nation's public elementary and secondary education system. While the federal contribution to total public K-12 education revenues is only about 9%, most of these funds are targeted on relatively high need localities and schools, where the federal share is often much greater than this average.

 

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires all public schools in states participating in Education for the Disadvantaged – Title I, Part A to meet a wide range of accountability requirements in areas such as assessments, adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards, consequences for schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) failing to meet AYP standards, teacher and paraprofessional qualifications, and reporting to parents and the public.

 

The authorization for appropriations for ESEA programs expired at the end of FY2008 and consideration of ESEA reauthorization legislation is likely to be the primary means by which the 111th Congress will address concerns about the quality of elementary and secondary education.

 

In post secondary education, Congress has taken some important steps in recent years. During the second session of the 109th Congress, a sweeping set of Higher Education Act amendments were enacted under the Higher Education Reconciliation Act (HERA) of 2005. In the first session of the 110th Congress, another sweeping set of HEA amendments were enacted under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA). And, toward the end of the second session of the 110th Congress, the Congress finalized work on the reauthorization of the HEA which resulted in the amendment and continuation of many previously existing student aid programs and the establishment of many new discretionary grant programs.

 

Additionally, the 110th Congress passed a new veterans' education program, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance program that makes considerably more generous education benefits available to veterans.

 

Moving forward, Congress should continue to seek to ensure that enhance the terms of student loans and increase availability. Congress should also seek to simplify the student aid process and find ways to ensure that cost of college is restrained and affordable.

 

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) into law. The ARRA provides funds to several existing education programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), including programs authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Higher Education Act (HEA).

 

ARRA also provides general funds for education to support state fiscal stabilization at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels, as well as for "public safety and other government services." Funds made available through the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund may be used for modernization, renovation, or repair of public school or higher education facilities.

 

The ARRA provides $97.558 billion in discretionary and mandatory appropriations for education programs. Funds provided for education are considered FY2009 appropriations, and generally, all funds are available for obligation until September 30, 2010.