EDUCATION

As Americans, we all want our children to have access to high-quality education in a safe, vibrant and nurturing school environment. Every family, whether from rural, suburban or urban areas across our country should be able to provide their children with an education that will prepare them for the 21st century economy and future employment opportunities.

Our teachers across PA-13 and throughout our country perform one of the most important jobs we could ask of someone – educating and mentoring our children who represent our country’s future. This great responsibility accepted by our teachers is often taken for granted by parents and society in general. We must reverse these attitudes in order to attract the most qualified and well-suited people to the teaching profession. In doing so, we also must ensure that our teachers are treated fairly and receive the appropriate compensation for this important responsibility.

Todd had aspired to become a teacher and has had the fortunate opportunity now to serve as a substitute teacher experiencing firsthand the current day curriculum and classroom interaction with our youth. These students are eager to learn and ready to lead our country in the decades ahead, but we must ensure that we are doing everything we can to support and encourage their education.

Beyond a secondary education, if a student wants to go to college or pursue another post-secondary education or specific technical training, this opportunity should be available without incurring an exorbitant and unmanageable debt. Having a highly skilled and educated workforce who are prevented from starting a family, buying a home, saving for their children’s education or their own future retirement because of this debt serves our economy and our future prospects poorly.

We recognize the importance of public service in our society and we consider this an admirable undertaking. Todd supports expanding programs that pay back the cost of student loans – in its entirety or a proportional amount - when people accept public service jobs in communities where it is increasingly difficult to attract and retain people for certain positions.

Todd attended public education which provided him a foundation for success in a post-secondary education and his future public service in a local, state and federal law enforcement career. Todd supports public service opportunities as part of post-secondary education curriculums where tuition is off-set through this participation and commitment to public service.

Todd reminds us of the famous quote, "An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people”. This quotation is linked most famously to one of our prominent founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, circa 1816. This quotation represents an accurate paraphrase of indeed Jefferson’s views on education although it is unclear that Jefferson ever uttered this exact phrase nor was it reflected in any of Jefferson’s writings. Nonetheless, this quote is meaningful over 200 years later especially in the turbulent and divisive times our country finds itself embroiled in today.

Todd supports these EDUCATION policy initiatives:

  • Investing in America’s education system with a focus upon strengthening our public education; the vast majority of our children attend public schools and we must provide public schools with all of the resources necessary for the benefit of America’s future.

  • Expanding access to high-quality education; from pre-K, elementary and secondary programs, including after school programs, arts and athletic programs, trade and vocational-technical programs, apprenticeships, on-the-job training and affordable college.

  • Supporting our public education curriculum with a focus on STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics; while also supporting a curriculum that includes the Arts, as well as athletics participation; we must ensure that any student who wishes to participate in any educational, arts or athletic program is not denied because of the inability of a family to pay for their child to participate – no “pay to play” requirements.

  • Investing in high-quality childcare and early childhood learning programs.

  • Federal funding and support for the increase in teacher pay and benefits; teachers should not have to purchase school supplies out of their own pocket in order for their students to have the school supplies they need (although teachers will continue to do this instinctively because they care about their students and want them to succeed).

  • Since 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has existed to ensure that funding is appropriated for educational services for children with disabilities; this funding must continue to be appropriated in full and parents must be a part of those decisions made by the school regarding the child’s educational program.

  • Rebuilding our school infrastructure for the 21st century as part of a comprehensive bipartisan infrastructure plan to rebuild America.

  • Our local small businesses are in desperate need of employees who possess certain specific trade and technical skills, such as carpentry, electrical, masonry, plumbing, computer, culinary arts and nursing. For those students who may not have a desire to attend a four-year college, we must support programs to educate and inform students as early as possible during their secondary schooling as to these job opportunities that are available in their communities. Through vocational-technical training and apprenticeships, these students can obtain the necessary skills to enter the workforce upon graduation and fill these important jobs in our communities.

  • Protecting students from discrimination and violence; our children go to school to learn and they deserve a safe environment - an environment safe from discrimination, violence, and bullying.

  • Supporting Federal funding for modern educational tools that will help the students and teachers achieve their academic goals.

  • Access to affordable higher education; supporting legislation to reform our student loan system; we must give our young people hope that they will not be encumbered with a lifetime of debt because they simply desire an opportunity to further their education.

  • Supporting and expanding programs to provide higher education opportunities for the middle class, as well as minority and low-income students; tuition must be affordable through the increase in Pell Grants and other scholarship awards enabling lower-income students the same educational opportunities as all other students.

  • Investing in and supporting colleges and universities with large minority enrollments; we must support our Black colleges and universities equally as any other higher-education institution.

  • Investing in adult basic education; making sure that every citizen throughout their life has educational opportunities to better themselves.

  • Increasing the High School graduation rate nationally from currently approximately 85% to 90% and higher.

  • Supporting the appointment of competent leadership and appropriate staffing levels at the U.S. Department of Education; personnel that have the requisite education and demonstrated experience that our children and parents deserve from the U.S. Department of Education.