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John Hickenlooper on Education

Democratic Presidential Challenger (withdrew, Aug. 2019); CO Governor

 


Opposes vouchers for private or religious schools

Q: Use public funding for private and/or for-profit schools?

John Hickenlooper: No. Supports parents selecting the best schools, but "would not support the use of publicly funded vouchers for private or religious school education."

Corey Gardner: Yes. Filed a Supreme Court brief supporting the use of public funds to pay for educating children in private religious schools.

Source: CampusElect on 2020 Colorado Senate race , Oct 10, 2020

Expanded student loan repayment and forgiveness programs

Q: Support free or subsidized tuition for lower-income individuals? Support lower interest or forgiveness on student loans?

Hickenlooper: Reduce federal student loan interest to 2.5% or less, with "expanded loan repayment and forgiveness programs, tuition-free community college"; minority scholarships.

Corey Gardner: No general stand found. Did introduce bill allowing employers to contribute tax free to employees' student loans. Discharge federal student loans for the permanently disabled.

Source: CampusElect on 2020 Colorado Senate race , Oct 10, 2020

Free skills training & free community college

Look at the existing debt that kids have now--$1.5 trillion for college debt. The first thing is, "how do we structure those loans?" But the other question is, "why is it costing so much that these schools, every year, are raising their tuition by 8% or 12%?" That is a national issue that we all have to address.

We often forget about the 70% of kids in this country who are never going to get a four-year degree. We have backed away from all our vocational training at the very time when automation and artificial intelligence are going to turn our workplace upside-down. Now is the time to look at how do we make sure those kids get a chance to acquire the skills so that they can be successful in this rapidly evolving economy. In Colorado, we started with apprenticeship programs. Here's my vision. I think we should have the largest expansion of free skills and free community colleges in the history of this country.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls , Mar 20, 2019

Increase investment in education by additional $100M

Today, in almost every part of Colorado, zip code still determines your educational outcome. And that determines your economic outcome. This needs to change. We re-convened the Education Leadership Council to build a long-term vision and path forward. We're pumping an additional one hundred million dollars above enrollment and inflation into our schools this year, and adding ten million dollars to address teacher shortages in rural areas.
Source: 2018 Colorado State of the State address , Jan 11, 2018

Schools should focus on skills for future jobs

We need to transition from a degree-based education system to one that also includes skill-based training. Experts tell us over sixty percent of our kids in school today will not get a 4-year degree. Careers and professions by the dozens will be swept away in the coming decades. But new industries will emerge at an equally frantic rate. We will need not just engineers but huge numbers of technicians and analysts with new sets of skills. We need to get more kids learning skills that matter.
Source: 2018 State of the State address to the Colorado legislature , Jan 11, 2018

Reinvent bipartisan apprenticeships & workforce training

Q [to Kasich]: Are you working with Gov. Hickenlooper on issues other than healthcare?

Gov. John KASICH (R-OH): Gov. Hickenlooper and I have talked about the issue of entitlements, to get this problem of rising debt under control. This could be a good start.

HICKENLOOPER: [Our bipartisan model could apply to] almost anything. Look at the need to reinvent the way we do work force training: 2/3 of our kids are never going to get a 4-year college degree, and we really haven't been able to prepare them for an economy where the new generation of jobs require some technical capability. We need to look at apprenticeships. We need to look at all kinds of internships. That's the kind of thing that Republicans and Democrats could work on together. And go down the list, all the economic development work. Those are issues where we should be able to roll up our sleeves say, "we may disagree about this, but we all agree that we want to make sure that everybody has a chance to earn their own future."

Source: CBS Face the Nation 2017 interviews of 2020 hopefuls , Aug 6, 2017

Earn-and-learn programs to reduce attainment gap

We're working so aggressively, on all sides of the Golden Triangle, to close the Attainment Gap. Our Business and Experiential Learning Commission is building on our concurrent enrollment programs and developing a new model for college and career readiness. It gives students the opportunity to earn college credit, and get professional experience, while simultaneously achieving their high school diplomas.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Colorado legislature , Jan 14, 2016

Some standardized testing is necessary

Last session, you came together and passed bipartisan legislation to reduce testing by 30 hours, so we can accurately measure our kids' progress toward meeting standards without overwhelming them or their teachers. But there are pivotal moments in our kids' academic careers when we need to know exactly where they stand on the learning curve, so we can adjust course if needed before it's too late. That's why we're standing firm on 9th grade assessments.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Colorado legislature , Jan 14, 2016

Federal funds will ensure excellence in Education in CO

Gov. Hickenlooper applauded the U.S. Department of Education's announcement that Colorado is eligible to apply for Race to the Top funds. We have every intention of pursuing this opportunity to fund excellence in our schools. In the face of increasing global competition, educating our kids is the key to economic success. Colorado will build on our previous Race to the Top applications, forge ahead with the reform efforts we already have underway and hopefully secure this federal funding.
Source: 2011 gubernatorial press release #1251593245085 , May 25, 2011

Support great teachers in a 21st Century education system

Education needs to be about what is best for our kids and that means raising the level of their achievement in knowledge and skills necessary to be successful adults. We must continue our investment in building a 21st Century education system in Colorado Without a strong education system, job creation & economic development cannot be sustained. Making Colorado synonymous with innovation has to include supporting great teachers, and engaging parents & local communities as partners to improve our schools.
Source: 2010 Gubernatorial campaign site hickenlooperforcolorado.com , Nov 2, 2010

Anti-transgender bathrooms, according to CC survey.

Hickenlooper supports the Christian Coalition survey question on transgender bathrooms

The Christian Coalition inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Prohibiting Public Schools from Allowing Boys to Use Girls' Bathrooms; and Vice Versa?' Self-description by Christian Coalition of America: "These guides help give voters a clear understanding of where candidates stand on important pro-family issues" for all Senate and Presidential candidates.

Source: CC Survey 20CC-3 on Sep 10, 2020

Other candidates on Education: John Hickenlooper on other issues:
CO Gubernatorial:
Bob Beauprez
Cary Kennedy
Cynthia Coffman
Donna Lynne
Doug Robinson
Ed Perlmutter
George Brauchler
Greg Lopez
Heidi Ganahl
Jared Polis
Matthew Hess
Michael Bennet
Mike Johnston
Steve Barlock
Tom Tancredo
Victor Mitchell
Walker Stapleton
CO Senatorial:
Alice Madden
Andrew Romanoff
Angela Williams
Cory Gardner
Dan Baer
Darryl Glenn
Ellen Burnes
John Walsh
Jon Keyser
Michael Bennet
Mike Johnston
Peg Littleton
Ryan Frazier
Tim Neville

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Page last updated: Dec 25, 2021