Tim Kaine on Education

Democratic Senate Challenger; previously Governor

More student loan interest cuts; more tuition assistance

Student loans have quickly become a hot button issue for candidates nationally and here in the Commonwealth. At Saturday's Republican Senate Debate in Roanoke candidates Bob Marshall, E.W. Jackson, and Jamie Radtke all came out forcefully saying the federal government should be out of the student loan business. 10 On Your Side also contacted Democratic senate candidate Tim Kaine, who supports extending interest rate cuts to student loans and increasing tuition assistance at the state level. Source: WSLS-10 Roanaoke on 2012 Virginia Senate debate , May 5, 2012

FactCheck: Cut college funding & led to 30% tuition increase

Allen said: "What Tim Kaine did is he cut higher ed funding, and tuition increased in colleges by over 30% and that, of course, hurt families."

Former Gov. Kaine inherited a $1.45 billion budget for higher education costs when he came into office. In his farewell budget, Kaine recommended $1.37 billion in higher education funding for fiscal 2012. So over the span, Kaine supported a 5.7% cut. It's important to remember that Kaine was battling a severe recession at the end of his term.

Average in-state tuition and instructional fees at Virginia's four-year colleges rose 31.2% during Kaine's 2006-2010 gubernatorial term. At community colleges, those costs increased 24.5%. Tuition also rose nationwide.

We rated a similar Republican claim against Kaine's higher education record Mostly True. We deducted points because the claim places all the blame on Kaine without acknowledging that his funding levels for college won broad bipartisan support.

Source: PolitiFact.com 2012 Senate FactCheck: Virginia debate , Apr 30, 2012

Administration refused to fund NCLB Act

Think about what’s occurring in education. The administration’s No Child Left Behind Act is wreaking havoc on local school districts. Despite the insistence of Democrats in Congress that the program should be funded as promised, the administration has opposed full funding and is refusing to let states try innovative alternatives. Now the Republican leadership in Washington is actually cutting billions of dollars from the student loan programs that serve working families, helping to get their children through college.

There’s a better way. Last year, governors from across the country worked together in a bipartisan fashion to reform the senior year of high school to make it serve our students better. Many states are working to make high-quality pre-kindergarten accessible to every family. Congressional Democrats have a plan to educate 100,000 new engineers, scientists and mathematicians in the next four years. The results: more accredited schools, better student test scores.

Source: Democratic Response to 2006 State of the Union address , Jan 31, 2006

Make education policy by first-hand visits to schools

When I was Mayor of Richmond, I took a vow to visit a school in our city every Tuesday morning. I knew the public schools that my three children attended but I wanted to see the real condition of children’s education throughout the city. On my visits, I learned in a first-hand way the strengths and weaknesses of individual schools, listened to teachers, parents and students, and witnessed how educational policies play out in real life classrooms. Source: 2005 Gubernatorial campaign website kaine2005.org, “Issues” , Nov 8, 2005

Opposes school vouchers.

Kaine opposes the CC Voters Guide question on vouchers

Christian Coalition publishes a number of special voter educational materials including the Christian Coalition Voter Guides, which provide voters with critical information about where candidates stand on important faith and family issues. The Christian Coalition Voters Guide summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Vouchers that allow parents to choose private school for their children"

Source: Christian Coalition Voter Guide 12-CC-q7 on Oct 31, 2012

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Contact info: Campaign website: www.kaineforva.com Email: team@kaineforva.com Mailing Address: PO Box 12307, Richmond, VA 23241 Phone: 804-819-1919

Page last updated: Apr 23, 2013