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Joe Sestak on Education
Democratic Senate Challenger; former Navy Admiral
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Universal pre-K; create "Training for a Lifetime"
Sestak wants to establish universal preschool, protect Common Core, increase broadband Internet connectivity (especially in rural areas), restructure student loans and provide grants for tuition at community colleges and public universities, establish a
national college credit transfer system, and create a "'Training for a Lifetime' program to increase opportunities for job training and continuing education."
Source: Townhall.com on 2020 Democratic primary
, Jul 9, 2019
Universal pre-K; tuition grants; increased job training
Sestak wants to establish universal preschool, protect Common Core, increase broadband Internet connectivity (especially in rural areas), restructure student loans and provide grants for tuition at community colleges and public universities, establish a
national college credit transfer system, and create a "'Training for a Lifetime' program to increase opportunities for job training and continuing education."
Source: Townhall.com, 2019 interview series
, Jul 9, 2019
Subsidize tuition at public community colleges
People are often surprised when I say that "education is our best homeland defense," given my 31-year service in the military, but I firmly believe that education is the bedrock of a successful society. We need a skilled population that can
out-innovate our competitors and create the jobs of the future.Priorities:- Increase access to higher education by providing states with grants to support tuition at community colleges and public universities.
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Reduce costs of higher education by making federal student aid and loans contingent upon each university keeping annual tuition increases at or below inflation.
- Restructure federal student loans so the government no longer makes a profit
off of students attempting to improve themselves.
- Establish a national college credit transfer system.
- Create a "Training for a Lifetime" program to increase opportunities for job training and continuing education.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website JoeSestak.com
, Jun 23, 2019
Support Common Core and expand pre-K
As President, I will work every day to improve our educational and training system and ensure that every American can access the high-quality education and skills they deserve.Priorities:- Expand early childhood education to all 4-year-olds.
- Support state-led efforts like Common Core to create unified benchmarks for success.
- Increase broadband Internet connectivity across the country, especially in underserved rural and urban areas..
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website JoeSestak.com
, Jun 23, 2019
Improve our nation's schools and make college accessible
A member of the House Education and Labor Committee, Joe Sestak believes we must dedicate ourselves to improving our nation's schools and continuing our efforts to make college more affordable and accessible.
Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and our country's security and prosperity requires a competitive workforce that is a major source of innovation in the 21st century.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, www.joesestak.com, "Issues"
, Dec 25, 2009
Invest more in our public schools, and demand more
Not fully funding the No Child Left Behind Act has meant deploying a “bare-bones” instead of high-quality testing approach, offering fewer remedial programs, and so on. We must demand more from our public schools, but must invest more in their outcome
as well. I will work to ensure there is enough funding for key areas that have been shown to have a significant impact, such as: early childhood education, affordable access to college, and attracting and rewarding quality teachers.
Source: 2006 House campaign website, sestakforcongress.com, “Issues”
, Nov 7, 2006
Voted YES on $40B for green public schools.
Congressional Summary:Make grants to states for the modernization, renovation, or repair of public schools, including early learning facilities and charter schools, to make them safe, healthy, high-performing, and technologically up-to-date. Proponent's argument to vote Yes: Rep. BETSY MARKEY (D, CO-4): This legislation will improve the learning environment for our children, reduce energy costs and create new jobs across the country. Green schools not only save school districts money but also teach the importance of sustainable living to children at a young age.
Opponent's argument to vote No:
Rep. GLENN THOMPSON (R, PA-5): We all know our Nation is drowning in a sea of red ink. The bill we're debating today would add an estimated $40 billion in new spending. And despite the majority's hollow promises of fiscal responsibility, there's nothing in the legislation to offset this hefty price tag with spending reductions elsewhere. This is just more of the same borrow and spend, spend and borrow policy that we've seen under this majority and this administration.
Reference: 21st Century Green Schools Act;
Bill H.R.2187
; vote number 2009-H259
on May 14, 2009
Voted YES on additional $10.2B for federal education & HHS projects.
Veto override on the bill, the American Competitiveness Scholarship Act, the omnibus appropriations bill for the Departments of Departments of Education, Health & Human Services, and Labor. Original bill passed & was then vetoed by the President. Proponents support voting YES because:
Rep. OBEY: This bill, more than any other, determines how willing we are to make the investment necessary to assure the future strength of this country and its working families. The President has chosen to cut the investments in this bill by more than $7.5 billion in real terms. This bill rejects most of those cuts.
Opponents recommend voting NO because:
Rep. LEWIS: This bill reflects a fundamental difference in opinion on the level of funding necessary to support the Federal Government's role in education, health and workforce programs. The bill is $10.2 billion over the President's budget request. While many of these programs are popular on both sides of the aisle,
this bill contains what can rightly be considered lower priority & duplicative programs. For example, this legislation continues three different programs that deal with violence prevention. An omnibus bill is absolutely the wrong and fiscally reckless approach to completing this year's work. It would negate any semblance of fiscal discipline demonstrated by this body in recent years.
Veto message from President Bush:
This bill spends too much. It exceeds [by $10.2 billion] the reasonable and responsible levels for discretionary spending that I proposed to balance the budget by 2012. This bill continues to fund 56 programs that I proposed to terminate because they are duplicative, narrowly focused, or not producing results. This bill does not sufficiently fund programs that are delivering positive outcomes. This bill has too many earmarks--more than 2,200 earmarks totaling nearly $1 billion. I urge the Congress to send me a fiscally responsible bill that sets priorities.
Reference: American Competitiveness Scholarship Act;
Bill Veto override on H.R. 3043
; vote number 2007-1122
on Nov 15, 2007
Opposes less federal or more local control of education.
Sestak opposes the F2A survey question on education
Faith2Action.org is "the nation's largest network of pro-family groups." They provide election resources for each state, including Voter Guides and Congressional Scorecards excerpted here.
The Faith2Action survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: 'Less federal and more state / local control of education'
Source: Faith2Action Survey 10-FF-q7 on Sep 19, 2010
Page last updated: Dec 16, 2019