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Tom Steyer on Education
Democratic Presidential Challenger; CEO
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Hold charter schools to same standards as public schools
Q: I understand that you want charter schools to meet the same performance standards as traditional public schools?STEYER: Actually, I'm not a supporter of charter schools. What I'm a supporter of is making the public school system work and
supporting teachers in that public school system so they can be as effective as possible. And I would put much more money into it, both in terms of paying teachers, but also in terms of supporting teachers with the kind of services, like librarians and
nurses and mental health support. When I think about what we're trying to do in terms of school, this is the basic investment in ourselves and in our future prosperity. Look at any successful country in this world, they spend [on] making sure that the
kids can succeed. We spend ten times more in our budget on defense than we do on education, $70 billion on education. The defense number is over $700 billion. That is a dramatic misplacement of values in our society.
Source: CNN N. H. Town Hall on eve of N. H. primary
, Feb 5, 2020
Sustained $125B federal investment in HBCUs
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were mostly created after the Civil War to serve the needs of black students who didn't have access or opportunity to attend the nation's universities.
They have served as the backbone of the black middle class for generations of graduating doctors, lawyers, entertainers, engineers, and other black professionals. HBCUs make America better, smarter,
and more successful, and we must do more to protect their ability to educate for generations to come.Without sustained federal investments, we risk losing these institutions that shape so many bright futures. As president, Tom will invest
$125 billion to HBCUs over the next 10 years for infrastructure and technology upgrades, student and faculty support, building endowment capacity, and HBCU Centers of Innovation, among other initiatives.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website TomSteyer.com
, Feb 3, 2020
Redistribute tax dollars so every kid gets a good education
I want to go back to this question about education, because we're talking a lot about college. But if you talk about the Poor People's Campaign, you have to realize that for the youngest kids, they are getting an education that's relative to the taxes
in their neighborhoods. We need to redistribute money so every kid has a chance, so we're not legislating inequality for the next generation, and so we actually invest in every single kid.
Source: 7th Democrat primary debate, on eve of Iowa caucus
, Jan 14, 2020
I will tackle the student debt crisis head on
The student debt crisis has been driven largely by predatory actors in the largely unregulated student loan industry. We must make higher education affordable and available to everyone. I will tackle the student debt crisis head-on by forgiving certain
types of student loan debt, reforming the public service student loan forgiveness program, making the refinancing of student loans easier, cracking down on predatory student loan servicers, and expanding access to educational benefits.
Source: USA Today on 2019 Democratic primary
, Nov 7, 2019
Supports two years free tuition to community colleges
I support providing two-years of free tuition to community colleges.
Every American should have the right to a free, quality, public education from universal pre-kindergarten through higher education, including workforce and technical training.
Source: USA Today on 2019 Democratic primary
, Nov 7, 2019
Page last updated: Feb 25, 2020