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Gina Raimondo on Education

 

 


Made community college tuition free before most states

We increased the number of high-quality career and technical training programs in our high schools by 60%. Later this year, we'll cut the ribbon on another education center in Woonsocket--replicating the successful model that has already provided skills for new jobs to over 3,000 students. We took bold steps to make community college tuition-free for every high school graduate. At the time we did that, few states had taken this path. Now our country looks to us as a model.
Source: 2021 State of the State Address to Rhode Island legislature , Feb 3, 2021

Additional $30 million to support schools statewide

Schools in every community have to do better, so I am announcing an additional $30 million to support students and teachers in every community. In every district across the state, we'll invest in high-quality curricula and ensure more students have access to advanced classes in high school. We'll invest to support multilingual learners for whom the playing field is still devastatingly unequal. We'll increase the number of mental health professionals in our schools.

A very bright spot in our education system is our public PreK. Rhode Island is a nationally recognized leader. The problem is, for too many people, it's unaffordable.

So let's invest in what we know works. Kids shouldn't have to be lucky or rich to get a strong start. Tonight, I'm proposing a more than 50% increase in the number of high-quality public PreK classrooms throughout the state. That's taking a big step forward toward our goal of Universal PreK for every 4-year-old in Rhode Island.

Source: 2020 Rhode Island State of the State address , Jan 14, 2020

Make scholarships for community college permanent

A few years ago, we tried something new to help more young people get a college degree and training for a good job. We enabled high school graduates to enroll at CCRI tuition-free.

Today, the Promise Scholarship is a proven success. CCRI's graduation rate has tripled. That scholarship is set to expire. Let's make the Promise Scholarship permanent and cement affordable higher education and job training into the very foundation of our economy.

Source: 2020 Rhode Island State of the State address , Jan 14, 2020

Replace freeze with major investment repairing schools

One of the first things I did as Governor was to end the previous administrations' freeze on school construction. Let's make a once-in-a-generation investment in our schools. Let's commit to investing $1 billion over the next five years to fix &cour public schools. We have a detailed plan that outlines how we can invest more and do it smarter so that we protect taxpayers at the same time. Every year we wait, we waste millions of dollars putting band aids on our crumbling schools.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to Rhode Island legislature , Jan 15, 2019

More pre-K classrooms; free community college

We've made record investments in education, and we're committed to ensuring that everyone has a shot to continue their education past high school: Today, there are three times as many public pre-K classrooms as there were four years ago. We've guaranteed all-day kindergarten for every child in Rhode Island. And more than 1,500 Rhode Islanders are getting a shot at a career because we made community college tuition-free. But there's so much left to do. So let's keep going.
Source: 2018 Rhode Island State of the State address , Jan 16, 2018

Major investment to repair crumbling schools

Let's make a once-in-a-generation investment in our schools. Together with our cities and towns, let's commit to investing $1 billion over the next five years to fix our public schools. Don't let anyone tell you we can't afford to do this. We can. We have a detailed plan that outlines how we can invest more and do it smarter so that we protect taxpayers at the same time. Every year we wait, we waste millions of dollars putting band aids on our crumbling schools. So let's act now.
Source: 2018 Rhode Island State of the State address , Jan 16, 2018

PrepareRI Dual Enrollment: free tuition for high schoolers

When I was my kids' age, most jobs in Rhode Island required nothing more than a high school degree. But, for my kids and yours, that's not the case anymore. The reality is that most jobs being created now in Rhode Island will require some degree or certificate beyond a high school diploma.

I set a goal to ensure that by 2025, at least 70% of Rhode Island adults have some degree or credential beyond high school. To achieve that goal, we've taken strides to make college more accessible and more affordable. We now offer the PSAT and SAT, free of charge, in every public high school. We provide student loan relief for recent graduates who live and work in RI.

PrepareRI Dual Enrollment: Last year, nearly 4,000 students were able to take college courses for free. These students earn college credits while they're still in high school, and some are able to get a full semester of college under their belt before they graduate high school. The budget I will propose expands funding for this program.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Rhode Island Legislature , Jan 17, 2017

All-day kindergarten for all; computers in every school

Our schools are getting stronger. To set all of our students out on the right path, we've made important investments in their success. We came together two years ago to guarantee that every child is able to attend all-day kindergarten. And we've made new investments to triple the number of public Pre-K classes.

By the end of this year, Rhode Island is going to be the first state to offer computer science classes in every public school around the state.

Source: 2017 State of the State address to Rhode Island Legislature , Jan 17, 2017

Treat teachers as professionals; rebuild school classrooms

A quality K-12 education system is the bedrock of Rhode Island's future economic success. We need quality, flourishing schools that teach our students the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century. No one knows how to teach these skills to our children better than our state's hard-working teachers. But right now, we spend too little time listening to our teachers, and we fail to give them the resources they need to do their jobs.
Source: 2014 R.I. Gubernatorial campaign website, GinaRaimondo.com , Nov 4, 2014

Other governors on Education: Gina Raimondo on other issues:
RI Gubernatorial:
Allan Fung
Dan McKee
Donald Carcieri
Lincoln Chafee
Matt Brown
Patricia Morgan
RI Senatorial:
Allen Waters
Bob Flanders
Bobby Nardolillo
Jack Reed
Sheldon Whitehouse
Gubernatorial Debates 2021:
NJ: Incumbent Phil Murphy(D)
vs.State Rep. Jack Ciattarelli(R)
vs.Candidate Hirsh Singh(R)
vs.GOP Hair Doug Steinhardt(R)
VA: Incumbent Ralph Northam(D,term-limited)
vs.A.G. Mark Herring(D)
vs.State Sen. Amanda Chase(R)
vs.Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax(D)
vs.State Rep. Jennifer Carroll Foy(D)
vs.State Rep. Lee Carter(D)
vs.Former Governor Terry McAuliffe(D)
vs.State Sen. Jennifer McClellan(D)
vs.State Rep. Kirk Cox(R)

Gubernatorial Debates 2022:
AK: Incumbent Mike Dunleavy(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
AL: Incumbent Kay Ivey(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
AR: Incumbent Asa Hutchinson(R,term-limited)
vs.Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin(R)
vs.Trump Adviser Sarah Huckabee Sanders(R)
vs.A.G. Leslie Rutledge(R)
AZ: Incumbent Doug Ducey(R,term-limited)
(no prospective opponents yet)
CA: Incumbent Gavin Newsom(D)
vs.S.D.Mayor Kevin_Faulconer(R)
vs.Former Gov. nominee John Cox(R)
CO: Incumbent Jared Polis(D)
vs.Mayor Greg Lopez(R)
CT: Incumbent Ned Lamont(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
FL: Incumbent Ron DeSantis(R)
vs.U.S.Rep. Val Demings(? D)
vs.Former Gov.Charlie Crist(? D)
GA: Incumbent Brian Kemp(R)
vs.Minority Leader Stacey Abrams(D)
vs.Senate candidate Shane Hazel(L)
HI: Incumbent David Ige(D,term-limited)
vs.State Rep. Andria Tupola(R)
IA: Incumbent Kim Reynolds(R)
vs.U.S.Rep. Cindy Axne(? R)
ID: Incumbent Brad Little(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
IL: Incumbent J. B. Pritzker(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
KS: Incumbent Laura Kelly(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
MA: Incumbent Charlie Baker(R)
vs.Harvard Professor Danielle Allen(D)
vs.State Sen.Ben Downing(D)
MD: Incumbent Larry Hogan(R,term-limited)
vs.State Rep. Robin Ficker(R)
vs.State Rep. Peter Franchot(D)
vs.DNC chair Thomas Perez(D)
vs.RNC chair Michael Steele(? R)
Gubernatorial Debates 2022 (continued):
ME: Incumbent Janet Mills(D)
vs.Former Gov. Paul LePage(R)
MI: Incumbent Gretchen Whitmer(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
MN: Incumbent Tim Walz(DFL)
vs.Mayor Mike Murphy(R)
NE: Incumbent Pete Ricketts(R,term-limited)
vs.U.S.Senator Bob Krist(R)
NH: Incumbent Chris Sununu(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
NM: Incumbent Michelle Lujan Grisham(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
NV: Incumbent Steve Sisolak(D)
vs.A.G.Adam Laxalt(? R)
vs.U.S.Rep. Mark Amodei(? R)
NY: Incumbent Andrew Cuomo(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
OH: Incumbent Mike DeWine(R)
vs.Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley(? D)
OK: Incumbent Kevin Stitt(R)
vs.State Sen. Ervin Yen(R)
OR: Incumbent Kate Brown(D,term-limited)
vs.Gov. nominee Bud Pierce(R)
PA: Incumbent Tom Wolf(D,term-limited)
vs.U.S.Rep. Lou Barletta(? R)
RI: Incumbent Gina Raimondo(D,term-limited)
vs.Lt.Gov. Dan McKee(D)
vs.Secy.Matt Brown(? D)
SC: Incumbent Henry McMaster(R)
vs.State Rep. James Emerson Smith(? D)
vs.U.S.Rep. Joe Cunningham(? R)
SD: Incumbent Kristi Noem(R)
vs.State Rep. Billie Sutton(? D)
TN: Incumbent Bill Lee(R)
vs.Senate nominee Marquita Bradshaw(? D)
TX: Incumbent Greg Abbott(R)
vs.U.S.Rep. Allen West(? R)
VT: Incumbent Phil Scott(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
WI: Incumbent Tony Evers(D)
(no prospective opponents yet)
WY: Incumbent Mark Gordon(R)
vs.Minority Leader Chris Rothfuss(D)

Gubernatorial Debates 2023:
KY: Incumbent Andy Beshear(D)
vs.Former Gov. Matt Bevin(? R)
Senator Rand Paul(? R)
LA: Incumbent John Bel Edwards(D,term-limited)
vs.Biden Adviser Cedric Richmond(? D)
vs.Senator John Neely Kennedy(? R)
MS: Incumbent Tate Reeves(R)
(no prospective opponents yet)
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Page last updated: Feb 28, 2021