Tim Kaine on Education Democratic Senate Challenger; previously Governor

Allow Pell Grants to cover short-term training

Tim Kaine (D): Voted for 2014 Warren proposal. Also fixed glitch in public service loan forgiveness program. Allow Pell Grants to cover short-term training.

Corey Stewart (R): No public statement found.

Fight efforts to divert public funding to private schools

Tim Kaine (D): No. Will fight efforts to divert public school funding to private schools.

Corey Stewart (R): Yes. Parents need to be in charge & should have as many choices as possible including vouchers.

Supports Common Core and educational standards

He even signed Virginia up as an early supporter of the standards as governor, though that never actually happened after the state collectively decided its standards were better.

Protect LGBT students at schools, including gender identity

Spend on education: key to everything we want to achieve

Individualized learning, not charter schools

More student loan interest cuts; more tuition assistance

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

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.

Invest in education--from preschool to career skills

Increase K-12 school funds despite 3 rounds of budget cuts

However, education is the single largest expenditure in the state budget and we will not be able to continue to leave education untouched in 2010.

I decided that nothing in our schools was as important to the students as their teachers and principals, and so I have made a proposal that protects our core priority--the classroom. My proposal is to reduce funding for administrative and support personnel in schools and central offices by applying a funding cap for these positions. For years we've applied a cap to determine the number of teachers and principals we fund--we should do the same for support staff.

No mid-year tuition increases at state college, despite cuts

I proposed a smaller cut to higher education in the 2009 academic year than to other agencies, and asked our colleges and universities not to make any mid-year increases to tuition.

In 2010, the cuts are deeper, but my budget proposes a lesser cut for community colleges--the most affordable point of entry into Virginia's higher education system. And, I propose $26 million in additional support for need-based financial aid so that middle and lower-income students will not find the doors of educational opportunity shut to them.

We raised teacher pay & required regular teacher evaluations

Together, we raised teacher pay, required regular teacher evaluations and invested in community colleges and higher education research. As a result, national publications and rankings acknowledge that our K/12 and higher education systems are among the best in the nation. In fact, Education Week recently published an extensive survey indicating that children born in Virginia have a better chance for life success than those born in any other state in this nation.

Together, we've helped make health insurance more available to small businesses and expanded children's access to health care services. As a result, more Virginia children are getting the health care they need.

Include private & church schools in kindergarten & pre-K

Studies show that 90% of a child's brain development occurs before the age of five. And that high-quality pre-kindergarten programs can have a dramatic effect on all children's readiness for school and can reduce expensive remedial education and social costs later in life. The gains are most pronounced for at-risk students, but there are clear benefits for all children who get an early start in a high-quality environment.

I have proposed pilot projects to expand the Virginia Preschool Initiative by including high quality private pre-school programs, including church programs, in our efforts to expand early learning.

Administration refused to fund NCLB Act

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.

Expand need-based financial aid & Tuition Assistance Grants

Make education policy by first-hand visits to schools

School vouchers divert resources from our public schools

Opposes school 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"