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Eric Swalwell on Education

Withdrawn Democratic Presidential Challenger; CA Rep

 


Next generation will solve college affordability problem

Mayor Pete BUTTIGIEG: There's something that doesn't get talked about. Yes, it needs to be more affordable to go to college. It also needs to be more affordable to not go to college. You should be able to live well, afford rent, be generous to your church and Little League, whether you went to college or not.

Rep. Eric SWALELL: You can't count on the people who have been in government for the last 30 years, who were around when this problem was created, to be the ones to solve it. It's going to be the next generation, the 40 million of us who can't start a family, can't take a good idea and start a business and can't buy our first home. This is the generation that's going to be able to solve student loan debt. This generation is ready to lead.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (second night in Miami) , Jun 27, 2019

Future Forum: focus on college affordability & student debt

My Capitol Hill internship coincided with the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, cementing my resolve to enter public service and inspiring my first legislative achievement: creating a public-private college scholarship program for students who lost parents in the attacks. After earning a law degree, working as a county prosecutor, and serving on the Dublin City Council, I won my first House term in 2012 by defeating a 40-year incumbent.

In April 2015, I founded Future Forum: a group of young Democratic Members of Congress, now numbering almost 50, focused on issues of key importance to millennials including college affordability and student loan debt; jobs and economic opportunity; home ownership; and climate change. As chairman, I visited almost 50 U.S. cities to listen to thousands of young Americans and bring their ideas back to Washington to guide policy.

Source: 2020 Presidential Campaign website EricSwalwell.com , May 2, 2019

World-class modern schoolhouses, regardless of ZIP Code

Every American child deserves a world-class education in a modern schoolhouse, regardless of wealth or ZIP Code. And we must re-associate college with opportunity instead of crushing debt that leaves many unable to launch businesses, buy homes, or start families. We need no-interest federal student loans, tax-free employer contributions, and debt-free college for public university students who do work-study and commit to bettering their communities after graduation.
Source: 2020 Presidential Campaign website EricSwalwell.com , May 2, 2019

College bargain: no-interest loans & debt-free college

Swalwell would advocate for no-interest federal student loans as well as debt-free college, according to his campaign website. He's introduced a number of bills in Congress on these issues, including several that would enhance student loan forgiveness and deductions.

At a February "Politics and Eggs" breakfast in New Hampshire, Swalwell proposed a "college bargain" system that would allow students to help pay for their schooling through part-time work-study or volunteer jobs.

Source: PBS News Hour on 2020 Democratic primary , Apr 10, 2019

No interest loans & free tuition in exchange for service

Proposes no-interest federal student loans and tax-free employer contributions. He also supports debt-free college for public university students in exchange for a work-study and pledge to better their communities after graduation.
Source: Axios.com "What you need to know about 2020" , Apr 9, 2019

Abolish NCLB and teaching to the test

Abolish President Bush's No Child Left Behind: I will work to repeal President Bush's NCLB Act. In this changing economy, we need flexible standards that reflect regional needs. Not nationalized standards, that would expect the same of Birmingham, Alabama as Hayward, California. NCLB is hand-cuffing our teachers' ability to teach, putting a ceiling on our children's ability to learn, and unfairly labeling too many schools as "failing." The legislation must be reconsidered and rewritten, particularly in the areas of assessment and accountability.

Under the current law, teachers are required to ensure that students pass a test. Scoring poorly on a test does not mean that a student is poorly educated. Further, NCLB, prevents teachers from teaching a developing, high-performing child beyond the rigid, prescribed curriculum, i.e., at some point in an academic year, many high-performing students will hit a ceiling and will be deprived further learning.

Source: 2012 House campaign website, swalwellforcongress.com , Nov 6, 2012

No-strings-attached block grant will kill transparency.

Swalwell voted NAY A-PLUS Amendment To Student Success Act

Heritage Action Summary: An amendment offered by Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) and Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to the Student Success Act (H.R. 5). The amendment, known as A-PLUS (Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success), would give the states the ability to consolidate their federal education funds and use them for any lawful education purpose they deem beneficial.

Heritage Foundation recommendation to vote YES: (7/8/2015): A-PLUS lets states escape No Child Left Behind's prescriptive programmatic requirements. At its core, A-PLUS delivers on the promise of "restoring state and local control over the 10% of education funding financed by the federal government," moving dollars out of the hands of federal bureaucrats and political appointees and into the hands of those closer to the students. Now is the time for Congress to restore federalism in education, empower parents and students instead of bureaucrats and unions, and remove archaic obstacles that have prevented true opportunity for all.

US News and World Report recommendation to vote NO: (4/7/2015): A-PLUS [is intended as] a no-strings-attached block grant. There isn't all that much the federal government can do well in education, but it's because of federally-required transparency that charter schools and voucher schools can demonstrate that they work. For example, New York City's Success Academy scores in the top 1% of all the state's public schools in math and in the top 3% in English. When Success Academy came under fire from teachers' union-backed Mayor Bill de Blasio, it was able to fight back with numbers to prove it. If a strong-union state were to receive a no-strings-attached block grant, transparency would be the first thing to go. A no-strings-attached block grant is an overreaction to federal overreach.

Legislative outcome: Failed House 195 to 235 (no Senate vote)

Source: Supreme Court case 15-H0005 argued on Jul 8, 2015

Oppose private and religious school voucher programs.

Swalwell voted NAY SOAR Act

Heritage Action Summary: The House will vote to reauthorize the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act (H.R. 10). The bill would continue funding through Fiscal Year 2021 and allow eligible students in Washington, D.C. to enroll in a participating private school.Analysis by Heritage Action:

ACLU recommendation to vote NO: (Letter to U.S.House, 3/29/2011): The ACLU urges Congress to oppose the SOAR Act, legislation to restart and expand Washington DC's failed private and religious school voucher pilot program. Originally started as a five-year pilot program in 2004, the DC voucher program is the nation's first and only federally-funded private and religious school voucher program. Under the federal voucher pilot program, funds were provided to schools even though they infuse their curricular materials with specific religious content and even though they are not covered by many of the nation's civil rights statutes that would otherwise protect students against discrimination. Additionally, each of the congressionally-mandated studies to explore the pilot program concluded that the voucher program had no significant effect on the academic achievement.

Cato Institute recommendation to vote YES: (4/28/2016): The Obama administration has repeatedly worked to undermine or eliminate the DC school choice program, even though it has the support of local Democratic politicians such as the DC Mayor and a majority of the DC City Council. Low-income students shouldn't be condemned to low-quality schools just because their parents cannot afford a home in a wealthy neighborhood. The DC program was an important step toward breaking the link between home prices and school quality.

Legislative outcome: Passed by the House 240-191-3; never came to a vote in the Senate.

Source: Supreme Court case 15-H0010 argued on Oct 21, 2015

Make two years of community college free.

Swalwell signed making two years of community college free

Excerpts from press release from Tammy Baldwin, Senate sponsor: The America's College Promise Act makes two years of community college free by:

Community, technical, and tribal colleges enroll 40% of all college students today. Community colleges are uniquely positioned to partner with employers to create tailored training programs to meet economic needs within their communities such as nursing and advanced manufacturing.

Opposing argument: (Cato Institute, "College Courtesy of the Taxpayer? No Thanks," Jan. 9, 2015): One look at either community college outcomes or labor market outlooks reveals free college to be educational folly. Community college completion rates are atrocious: a mere 19.5% of community college students complete their programs. Meanwhile, the for-profit sector has an almost 63% completion rate. And [about 70%] of the new job categories in coming years will require a high school diploma or less.

Opposing argument: (Heritage Foundation, "Free Community College Is a Bad Deal", July 15, 2016): Free college proposals would subject community colleges to the same types of subsidies-induced inflation endemic at four-year institutions. And low-income students already have access to federal Pell Grants, which can cover the bulk of community college tuition. By contrast, a more open market of alternative schooling models, such as online or vocational education programs, could better tailor degrees at a lower cost.

Source: S.1716 & H.R.2962 15-H2962 on Jul 8, 2015

Other candidates on Education: Eric Swalwell on other issues:
2020 Presidential Democratic Primary Candidates:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 GOP and Independent Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (Libertarian-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Howie Hawkins (Green-NY)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich (R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
CEO Howard Schultz (I-WA)
Pres.Donald Trump (R-NY)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)
V.C.Arvin Vohra (Libertarian-MD)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld (L-NY,R-MA)
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External Links about Eric Swalwell:
Wikipedia
Ballotpedia

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
State Rep.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)





Page last updated: Dec 16, 2019