Mark Begich on Education Democratic Challenger

Local control and accountability of America’s schools

As an Anchorage assemblyman for nearly 10 years and now as mayor, Mark has analyzed and approved more than a dozen school district budgets. The students in Anchorage schools, where more than 90 languages are spoken, continue to outperform the national average of college entrance exams. Sadly, America is no longer the best educated country in the world, with a dangerous “achievement gap” among U.S. students.

Professional development grants for elementary principals.

A bill to provide professional development for elementary school principals in early childhood education and development. Authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to partnerships to:
1. provide high quality professional development to elementary school principals in early childhood education and development;
2. gain a knowledge base and capacity to provide high quality early childhood education; and
3. collaborate with early childhood education providers, services providers, and families in creating a continuum of high quality development and learning for children in the community and school settings.

Directs the Secretary to establish a panel of leading experts in elementary and early childhood education to:
1. identify the best practices in professional development for elementary school principals in early childhood education;
2. review the effective coordination of such training among this Act's grantees; and
3. disseminate the latest research and findings regarding such training.

$25B to renovate or repair elementary schools.

Fix America's Schools Today (FAST) Act of 2011:
• Authorizes $25 billion to carry out this title, which shall be available until Sept. 30, 2012
• Allocates grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities.
• Requires grants be allocated directly to the 100 LEAs with the largest numbers of children aged 5-17 living in poverty, to modernize, renovate, or repair such facilities.
• Requires states to give subgrant priority to projects that comply with certain green building standards.
• Prohibits the use of such grants for new construction or routine maintenance costs.
• Reserves funds for a survey, by the National Center for Education Statistics, of nationwide public school construction, modernization, renovation, and repair needs.
• Allocates grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair existing facilities at community colleges.
• Requires, with certain exceptions, the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded by this Act to be domestic.
• Applies the prevailing wage rate requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to projects assisted pursuant to this Act.