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Tammy Baldwin on Education

Democratic Representative (WI-2)

 


Urges funding to help at-risk students' access to education

Senator Baldwin joined 40 senators in pressing congressional leadership to include in the upcoming coronavirus relief package significant funding for the Federal TRIO Programs, which are integral to supporting vulnerable students. The letter comes as the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis continues to exacerbate inequities in education. "Low-income students, students with disabilities, first-generation students, youth who are homeless, have limited English proficiency, and who are in foster care, students in rural communities, and military veterans face greater obstacles to their learning experiences and are often encountering a more substantial impact from COVID-19 . These students are at risk of permanently losing a chance to pursue higher levels of education. A significant increase in overall program capacity would allow significantly more vulnerable students to receive support that is critical to their success and to the economy's revival."
Source: 2022 Wisconsin Senate campaign website baldwin.senate.gov , May 20, 2020

Opposes giving taxpayer dollars to private schools

Q: Provide vouchers to parents to send their children to private schools with public money?

Tammy Baldwin (D): No. Opposes "giving taxpayer dollars to private schools."

Leah Vukmir (R): Yes. "I want schools competing for enrollment."

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Wisconsin Senate race , Oct 9, 2018

Refinance student loans at lower rates

Q: Refinance student loans at lower rates, paid for by increasing taxes on high earners?

Tammy Baldwin (D): Yes. Voted for 2017 bill to do this. Also expand Pell grants.

Leah Vukmir (R): No. "We have to get the federal government out of the business of loans."

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Wisconsin Senate race , Oct 9, 2018

Reduce class size to 18 children in grades 1 to 3.

Baldwin co-sponsored an amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act:

    Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to:

  1. recruit, train, and hire 100,000 additional teachers over a seven-year period ;

  2. reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and

  3. improve teaching in the early grades so that all students can learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade.
Source: House Resolution Sponsorship 01-HR1036 on Mar 14, 2001

Rated 92% by the NEA, indicating pro-public education votes.

Baldwin scores 92% by the NEA on public education issues

The National Education Association has a long, proud history as the nation`s leading organization committed to advancing the cause of public education. Founded in 1857 `to elevate the character and advance the interests of the profession of teaching and to promote the cause of popular education in the United States,` the NEA has remained constant in its commitment to its original mission as evidenced by the current mission statement:

To fulfill the promise of a democratic society, the National Education Association shall promote the cause of quality public education and advance the profession of education; expand the rights and further the interest of educational employees; and advocate human, civil, and economic rights for all.
In pursuing its mission, the NEA has determined that it will focus the energy and resources of its 2.7 million members toward the `promotion of public confidence in public education.` The ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.
Source: NEA website 03n-NEA on Dec 31, 2003

Opposes school vouchers.

Baldwin opposes the CC Voters Guide question on 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"

Source: Christian Coalition Voter Guide 12-CC-q7 on Oct 31, 2012

Sponsored extending subsidized federal student loan rates until 2015.

Baldwin co-sponsored Student Loan Affordability Act

Congressional Summary:Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend the 3.4% interest rate on Federal Direct Stafford loans to loans first disbursed to undergraduate students between July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2015. Replaces the [termination date of] 2013 with 2015.

Proponent`s argument for bill:(US PIRG press release): The Student Loan Affordability Act keeps interest rates affordable for students over the next two years. If Congress fails to act by July 1, interest rates on federal Subsidized Stafford Loans will double from 3.4% to 6.8%. That would hike the cost of college by $1,000 per student, per loan, for over 7 million students across the country. The bill pays for extending the current interest rates through 2015 by closing three non-education tax loopholes.

Opponent`s argument against bill:(Rep. Tom Cotton, R-AR): Unfortunately, too many students today struggle for years to repay their loans because Washington politicians dictate student-loan rates and end up hurting students and taxpayers alike. It`s causing tuition costs to skyrocket, leaving students buried in debt, often without jobs, and forced to delay buying a home and starting a family. As students struggle to repay their loans--regardless of the interest rate--taxpayers are on the hook for a $100 billion bailout--a burden hard-working Arkansans shouldn`t have to bear. A better path is to let Arkansas`s hometown banks work with students and families to finance higher education, just as they do with homes, farms, businesses, and other loans. I`m committed to bringing affordable higher education to every Arkansan and ending the federal-government monopoly on the student-lending business.

Source: S.707 / H.R.1433 13-S707 on Apr 11, 2013

Baldwin sponsored 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: America's College Promise Act 15-S1716 on Jul 8, 2015

Recruit women & minorities for STEM teaching.

Baldwin co-sponsored S2710 & HR4803