Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

"Supporting and Strengthening Education"

As a lifelong educator, David Price knows that a good education opens the door to opportunity. From Head Start to graduate research, he is committed to fighting for quality education. North Carolina needs to hire more than 80,000 new teachers in the next 10 years, and David has a plan to recruit and train the best and brightest high school and community college students to help fill the gap. He is also working to strengthen community colleges and make higher education more affordable for every student with the desire and qualifications to attend. And he's fighting for fair and effective administration of the No Child Left Behind law together with the resources to make it work.

THE PRICE RECORD:

Earning an "A" on the NEA Report Card

For his consistent advocacy of sound education policies, David has earned the highest possible mark from the National Education Association Report Card, released late last year.

Making Higher Education Affordable

Knowing that everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue higher education, David wrote and passed the Price Education Affordability Act. This law makes the interest on student loans tax deductible and allows penalty-free withdrawals from Individual Retirement Accounts to pay for higher education. Last year David helped pass a law that cut interest rates in half for need-based student loans and greatly increased the value of Pell Grants. He has been a leading supporter of the TRIO Programs, which help students overcome socioeconomic, academic and cultural barriers to higher education.

Recruiting and Training Teachers

North Carolina is home to an exemplary initiative called the Teaching Fellows Program, which encourages our best and brightest students to enter and remain in the field of teaching by offering them scholarships as well as professional development and mentoring assistance. David is seeking to expand this successful program across the nation. The major provisions of his Teaching Fellows legislation were enacted as part of legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.

Keeping Teachers Teaching

David has introduced legislation to address one of the biggest challenges facing school districts throughout the country - the retention of qualified public school teachers. His Keep Teachers Teaching Act would provide federal grants directly to states or school districts to develop innovative teacher retention programs. His bill has been incorporated into draft legislation to reauthorize and reform the No Child Left Behind Act.

Making Sure Schools Aren't "Left Behind" David is deeply concerned about the underfunding of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. He has been in close contact with parents, educators, and school administrator, all of whom are worried that their schools will be unfairly penalized under the new law. That's why he's pushing to increase funding for the program, which the Bush Administration has severely shortchanged since it first began. David believes if the federal government is going to demand more accountability and higher performance from schools, Congress and the President should be willing to provide the funds to help local school districts achieve these goals. He also believes the program should be administered in a way that provides effective diagnoses and improvement, rather than simplistic pronouncements of "failure."

Building New Schools

David has cosponsored America's Better Classroom Act in order to facilitate s school construction and modernization in high-growth areas like the Triangle. This legislation would help local school districts build more schools with tax-advantaged bonds and thereby relieve pressure on local property taxes.

Strengthening Community Colleges

David has always been a staunch advocate for our nation's community colleges. In 1992, he authored legislation establishing the highly successful Advanced Technology Education (ATE) program, which provides National Science Foundation funding to help community colleges develop improved curricula and teaching methods. In 2002, the House passed his SUCCEED Act to strengthen the ATE program and to help students prepare for jobs in specialized, high-tech fields. David also secured funding to expand the North Carolina Information Highway (NCIH) for rural community college campuses. In addition, his Teaching Fellows legislation will facilitate the transition to full certification of community college students now training to be teachers' aides.

Supporting Our Teachers

Growing up as the son of teachers, David knows firsthand the sacrifices educators make for students. Many educators pay for books and supplies out of their own pockets to be sure their classes have what they need to learn. David supports the Teacher Tax Relief Act, which makes permanent a $400 tax deduction for teachers to cover their classroom supplies and professional development expenses. He also supports legislation that would provide tax incentives for teachers to serve in needy school districts.

Ensuring Education for All Students

David is a staunch supporter of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Yet he is concerned that the federal government has failed to honor its decades-old promise to fund 40 percent of the costs of educating students with disabilities. To cover this federal shortfall, school districts have been forced to redirect more and more money from their general education budgets. David has strongly opposed the President's budget policies that have exacerbated this shortfall. As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, he is fighting to give our schools and students the support they need to succeed.

Giving Kids a Head Start

David supports funding to ensure that Head Start is available to all eligible children. Last year he supported a reauthorization of the program, which will improve teacher and classroom quality, strengthen the focus on school readiness, and ensure access to Head Start for more children. He also introduced the Ready to Learn Act to enhance the educational quality of children's television.

Building Character Education

The core values of respect, honesty, and decency are basic building blocks of education -- as critical as the ABCs. David has supported legislation to help schools initiate character development programs.

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