Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Education

Today we live in a truly global society where the United States is competing with the rest of the world. The key to coming out on top is building a foundation through the education of our young people. It starts with investing in early education and our elementary schools and continues through college and other forms of secondary education. Our schools must have the resources to provide our children with a high-quality education and college must be more affordable for all families, not just a privileged few.
Unfortunately in Michigan, that has not been the case in recent years. As a longtime member of the House Appropriations Committee, I fought tooth and nail against the seemingly non-stop slashing of school funding that has put our children's future at risk. This is unacceptable. I will always fight for our families and make sure that our schools in Wayne County get the resources they need to give our kids a world-class education. We must also ensure that more students can receive the scholarships and financial aid they need to attend Michigan's colleges, universities, community colleges and skilled trade programs to complete their education and prepare themselves to compete in today's economy.

Parents Decide

As a proud product of Detroit Public Schools, I remain a strong supporter of public education. We must make sure that our public schools can give our students - our next generation of leaders - a first-rate education that will allow them to move our country forward. While we must continue working to turn around low-performing schools, I stand with President Obama in believing that parents should be able to send their child to the public school that best meets their child's needs, no matter where it is located.

Growing up, I witnessed my mother fight for over a year to place my brother in a different school just a mile from our house because she believed it would give him the best opportunity to succeed. No parent should face similar roadblocks preventing them from giving their child the best education. Working-class families deserve the same opportunities as wealthy families in deciding which schools are best for their kids. All of our children deserve the chance to thrive. We must provide our students with more options for quality public education and make it easier for parents to place their child in the opportunity that is right for them.

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