Issue Position: Education Standing Up for Alaska's Children

Issue Position

As a former teacher, I am committed to providing our Nation's children with the best possible education. Without a solid foundation, our children cannot and will not succeed. I believe in the basic goals of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), but I also know that educating our children cannot be achieved with a "one-size-fits-all" law. Twice the size of Texas, but with only 35% of the population, Alaska faces unique obstacles as it attempts to educate its students.

I am a parent and grandparent and I want to make sure that my family and yours have access to the best educational services possible. Sometimes this means more money for teachers or access to support services or even making sure our children have a safe and healthy environment to go to each day. I have and will continue to make sure that Alaskan children are not left behind - that our children grow up to become this country's next great generation and most importantly, decent hardworking adults.

I believe in producing results instead of promises. Here are just a few of the things which I have been working on as your Representative in Congress.

Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
The current ESEA law, known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), has expired, so it is time for Congress to reauthorize the legislation. On March 17, 2010, President Obama released A Blueprint for Reform, in which he released his ideas for the reauthorization of the ESEA. While many of the ideas in the Blueprint are good, there are some areas that are not good for Alaska.

In response to criticism I heard from the State, school board members, administrators, teachers, parents and students, I introduced legislation to make some necessary changes to NCLB. H.R. 4837, the No Child Left Behind Improvements Act of 2009 which will improve accountability for the academic performance of children enrolled in our public schools. This bill builds on the major reforms of the existing law and offers improvements that address many of the unintended consequences of the federal legislation while holding states and school districts accountable. Now is the time to address the law's shortcomings and pass meaningful reform legislation. My bill calls for continued testing of students, but includes increased flexibility for local school districts to best decide how to test and monitor student progress. States and local school districts will be able to decide for themselves how to better spend their precious education dollars and get the most out of their investment.

Public-Private Vocational Partnership Act
Vocational education is an extremely important component of secondary education for millions of students, particularly in Alaska. Even during difficult economic times, certain sectors of industry are still having a hard time finding properly trained workers to fill open positions. Over five million students enroll in a vocational education program each year, and yet vocational training often does not receive the funding or attention it needs. I introduced H.R. 4258, the Public-Private Vocational Partnership Act, to provide incentives to businesses and engages them in the learning process to ensure skilled workers and success in the workplace.

H.R. 4258 creates a tax credit for businesses that either donate equipment to or host an internship for students enrolled in a program at a community college, secondary school, or vocational school. The tax credit cannot exceed $50,000 for property donations and $100 per month for the duration of employment for an intern, and any property donated must fit productively into the recipient's education program. Qualified interns must be full-time students who are employed for 20 hours per week or less by the business as part of a vocational education course approved by the school or college.
Bills Cosponsored
H.R. 1240 - Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act
This bill would accomplish this by improving professional development programs for pertinent teachers, offered through higher education institutions.

H.R. 1324 - Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act
This bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish science-based nutrition standards for foods served in schools other than foods served under the school lunch or breakfast programs.

H.R. 2262 -- Safe Schools Improvement Act
This bill would require states to use Safe and Drug-Free Schools grants to collect and report information on the incidence of bullying and harassment and local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools to use grants to prevent and respond to incidents of bullying and harassment.

H.R. 2280 - Fair Funding for Schools Act
This bill would alter the Impact Aid formula to include not only children in average daily attendance, but also those enrolled pursuant to a state open enrollment policy.

H.R. 3758 - Teacher Tax Relief Act
This bill would increase the tax deduction for educators from $250 to $500 and would make it permanent.

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