Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

A good education is the key to unlocking our nation's full economic potential and ensuring everyone benefits in our economy. Congresswoman Slaughter believes that we must ensure equal access to quality education for all Americans. She aims to ensure that anyone who wants to attend college has the opportunity.

Congresswoman Slaughter also recognizes that education is a continuous journey and we must adapt our workforce to new technologies. Our nation must provide workers with the skills they need to thrive in today's economy. Congresswoman Slaughter is committed to ensuring all Americans have the tools they need for success.

Priorities

Early Childhood Education: Congresswoman Slaughter knows that if we want our children to succeed, we must invest in them from an early age. In particular, Congresswoman Slaughter believes we need to expand preschool and national school readiness programs. These opportunities are some of the best tools we have to help low-income children, especially children of color, arrive ready for kindergarten and beyond.

Improving Public Schools: Congresswoman Slaughter is committed to working with local students, teachers, families, and administrators to improve our public schools. As part of this effort, Congresswoman Slaughter recognizes that significant changes to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) are needed. We must provide students with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in life.

Reducing the Cost of College: Congresswoman Slaughter is committed to making higher education affordable for all families and individuals. Every American, rich or poor, should have access to a high-quality and affordable education. If America wants to remain competitive in the world, we need more students graduating with a degree, not debt.

Training Local Workers: Congresswoman Slaughter believes that we must continue to partner with growing industries to ensure that a skilled and adequately trained workforce is available. In particular, Congresswoman Slaughter is working to ensure that advanced manufacturing industries in Rochester have access to the skilled labor they need to thrive.

Accomplishments

McKinney-Vento Homeless Housing Assistance Act: In one of her first major actions as a member of Congress, Congresswoman Slaughter helped ensure that the McKinney-Vento Homeless Housing Assistance Act, the first federal law regarding homelessness, did not neglect children. She ensured that homeless children could continue to attend the same schools even if their family moved to a shelter out of the school district. Congresswoman Slaughter's efforts continue to be critical in helping children maintain stability in the midst of challenging times.

Support Head Start Programs: Congresswoman Slaughter has been a steadfast supporter of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. In 2015, she secured a $6.9 million grant allowing Rochester's Action for a Better Community's (ABC) Head Start Program to continue providing quality child care and education to over 1,400 children, infants, and pregnant women. In 2014, Congresswoman Slaughter successfully fought for the restoration of $700,000 to the Head Start program. These funds allowed ABC to continue working with over 210 children and saved 33 jobs. Congresswoman Slaughter continues her long-standing advocacy for funding and expanding the Head Start program.

All Children are Equal (ACE) Act: Congresswoman Slaughter is the lead Democratic sponsor on the bipartisan All Children are Equal (ACE) Act. This legislation would fix a flawed formula used to determine funding for schools serving disadvantaged and low-income students. Under this faulty calculation, money is diverted from higher poverty school districts to more populous school districts, regardless of poverty rates. Her legislation seeks to fix this error so that underfunded school districts receive the money they need to educate their students. The Rochester City School District is one of the most disadvantaged districts under the current formula and would receive more than $10 million in additional funding over three years under the corrected formula.

College Cost Reduction and Access Act: In 2007, Congresswoman Slaughter voted for the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which reduced the fixed rate on Stafford student loans for undergraduate students from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. This change in law helped ease a stress on thousands of students and their families. She has since voted repeatedly to maintain low interest rates on student loans. Congresswoman Slaughter continues to work toward the goal of lessening the burden of federally subsidized student loans and protecting federal funding for Pell Grants.

Continuing Education Grants: In 2014, Congresswoman Slaughter secured a $5.1 million Department of Labor grant for job training programs throughout the Finger Lakes Region. This investment helps ensure that 1,500 local community members, including veterans and the unemployed, get the training and skills necessary to compete and succeed in new high-tech jobs. This funding is only part of the more than $20 million Congresswoman Slaughter has secured for Monroe Community College and RochesterWorks to provide job training since 2012.

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