Issue Position: Improving Education

Issue Position

Issue Position: Improving Education

Congressman Hall is working to improve education at all levels by getting schools the resources they need and lowering the cost of college. In 2008 the "No Child Left Behind Act" will be up for reauthorization, and Hall looks forward to the opportunity to improve that law.

* Lowering College Costs- Hall has worked to make college more affordable for many families by supporting the biggest expansion in college aid since the Montgomery GI Bill. The College Cost Reduction Act was signed into law in the last summer and increased college financial aid by $20 billion over the next five years. One provision of this bill would wipe out student loan debt for graduates who enter public service like nursing, first responding, or early childhood education.
* Helping a Local School District - The school district in Highland Falls, home to the US Military Academy at West Point, has a very small tax base because 93 percent of its land is owned by federal or state government. The school district has had chronic budget shortfalls because of difficulties obtaining sufficient money from the federal government. Hall pushed hard, and passed legislative language to provide an additional $1.5 million in federal aid for the Highland Falls schools to close its budget gap for the year.
* Improving Head Start - Hall worked with Congressman Patrick Kennedy to pass an amendment to the Head Start Act to improve children's access to high-quality, inclusive Head Start classrooms.

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