Issue Position: Invest in Education, STEM, College Affordability

Issue Position

Our District has the best K-12 schools in the country but we can't afford to take our eye off the ball. We must aggressively push forward and ensure that our children are given every opportunity to succeed in the global, digital economy. At Microsoft, I saw first-hand how few engineers and computer programmers our country produces; we simply aren't graduating enough of them. And, given our immigration policies, many of the engineers who graduate from our colleges can't stay here. The result is a huge skills gap -- one I'm fighting hard to close.

I support integrating education technology in the classroom and programs that greatly emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM), skills that are increasingly necessary for children who will enter the workforce in the coming decades. I am also exploring ways to help our local business community partner with our schools so that students get the training they need to build successful careers.

Providing our children with a STEAM education will make our District an attractive location for companies from the technology industry and position our children to compete for the high paying jobs of the future. Meanwhile, what we do now to help our technology industry grow is of critical importance when it comes to Northern New Jersey's economic future. In fact, studies have shown that over time each high-tech job creates about five jobs outside of tech (two professional and three nonprofessional). In Congress, I supported the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, to boost the efficiency of the training programs that we already have on the books so they actually achieve their job training goals. I am working to claw back those resources to help in our District and state.

Beyond job training, we also must take steps to make college more affordable. The costs of college tuition have skyrocketed 80 percent in the last decade. Seven in ten college graduates have an average debt of more than $35,000, and only 59 percent of students seeking a bachelor's degree actually finish. We need to incentivize college completion, for both students and colleges, better match college training with employer needs, and address the runaway costs.

Source