Issue Position: Educating Northern New York from Cradle to Career

Issue Position

Tedra is committed to increasing funding for education, from preschool to postsecondary, improving equity in education, and resisting all efforts to dismantle public education.

Tedra's Vision

Maintain educational institutions as essential elements of a vibrant, connected community for children, families and local businesses
Guarantee solid educational foundation, so kids are more likely to continue their studies, whether academic or vocational, at the postsecondary level
Make college more affordable
Encourage district children to continue their education at North Country institutions

Fighting for Beneficial Federal Policy

Tedra is particularly concerned with the current federal education agenda, which promotes private education for the elite at the expense of public education for the overwhelming majority of American children. While she supports a family's right to select a private education, she sees the deception behind proposed deep cuts to public education to divert limited resources to the euphemistic "school choice" movement.

Turning vision to action

Advocate for establishing universal, full-day preschool in NY21's schools
Fight for increased federal funding for those programs that improve the health and well-being of our kids
Work to secure federal grants and funding for postsecondary education
Expand tax credits to families with children in college
Cap student loan payments
Lower student loan interest rates

Related policy positions

Opposes charter school initiatives that hire less-qualified applicants for less pay
Would defend essential programs that are at risk of deep cuts in the current budget, such as America's College Promise and the American Technical Training Fund (ATTF)
Would facilitate the connection between educational institutions and entrepreneurship, promoting programs like Clarkson University's Shipley Center for Innovation

Public schools matter

Ensuring that Northern New Yorkers have access to high-caliber schools from cradle to career will lead to a better quality of life, greater employment opportunities, and improved job and population retention across the region.

Why Tedra?

As a parent to one college student and one recent graduate, Tedra is all too familiar with the rising cost of college tuition and the effect it can have on family finances. She fully understands how educational institutions are not only spaces for learning and development but are the heart of the economic, cultural and social life of our towns and villages.

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