Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Providing various paths to higher education

As a former governor, I know that affordable education, whether at a college or vocational school, is one of the keys to prosperity and a better quality of life, especially in a rural state like Maine. A trained, employed work force supports economic growth. Currently, many employers report that they cannot find skilled workers -- this, when over half of recent college graduates are unemployed. We must make sure that our students are receiving the right kind of education. Education that will help them craft careers, and a better quality of life -- whether that is a bachelor's degree or technical training. Additionally, support for students who want to start a business should be a priority area for a variety of entrepreneurship programs.Reforming the student loan industry
I believe that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have come up with realistic solutions to stop student loan interest rates from rising. If the federal government partners with schools to provide student loans, it should be done to benefit students, not to benefit large financial institutions and artificially inflate tuition rates. For example, we might consider tying the interest rate on federal loans to the 10 year T-Note -- this way the government doesn't lose money, but also doesn't make money off of our students. Mainers have the second highest student loan burden in the country -- an average of nearly $30,000. For the first time in history, our college graduates are so burdened with student debt that they may not be able to start innovative businesses, or buy their first homes -- this is slowing our economic recovery. College graduates make up a segment of our population that should be driving our economic recovery, and we must find real solutions to this crisis.

Reforming the student loan industry

I believe that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have come up with realistic solutions to stop student loan interest rates from rising. If the federal government partners with schools to provide student loans, it should be done to benefit students, not to benefit large financial institutions and artificially inflate tuition rates. For example, we might consider tying the interest rate on federal loans to the 10 year T-Note -- this way the government doesn't lose money, but also doesn't make money off of our students. Mainers have the second highest student loan burden in the country -- an average of nearly $30,000. For the first time in history, our college graduates are so burdened with student debt that they may not be able to start innovative businesses, or buy their first homes -- this is slowing our economic recovery. College graduates make up a segment of our population that should be driving our economic recovery, and we must find real solutions to this crisis.

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