Issue Position: Providing a Great Education for Every Child

Issue Position

"You have a mayor who is actively engaged. A lot of mayors run from education because it's difficult and challenging. He's running to it."
- Arne Duncan, President Obama's Secretary of Education, August 5, 2012

As mayor of Newark, I don't have statutory control over Newark's schools -- they were taken over by the State more than a decade before I took office because of mismanagement and poor performance. But I didn't let that stop me.

Why? Because I knew that improving public education meant not only improving the chances for success for individual children but also the long-term prospects for our city. Being home to highly educated and highly skilled workers is the only way cities will be able to guarantee that they can attract the best companies and the best jobs.

As your Senator, these will be some of my priorities to help provide a world-class education to our young people:

Improving K-12 Public Education

I believe that access to a high quality public education is a fundamental American right and that fully realizing the genius of our children is vital to the health of our economy and a strong and secure future for our country. Knowing this, I pulled together stakeholders from across our city and nation to develop strategies and take action for our kids. I then went out and raised over 200 million dollars to launch initiatives that would help our public schools meet their enormous obligations. While there is much work left to do, and we must not rest until every child has the opportunity to manifest his or her genius, we have a lot to be proud of in Newark, including:

*More kids in preschool: 61 percent more 3 and 4 year olds enrolled in public preschool;
*Tackling illiteracy: Raised philanthropy to provide 120,000 books for nearly 12,000 low-income students at 20 Newark public schools to help build home libraries;
*Options: Attracted new public school models, leading to families having more quality public education choices;
*Healthier families: By this fall Newark will have doubled the number of schools served by school-based health centers, which serve students and their families with medical, dental and behavioral health care.
*Places to play: Expanded acres of school athletic fields and playgrounds;
*Empowering teachers: Establishment of a "Teacher Innovation Fund" that pays for ideas teachers have to improve student outcomes;
*Rewarding good teachers: Facilitated a groundbreaking teacher's union contract that made the district the first in New Jersey to offer performance bonuses to effective teachers, and holding accountable ineffective teachers who are failing our kids.

As Mayor I didn't have "control" of my schools. But the stakes were too high for our kids for me to accept the world as it was and sit on my hands. As your United States Senator, I will continue to do all I can to promote progress, empower our kids, support our public school teachers, and stand shoulder to shoulder with those seeking to improve the quality of education in every corner of New Jersey.

Making Higher Education More Affordable

We must do more to make college more affordable for anyone who is seeking to advance their education. Ensuring more ready access to college is not only about providing all Americans with an opportunity to succeed based on their merits, but is also an investment in our economy.

That's why, as Mayor, I established a program at Newark's Financial Empowerment Center that reached more than one thousand college-bound Newarkers through financial aid workshops. It has helped Newark students receive approximately $1.3 million in Pell Grant awards.

The very fact that Congress has been paralyzed in the face of student loan rates that are set to double is only the latest piece of evidence that we are not putting education first. The situation is absolutely unacceptable: Tuition rates are climbing and student loan debt has topped over a trillion dollars nationally. More than 100,000 low-income students are denied the ability to go to college every year, and a typical low-income family dedicates the equivalent of more than70 percent of its annual income to send a child to college for a year. Here in New Jersey, as in many states, there has been a massive spike in college enrollment paired with steep cuts in state support, putting tremendous pressure on tuition.

As your Senator, I will support access to the education our kids need to succeed by doing all I can to ensure paying for that education is not a barrier or long-term burden.

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