| Eric's Position on Education |
My wife, Beverly, and I are parents of two teenagers in high school, and like all parents, we want the best possible education for our children. All our children deserve a quality education that will allow them to reach their highest potential. However, far too many of them are not getting that chance today. Our most at-risk students are trapped in failing, impoverished schools, those who make it to college graduate under a mountain of debt, and for those in the lowest incomes, the staggering cost can put a college education out of reach.
Education is the cornerstone of our culture and our economy, and the key to unlocking our potential as a region. America has made a long-standing promise to educate every child. We have an obligation to honor that promise and give every child the opportunity to reach his or her fullest potential. The current administration is failing to keep that promise. Education is also a jobs issue. When Toyota decided in June 2005 to locate a new auto assembly plant (and 1,300 new jobs) in Ontario, Canada, over several southern states that had offered multi-million-dollar incentive packages, one of the big reasons cited was the education level of the Canadian workforce.
My education platform, in a nutshell:
- Fully fund and fix "No Child Left Behind"
- Implement proven programs like "Success for All"
- No taxpayer money to private schools via voucher programs
- Raise the Pell Grant to at least $5,100
Talk is cheap. Broken promises are expensive.
Bush's promise: In his 2005 State of the Union address, President Bush promised to increase the size of Pell Grants.
The reality: The maximum Pell Grant has not changed in the past 4 years, and the program is currently under-funded by $6.6 billion.
Here's an example of the high price of rubber-stamping the Bush Administration agenda. On December 14, 2005, Randy Kuhl voted YES on HR 3010, and cut federal aid to education for the first time in 10 years. We can do better than that.
Primary and Secondary: When the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was introduced in 2001, it promised accountability for results, and more choices for parents. Today, President Bush's 2006-07 budget will under-fund his own NCLB program by $13 billion. Clearly children are being left behind -- particularly in school districts with the highest concentrations of poverty. We must recognize and address the flaws and shortfalls in the existing NCLB law. There is too much at stake to do anything less.
We must recognize improvements in those schools that face the greatest challenges and that are coming from farthest behind. Goals for such schools should be ambitious but attainable. And we need to reduce excessive testing. Too many schools focus mainly on "teaching to the test," when children need to learn how to think, how to reason, not just how to take tests. And we need to put taxpayer money into proven programs, such as the "Success for All" program, rather than into private schools through expensive voucher programs.
Higher Education: The 29th district has some of the finest colleges and universities in the nation, but skyrocketing tuition and the lack of financial aid combine to put a college education out of reach for far too many of our young people. Many of those who do graduate come out shouldering a mountain of debt. 4.5 million students depend on Pell Grants, over 70% from families making $20,000 a year or
less. In 1976, the maximum Pell Grant covered 84% of the average public university tuition; today it covers only 39%.
While education is largely a state and local function, Congress has a duty to ensure that laws and funding are in place, and to keep our promise of a quality education to our children. |
| News |
Eric Massa's plan for Creating 21st Century Jobs for our Families' FutureJuly 17
"I believe that each and every individual in this great Nation deserves access to the best and most affordable college or vocational education available. A good education should not be luxury; it should be a right and an opportunity afforded to all. By creating and maintaining an educated workforce, we will attract good paying jobs with solid benefits to Western New York and ensure that America is always on the cutting edge."
Massa announces support for Senator Webb's updated Montgomery G.I. Bill, and demands mandatory full funding for V.A. - In planned D.C. meeting, Eric Massa will stand with Operation Firing for Effect.April 14
CORNING, NY - Earlier today, 24 year retired Navy Commander Eric Massa announced his full support for Senator Jim Webb's updated version of the Montgomery G.I. Bill. Massa also announced that he will be standing with Veterans advocacy group Operation Firing for Effect (OFFE) in Washington on Tuesday. Massa and the leaders of OFFE will be meeting with Congressional and Senatorial leaders to discuss how we can institute mandatory full funding for the V.A. system. This meeting will occur on Tuesday, April 15th at 1pm at the Cannon Office Building # 334 in Washington, D.C.
"As a Veteran, I know how important the Webb bill and mandatory full funding for the V.A. are, and that is why I am standing with our Veterans," said retired Navy Commander and Congressional candidate Eric Massa. "Right now we are seeing the highest level of returning Veterans since the Vietnam era, and we as a Nation must fulfill our end of the deal. We must help Veterans gain a higher education and institute mandatory full funding for our Veterans services at the V.A. We can accept nothing less."
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