A Bold New Direction for Education
Education is the new frontier of the 21st century and is key to opportunity and America's best tool in an increasingly competitive global economy. Only a comprehensive and challenging education can provide the skills needed to think creatively, which is key to American innovation.
Ensuring Early Childhood Development for a Successful Start
Early childhood development is one of the best investments America can make to ensure that children are successful in school and later in life. Studies show that vocabulary, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness, in addition to social and emotional factors, have a significant impact on later success in school. Whether in pre-school or at home with parents or other caregivers, every young child should have the opportunity to develop the skills they need to succeed in school.
Karla Romero is committed to improving early childhood education in such a way as to ensure that our children are prepared for higher levels of education. Karla's plan includes:
Make Sure a Diploma Means Something
Help Students Succeed
Strengthening Post-Secondary Education
It is all too common that smart, qualified high school seniors find themselves wondering if college will be a reality for them because of high cost of a college education. The average tuition and fees for a Massachusetts resident attending a public four-year institution in MA is $5,660, and $23,760 at a private four-year institution, an d these costs continue to rise at an annual average inflation rate of 5.15 percent. Throughout the latest downturn, the only two industries that have seen cost of service increases have been higher education and health care. Karla Romero is committed to expanding access to higher education and job training. To accomplish this, she will advocate for:
-- Offer an Enhanced Pell Grant. Karla Romero believes that if we are to succeed in a competitive world economy we must challenge our nation's students to strive for ever higher levels of achievement. Karla Romero believes that low-income students who take the rigorous high school curriculum required by the State Scholars program should receive up to $2,000 in additional Pell Grant funding, bringing the total maximum award up to $7,050.
-- Make All Student Earned Income Tax Free. The crushing weigh of education today, especially higher education is a barrier that prevents students from being able to build the economic independence they would have been able to achieve a generation ago. A generation earlier, the average college student owned their own car and was able to afford rent on a small apartment. Today, most college students live at home with their parents and are generally covered under their family's insurance policies. Karla Romero believes that if we are to ensure that this century is the next American century, we must help our nation's youth to build their futures. That is why Karla supports exempting all income earned by students from Federal taxation. This would provide students with an average of $500 in extra income each year.
-- Extend the Collection Period for Social Security Survivor Benefits. Under present law, if one loses a parent, they can only collect what their parents have paid into the Social Security system up until the age 18. Karla Romero believes that this a policy that makes no sense, particularly in a time when the cost of education at a traditional four-year liberal arts college has ballooned to over $50,000. Karla Romero believes that children of a deceased parent should be able to collect Social Security payments up through graduate-school.
-- Set Conditions That Colleges and Universities Must Meet to Receive Federal Funds. Today the cost of college and university education continues to rise because of a broken education model that forces colleges to hire more teaching staff than necessary, as well as raise compensation rates year after year to budget busting levels. Today, colleges and universities suffer from a system that forces them to higher more faculty members that are actually needed. This because of of their research requirements that they place on traditional faculty members and agreements, in accordance with these requirements, that ensure that full time professors are given a light teaching load. The typical course load a tenured professor is required to teach is two courses. This means that there is a void that needs to be filled, which is often done so through the hiring of adjunct (visiting) professors. Another reason why colleges and universities are faced with such escalating costs today is because they are legally not able to require tenured faculty to retire, meaning that they are locked into a compensation system that requires shelling out ever higher amounts of money. Karla Romero believes it is unfair to subject families to burdens of this broken system. She believes that the federal government is uneiquly positioned to affect meaningful change in higher education. As a member of Congress Karla will work with her colleagues to pass legislation that says that if colleges do not enact policies requiring professors who are tenured, or on tenured track, to teach more courses, as well as set a mandatory retirement age of 65, they may not receive any federal research, loan, or Pell Grant funding.
Ensuring Early Childhood Development for a Successful Start
Early childhood development is one of the best investments America can make to ensure that children are successful in school and later in life. Studies show that vocabulary, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness, in addition to social and emotional factors, have a significant impact on later success in school. Whether in pre-school or at home with parents or other caregivers, every young child should have the opportunity to develop the skills they need to succeed in school.
Karla Romero is committed to improving early childhood education in such a way as to ensure that our children are prepared for higher levels of education. Karla's plan includes:
- Restoring Funding for Action for Boston Community Development. Congress has devastated funding for such programs as Action for Boston Community Development program. This is a program that many parents rely to ensure that their kids can be in a safe early learning environment while they put in a hard day's work to put food on the table. Reducing funding for this program has made next to impossible for parents to be able to balance work and family, because they are forced to spend more time at home during the day. As a member of Congress Karla Romero will fight to restore funding programs like this that help parents so they can help their families.
- Strengthen Head Start. Focus Head Start more clearly on school readiness, and allow states to integrate Head Start programs into their existing pre-school preparedness efforts in order to make better use of combined Federal and state resources. Karla will work with Congress to give priority consideration for funding to states that have a coordinated early childhood plan involving Head Start, pre-K, and child care services.
- Expand the Reach Out and Read Program. Expand Reach Out and Read, which seeks to make early literacy a standard part of pediatric primary care.
- Expand Healthy Start, Grow Smart. Continue and expand distribution of Healthy Start, Grow Smart booklets to provide parents the information they need to enhance their children's early development.
Make Sure a Diploma Means Something
- Raising the Standards to Receive Federal Funds. Karla Romero strongly believes that we cannot and must not fail the children of our nation, for they are the inheritors of our legacy. As a member of Congress, Karla Romero will work tirelessly to raise the standards under which school districts maybe eligible to receive Title I funding. Specifically, she proposes that any school or school district that does not raise the drop out age from 16 to 18 may not receive any funding. This will send the message to our children that we refuse to give on them or their futures.
Help Students Succeed
- Ensure that Funding Follows The Student. Karla Romero believes it is unfair to keep students trapped in failing schools; she believes that students and their families should be able to chose the learning environment that best fits their needs. As a member of Congress, Karla will work to transform Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Act into direct voucher programs, allowing parents to use stipend funding to chose the best school for their children.
Strengthening Post-Secondary Education
It is all too common that smart, qualified high school seniors find themselves wondering if college will be a reality for them because of high cost of a college education. The average tuition and fees for a Massachusetts resident attending a public four-year institution in MA is $5,660, and $23,760 at a private four-year institution, an d these costs continue to rise at an annual average inflation rate of 5.15 percent. Throughout the latest downturn, the only two industries that have seen cost of service increases have been higher education and health care. Karla Romero is committed to expanding access to higher education and job training. To accomplish this, she will advocate for:
-- Offer an Enhanced Pell Grant. Karla Romero believes that if we are to succeed in a competitive world economy we must challenge our nation's students to strive for ever higher levels of achievement. Karla Romero believes that low-income students who take the rigorous high school curriculum required by the State Scholars program should receive up to $2,000 in additional Pell Grant funding, bringing the total maximum award up to $7,050.
-- Make All Student Earned Income Tax Free. The crushing weigh of education today, especially higher education is a barrier that prevents students from being able to build the economic independence they would have been able to achieve a generation ago. A generation earlier, the average college student owned their own car and was able to afford rent on a small apartment. Today, most college students live at home with their parents and are generally covered under their family's insurance policies. Karla Romero believes that if we are to ensure that this century is the next American century, we must help our nation's youth to build their futures. That is why Karla supports exempting all income earned by students from Federal taxation. This would provide students with an average of $500 in extra income each year.
-- Extend the Collection Period for Social Security Survivor Benefits. Under present law, if one loses a parent, they can only collect what their parents have paid into the Social Security system up until the age 18. Karla Romero believes that this a policy that makes no sense, particularly in a time when the cost of education at a traditional four-year liberal arts college has ballooned to over $50,000. Karla Romero believes that children of a deceased parent should be able to collect Social Security payments up through graduate-school.
-- Set Conditions That Colleges and Universities Must Meet to Receive Federal Funds. Today the cost of college and university education continues to rise because of a broken education model that forces colleges to hire more teaching staff than necessary, as well as raise compensation rates year after year to budget busting levels. Today, colleges and universities suffer from a system that forces them to higher more faculty members that are actually needed. This because of of their research requirements that they place on traditional faculty members and agreements, in accordance with these requirements, that ensure that full time professors are given a light teaching load. The typical course load a tenured professor is required to teach is two courses. This means that there is a void that needs to be filled, which is often done so through the hiring of adjunct (visiting) professors. Another reason why colleges and universities are faced with such escalating costs today is because they are legally not able to require tenured faculty to retire, meaning that they are locked into a compensation system that requires shelling out ever higher amounts of money. Karla Romero believes it is unfair to subject families to burdens of this broken system. She believes that the federal government is uneiquly positioned to affect meaningful change in higher education. As a member of Congress Karla will work with her colleagues to pass legislation that says that if colleges do not enact policies requiring professors who are tenured, or on tenured track, to teach more courses, as well as set a mandatory retirement age of 65, they may not receive any federal research, loan, or Pell Grant funding.
