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As stated by our Founding Fathers, education and knowledge are crucial to protecting our Freedoms and our Republic. Education is also the key to the future economic success of our children, and to the ability of the Middle Class to find and hold good jobs, earn good wages to support our families, and get ahead. Therefore, we support policies to strengthen and make available Good & Affordable Educational Opportunity for the Middle Class and All Americans.
Here are policies and legislation we support, toward the goal of providing Good & Affordable Educational Opportunity for the Middle Class and All Americans:
- The American Families Plan: Subject to negotiation of details, we broadly support the policies and priorities laid out in President Biden’s American Families Plan.
The Plan would offer four more years of free schooling for all students in America: two years of prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds, and two years of tuition-free community college, after high school. Students would be able to use the community college benefit over three years, and in some cases for up to four years if enrolled part-time for a longer period.
The Plan would also support teachers, and provide programs and funds to address the teacher shortage in America, provide funds to support education, recruitment and training of new teachers, and provide direct aid to families and children in the form of support for child care.
These provisions would be paid for by modest tax increases on the wealthy who earn incomes of more than $400,000.00 per year, as well as modifications in capital gains rates and other tax provisions affecting those earning $1,000,000 or more per year.
As stated in the Fact Sheet for the American Families Plan issued by the White House, “To grow the middle class, expand the benefits of economic growth to all Americans, and leave the United States more competitive, President Biden’s American Families Plan will:”
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“Add at least four years of free education. Investing in education is a down payment on the future of America. As access to high school became more widely available at the turn of the 20th Century, it made us the best-educated and best-prepared nation in the world. But everyone knows that 13 years is not enough today. The American Families Plan will make transformational investments from early childhood to postsecondary education so that all children and young people are able to grow, learn, and gain the skills they need to succeed. …
Support EDUCATION AND PREPARATION FOR TEACHERS. Few people can have a bigger impact on a child’s life than a great teacher. Unfortunately, the U.S. faces a large and growing teacher shortage. … President Biden is calling on Congress to invest $9 billion in American teachers, addressing shortages, improving training and supports for teachers, and boosting teacher diversity. These investments will improve the quality of new teachers entering the profession, [and] increase retention rates. …
Provide direct support to children and families. Our nation is strongest when everyone has the opportunity to join the workforce and contribute to the economy. But many workers struggle to both hold a full-time job and care for themselves and their families. The American Families Plan will provide direct support to families to ensure that low- and middle-income families spend no more than seven percent of their income on child care, and that the child care they access is of high-quality. It will also provide direct support to workers and families by creating a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program that will bring America in line with competitor nations that offer paid leave programs. The program will allow people to manage their health and the health of their families.”
based on the views of our Members.
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