Hagan Unveils Her Plan To Invest in North Carolina's Future

September 3, 2008

GREENSBORO, NC- State Senator and U.S. Senator Kay Hagan (D-Guilford), who has been endorsed by the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) in her bid to defeat Elizabeth Dole, today unveiled her education plan, focusing on improving opportunities for students from pre-kindergarten through college. Kay, who was praised by NCAE past President Eddie Davis for being accessible to them throughout her tenure in the state Senate, visited with administrators and teachers at Colfax Elementary School yesterday to discuss No Child Left Behind and today held a roundtable discussion with Historically Black College and University administrators and students about the importance of focusing on the vital role of these institutions.

“If we as a state and a country do not have a sensible, aggressive plan to educate our children, we have failed them from the very beginning,” said Kay. “We need to be providing them with the tools to be successful in life and follow a career which best suits them. At the end of the day, we have done nothing if we have not educated our children.”

Throughout her time in the state Senate, Kay has increased investments in community colleges and increased teacher pay. She’s also focused on improving math and science education, ways to prevent high school students from dropping out and expanding access to education for members of the military.

Kay’s plan focuses ensuring our schools and students are ready for the 21st Century global economy. She will build a strong skills foundation by providing quality high school, fixing No Child Left Behind and expanding access to pre-kindergarten programs. Her plan will also lower costs and increase the availability of college.
Among other things, Kay believes we must:

a. Fully fund NCLB and provide schools flexibility in implementing it: Local control of schools is the basic principle of American education policy. Unfortunately, NCLB is being implemented in a rigid manner that deprives state and local school systems the opportunity to devise their own methods of assessment of students. Kay rejects the notion that accountability of schools and attention to individual students’ needs and learning styles are competing values. Although Kay recognizes that effective standardized testing is a good measure of learning, she will encourage consideration of other valid and reliable measures that assess student success and permit teachers to foster intellectual creativity among.

b. Expand college affordability options: Kay would simplify the College Tuition Tax Credit by establishing a single tax credit worth $5,000 for middle class students throughout four years of education. She will also push for full and absolute funding of the Pell Grant Program, which traditionally has been underfunded, and amend the current law to forgive federal loans after five years (rather than the current 10) to students who pursue certain public service. Kay, who worked with Governor Easley to help spur the creation of North Carolina’s “Learn and Earn” program, will push for programs that allow high school students to pursue college credit at no cost to the student and introduce legislation to create grants for community colleges.

c. Attract and retain the best teachers: Kay will provide incentives to teachers who work in disadvantaged communities, encourage math and science experts to teach and strengthen the Teach for America program.

“Kay’s education plan reflects her knowledge of our current educational system in North Carolina, and more importantly, what it is capable of achieving if those in Washington help support it,” said NCAE President Sheri Strickland. “From Pre-K through college, Kay knows that we need to be doing more, not less, to help our young students succeed and pursue careers of their choosing. With Kay as our U.S. senator, educational professionals, students and their parents will have an ally in Washington advocating on behalf of their best interests.”

“Elizabeth Dole has voted with President Bush 92% of the time to the detriment of our state’s students,” Kay said. “She was a deciding vote in the largest cut to student loans in history, and she has repeatedly voted against full funding for NCLB, Head Start and after-school programs. That kind of record has done nothing to help our state’s students, and I would argue, it has actually hurt them. Our children deserve a senator who advocates to help them reach their dreams, not one who makes them further out of reach.”

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