America has failed to adequately invest in our public school system for decades. And, today, education in America is under attack from Donald Trump, ideological extremists, and corporate special interests that seek to profit off of our public schools.

I’m the product of public schools and a proud public school parent — and I’ll fight in Congress to ensure that every kid in America has access to a high quality public education, that our teachers are paid fairly, and that every young adult that wants one has a shot at a higher education they can afford. 

In Congress, I’ll fight for:

Great public schools

• Making Sure Every School is Fairly and Adequately Funded: Illinois has made great progress in recent years moving towards a fairer school funding formula. But we still have work to ensure that students in every zip code have access to a great education. I’ll work to increase federal investments into public schools districts — and to encourage states to adopt more equitable school funding formulas. We can close gaps even further by increasing federal support for Title I schools. I also support renewed federal investment to rebuild and refurbish aging public schools.

• Working to Reverse Donald Trump’s Attacks on Public Education: The Trump administration is working to dismantle the Department of Education. I’ll work to stop these cuts and ensure that the federal Department of Education is adequately funded and staffed.

• Ensuring Teachers Get the Compensation They Deserve: It’s well past time that we pay our public school teachers like the heroes they are. We can make federal funds available to encourage states to raise teacher pay. We can also increase pay for our teachers by ensuring every teacher in the country can join a union and collectively bargain over their wages and benefits. I’ll also work to protect and expand public service loan forgiveness for our teachers. Finally, teachers shouldn’t be on the hook for the school supplies they buy to help our children learn. We need to increase the tax deduction for school supplies — and adjust it for inflation.

• Holding Charter Schools Accountable: Unaccountable charter schools have allowed corporate special interests to profit at the expense of our students and teachers. Charter schools need to be held to the same standards as traditional public schools — and must allow their teachers to unionize and bargain collectively.

• Guaranteeing Art and Music Education: Every elementary school student should receive an art and music education. In Congress, I’ll support legislation to guarantee that all of our students have access to music and art classes.

• Investing in Student Mental Health: Our children’s mental health is struggling. In Congress, I’ll work to pass investments that ensure that every child has access to mental health counseling at their schools.

• Fighting Book Bans and Attacks on Learning: Across the country, Republicans are pushing book bans that attack our principles of free speech and prevent kids from learning about subjects like American history. I support the bill that would provide federal support to school districts fighting against book bans in court.
  

Affordable higher education

• Free Public College: No one should have to go into debt to receive a college degree. We need federal investment so that every two year and four year public college in America is tuition-free. We also need to expand Pell Grants to help cover students’ cost of living.

• Supporting Great Community Colleges and Vocational Schools: Every American should have an opportunity to have a great career, even if they decide a four-year college isn’t the right choice for them. We need to invest in America’s community colleges, trade schools, apprenticeships, and job training programs so our kids have the chance at good, well-paid careers. These investments will also make sure America has the high-skilled workforce we need to compete in the 21st century.

• Ending the Student Debt Crisis: I’m proud of the actions the last administration took to forgive student debt, but millions of Americans are still burdened by crushing student loan debt. It’s time for Congress to pass legislation forgiving student loan debt for the vast majority of borrowers. I’ll also be a champion for programs that offer loan forgiveness for students who enter public service careers and work to reverse the negative changes to student loan programs that President Trump just signed into law.

• Combating Trump’s Attacks on Academic Freedom: The Trump administration is abusing the federal government to punish universities, including Northwestern, for teaching or allowing ideas Donald Trump doesn’t like. This is downright un-American. In Congress, I’ll stand up for academic freedom and work to shut down trumped up investigations and fight to release all funds that are being withheld for ideological reasons. I’m also disgusted by the Trump administration’s moves to deny visas or deport students — including students who are in the country legally — for ideological reasons. Congress must fight back against these abuses.