Education
I grew up in California classrooms: I’m a proud graduate of San Fernando High. I got my B.A. at Mills College, and my masters degree (M.S.W.) at the University of California, Berkeley.
I know that education is the key for pathways out of poverty and pathways into the middle class.
Over the past decade, states all over America have made savage cuts to education. Private equity and hedge fund executives have bankrolled the expansion of charter schools and poured millions into school board elections with the hope of privatizing public education.
I am fighting to invest in our public schools and in the teachers who make our schools run. Our students are too important to cut back on education, especially when those cuts most directly affect students of color, low income students, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities.
I have been a fearless advocate for public education, and I will be a Senator who fights for education for all, championing policies and prioritizing funding to make transformative investments in our students, teachers, and schools. We need to make our public colleges tuition-free; eliminate debilitating student debt; and take action against the school privatization movement.
Funding Public Education
- I have secured funding in Head Start, Pell grants, community colleges and after-school programs, so every child has an opportunity to go school and get the education they need to succeed — critical spending I will continue to fight for in the Senate.
- I authored the Student Support Act to ensure all students have access to mental health services and support they need to thrive academically.
Saving Our Public Schools
- I oppose the privatization of schools, speaking out against Republican efforts to take money from public schools and putting it into private schools. This hurts our children and I will continue to fight them every step of the way.
Eliminating Tuition & Student Debt
- I am an original cosponsor of The College For All Act, groundbreaking legislation to make public colleges free and eliminate $1.6 trillion in student debt for 45 million Americans.