Gov. Jack is committed to giving everybody an opportunity in the American education system 

Higher Education Must Become More Affordable

• The Problem

  • The cost of higher education is growing astronomically.

    • College Board finds that since 2000, the total cost of attending a 4-year College has increased by 4-6%

    • The annual cost at Harvard University has increased from $33,000 to $68,000 since 2000         

  • This massive increase in cost has led to our younger generations being burdened by student loan debt and many promising high school students being discouraged from even applying to college. 

• The solution

  • As President 

    • I will inform Colleges and Universities that they will lose their tax exempt status if they do not lower their total annual cost to at most $40,000

    • Right now, most Colleges and Universities are considered tax exempt entities by the Federal Government.

    • Colleges and Universities will not want to lose this because...

      • It gives them access to tax deductible donations, cheaper financing, and the ability to pay virtually no taxes.

      • Under my administration, Colleges and Universities will be forced to lower their annual cost if they wish to remain tax exempt.

Federal Student Loans Must Become More Available 

• Problem: the lack availability of Federal Student Loans

  • the loans provide many prospective students with the financing that they otherwise would not have to attend expensive Colleges and Universities.

  • High availability of Federal Loans gives students the freedom to decide whether or not they want to pursue higher education; initial cost would not be a factor in their decision.

Federal Funding Must Be Increased To Smaller Colleges and Universities 

• I will provide significant federal funding to smaller, cheap Colleges and Universities across the U.S.

• Basic economics states that when the supply of a product increases, the cost of that product decreases.

• By supporting and legitimizing smaller Colleges and Universities, the supply of higher education increases

  • Inevitably all Colleges and Universities will be forced to lower their total costs in order to remain competitive in the higher education market.

Give Everyone a Fair Chance

• The Problem: Education inequality is a significant problem in the U.S. African American students are given significantly less opportunities for success compared to Caucasian students.

• African American students are nearly three times more likely to be held back or drop out compared to their Caucasian peers.

• Caucasian students consistently perform better than African American students on standardized testing.

The solution:

1. Providing each state with a block grant specifically for the purpose of investing money in areas with high concentrations of minorities and poorly performing public schools. After this money is provided, U.S. Department of Education will work closely with each State to make sure that this money is going to the right areas.

2. Instructing the U.S. Department of Education to work with each State and attempt to reform their curriculums so that African American and under-acheiving students can be better supported. Doing this involves enhancing cultural competence of curriculums, providing comprehensive support for all students, using test data and research to enhance classroom learning and decide which areas to focus on, and finally making all students feel understood and supported.

3. Finally, my campaign would work with states to establish universal Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) programs. Data shows that students who attend Pre-K have a head start and typically have more academic success. Giving all students the ability to attend Pre-K will give many access to this vital head start.

Show Them The Money 

• The Problem: Teachers are denied the ability to make a living wage.

  • The 3.2 million teachers across the country are experiencing the worst wage stagnation of any profession.

  • Right now, teachers earn less on average, in inflation adjusted dollars, than they earned in 1990. Furthermore, the Economic Policy Institute writes that teachers earn 18.7% less than what comparable workers earn.

    • This salary shortage is disheartening teachers and stopping them from performing at the best of their ability, and it is discouraging individuals from becoming teachers because they know that they will not make any money as a teacher.

    • Increasing the wages of teachers will incentivize individuals to become teachers and improve the quality of education across America.

• The Solution:

1. Providing federal funding to States to increase the wages of teachers. This will immediately increase the salaries of teachers and it will provide a guideline for states regarding how they can further increase teacher salaries. 

2. Informing States that they will lose Federal Highway funding if they do not make a consistent effort each year to increase the wages of teachers in their State.

   1. The Department of Education will be the body responsible for deciding whether or not each state has made a considerable effort to increase teacher salaries that year.