President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation continues to wind its tortuous way towards the Congressional finish line.
In the face of declining approval ratings and Democrats’ recent electoral defeats, Biden is dispatching members of his cabinet across the country to the social benefits of the Build Back Better plan for everyday Americans.
One such cabinet member, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, says the proposal will be “transformational” for schools, students and parents.
Cardona says the legislation will not only reshape the educational landscape both nationally and in Michigan, but also build on programs already underway in the state.
Listen: U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says the Build Back Better legislation impacts everything from child care to workforce training.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cordona (edited for clarity): I’ve been in education for over 24 years, and I’ve never seen a plan that really lifts up education like this one does. And I’ll talk specifically about universal access to pre-kindergarten for three and four-year-olds across the country. As a former school principal, I remember those five, six, seven-year-olds who didn’t have a good quality early childhood program. And those students needing intervention early on, and often became frustrated with school because they were struggling. This [plan] is leveling the playing field. We talk a lot about education being the great equalizer. A quality early childhood program delivers on that. There’s also additional funds for Pell Grants, which means more people can go to college. I remember in Macomb County at a school in Michigan, I talked to someone named Ruth who said that because of Pell Grants she was able to go back to school and follow her passion. She was well into her 50s, and she said, “I’m going back now to follow my dreams.” The Pell Grant allowed that. In this framework, there’s an increase of over $500 in the Pell Grant. And then I think (when) we talk about Michigan, we can learn a lot from Michigan and how they connect their community colleges to the high schools and to the workforce needs out there. But there’s around $10 billion in investments in community college workforce preparation in this framework. That’s significant. Think about Michigan, a state that does it well already. And I know your governor is a big supporter of it. I know Congressman Levin is a big supporter of it. Imagine additional funds to make a stronger throughline between community college and the workforce. It’s going to help the economy over there. It’s going to help the students, the families, but overall the economy.
Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: The mayor of Detroit and other officials have often talked about pushing for trade schools and saying that there are a lot of people who are not going to be able to…
Read More: U.S. Education Secretary Says Build Back Better Plan Transforms Schooling