“Invest in California” Affordable Education Program

Here in California, our top-ranked, public, higher education system is a source of both pride and economic power. But the wealth of opportunity available in our public schools is increasingly only affordable to our wealthiest residents – and as a society, we just can’t afford that.

I know that education is both the root problem and the ultimate solution to so many of the challenges facing our state. Almost 60% of new jobs require the skill set attained with a bachelor’s degree. We simply cannot leave our young residents without an affordable opportunity to attain these skills. We must find a way to ensure that getting to college for all our kids is a matter of hard work and determination, not luck. I believe we can make that guarantee to every child in California with a small investment in the future—theirs and ours.

For every dollar we invest into an affordable education for our kids, we see five, sometimes ten dollars back in the state economy. In business, we’d call that a no-brainer. For education, I’d say it’s a moral imperative.

Our state is facing a budget crisis, and far too often, programs are cut to make up the difference. Legislators bristle at the idea of even introducing anything new. But it’s particularly in times like these that we need a common-sense perspective in Sacramento, and the real-life practicality to see the difference between a money-drain and a good idea.

If our young people can commit a year of their lives after college to working in the public or non-profit sectors in an underserved area in California, we can invest in a year of their college education by helping to pay their student loans. We’ve seen similar models work with AmeriCorps, Teach for America, the National Health Service Corps and a slew of like programs. These programs work because educational investments pay off.

That’s why I will work in Sacramento to create a new program that will repay one year of student loans for a year of work in our underserved communities—work as teachers and fire fighters, doctors and police, social workers and nurses. With this program, we will unlock the desperately needed potential of a new generation of Californians right now and in the years ahead.

I served as an elected trustee for eight years on the San Lorenzo Valley School Board. I helped build a business that created jobs here at home because we could compete in the global economy. I am a candidate for Assembly because I know that to thrive in the economy of the future, our kids need the world’s best public education—from kindergarten to post-doctoral studies. Our public colleges and universities lead in terms of excellence, but they fall behind in affordability for working and middle class students. We simply cannot turn away any California child from the best opportunity to succeed. We all need them succeeding if we are to have the strong society and economy we want—a society we can be proud of.

Let’s foster and harvest the dedication of our young people towards their communities by giving them an incentive we can feel good about. Please join me in supporting a forward-focused, sensible and affordable college program.

Sign our petition now in support of “Invest in California” Affordable Education Program.