Kash on Education

American investment in public schools and great teachers helped build the middle class. Today our teachers deal with overcrowded classrooms with resources so short that teachers have to pay for their own basic supplies as they earn salaries which lag farther and farther behind the cost of living.

And despite those teachers’ best efforts, every year over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the U.S. One student every 26 seconds. These dropouts will earn $200,000 less over their working lifetime.

America needs a highly competitive and innovative workforce, but this administration’s budget will cut teacher training and literacy programs and reduce funding in communities which need it most. Instead of dramatic cuts to education and job training programs, America must modernize our classrooms, close the digital gap, and expand science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) capacity in our schools. And that means we need the best qualified teachers in our classrooms today to ensure our students are ready to compete on the global stage for the challenges of tomorrow.

I am an immigrant to this country who received an excellent American public education for which I’m grateful. People throughout the world looking for a brighter future respect American education. We owe that education to every American child. We need more teachers, smaller classes, and greater education resources. From kindergarten through high school, America benefits when every American student is educated.

We must make junior colleges and trade schools affordable to high school graduates so that all students can pursue higher education. And at the same time we must also recognize that many students may benefit from apprenticeships to learn needed skills for jobs after completion. With tax credits we can incentivize businesses to create more apprenticeships.

Every year over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the U.S. One every 26 seconds. Three more have dropped out just in the time it took to share this information with you.