About this Series
Barack Obama's first term as president begins six Tuesdays from today. On every Tuesday between now and his inauguration, this series will look at a particular issue and expectations for Obama's first term.
Dec. 9: Immigration
MONROE - President-elect Barack Obama has ranked education in the United States as one of his top five priorities, along with the economy, energy, health care and tax cuts.
But specifics about how his changes in the education system will work are still largely unknown.
Local educators from preschools to technical schools and school board members contacted for this article did not wish to comment on Obama's plans, stating they had not seen anything specific enough yet to know how changes might affect local schools.
Obama's ideas for education range from an $18 billion plan to encourage, but not mandate, universal pre-kindergarten, and a tax credit to pay up to $4,000 of college costs for students who perform 100 hours of community service a year at an estimated cost of $19 billion.
"Overall, the education program (Obama) is trying is a way to level the playing field and boost the program everywhere," Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, said.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, called Obama's plans laudable.
"We need a national dialogue on education, especially. The ideas President-elect Obama has are positive, but we need to have a discussion and prioritize. I don't know how he's going to pay for this," he said.
Obama told the Associated Press in October he would pay for part of his plan by ending corporate tax deductions for CEO pay.
"But with the recent national economy the way it is, locally, families are struggling. The fees and such in school districts are adding up, costs for college are adding up, and families are feeling the pinch," Davis said.
"The state is under a major deficit of $5.4 billion," he added.
Obama wants to launch a Children's First Agenda that provides care, learning and support to families with children from birth up to 5 years old, and a "Zero to Five" plan with early learning challenge grants, but the plans does not include mandatory attendance.
"I think the goal is to provide kids all around the country with the same opportunities, or at least similar ones. Kids are entering school at different levels," Hilgenberg said.
While Hilgenberg is not opposed to high-level preschools, like Montessori schools, he said not all children have the opportunity to attend such early development education. And in families with both parents working, parents are not able to give as much time for helping to their children, he said.
"We have no good record dealing with children raised in poverty, or even in rural areas," Hilgenberg said.
"The secret to a better country comes through education, and early education attempts to get at that from the very beginning," he said.
Internationally, the United States ranks below many counties in educational levels.
Early education would be one way to "bump that up, and boost it at the lower levels," Hilgenberg said.
Both Davis and Hilgenberg admitted the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law needs reforms. Obama wants to fund NCLB and improve its assessments and accountability systems.
"I think he's reaching out to what's in the public," Hilgenberg said. "Teachers don't like it; parents don't like it. It attempts to measure kids all over, but the tools aren't adequate and funding's not adequate."
Hilgenberg also said the program is designed in such a way that teachers end up teaching to the test.
"I hope the federal government takes a broader look than just at one piece of education, and gives states the flexibility to set high standards, and not tied just to test scores, but also to things like graduation rates and truancy," Davis said.
Obama wants to improve schools by recruiting well-qualified teachers and improve teacher compensation by rewarding expert, accomplished teachers for taking on challenging assignments.
Teacher pay raises would be tied to, but not solely based on, students' performance or test scores, but only if teachers negotiate the arrangement.
Obama plans to reduce the high school dropout rate by passing his legislation, the Success in the Middle Act, which would invest in intervention strategies in the middle grades, and in summer learning, and by double funding for afterschool opportunities.
Obama also intends double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools, but only to states that improve accountability for charter schools, allow for interventions in struggling charter schools and have a clear process for closing down chronically underperforming charter schools.
Obama's American Opportunity Tax Credit would make tuition at the nation's community colleges free and will cover up to two-thirds the cost of tuition at the nation's public colleges and universities. The plan will allow a tax credit of up to $4,000 for a student who invest 100 hours per year in community service work.
Hilgenberg sees the tax credit as another way to move the county's education forward, and as "an alternative to the military," that would also build strong public service that would boost the country's infrastructure.
"Not just as jobs, but as a way to get them to go to college," he said. "As they get older, they become more productive, earn more money and pay more taxes," he said.
Obama said he wants his administration to "expand access to education for our veterans, and increase benefits to keep pace with rising costs. All who wear the uniform of the United State are entitles to the same opportunities that my grandfather had under the G.I. Bill."
But that plan may already have been put in place this year.
The Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, conceived by freshman Democrat Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, becomes effective Aug. 1, 2009.
Introduced Jan 14, 2007, and approved as part of a wartime budget supplemental (HR 2642), the plan is for veterans with active duty after September 10, 2001.
The plan is a far richer benefit than the Montgomery GI Bill, but MGIB benefits also will climb, by 20 percent, almost immediately. Payments for full-time students will jump from $1,100 a month under the Montgomery GI Bill to an average of $1,900.
The total estimated cost of the 10-year cost of the Webb GI Bill initiative through 2019 is $62 billion.
The plan will pay tuition and fees at any college up to amounts charged by the most expensive public colleges in each state. In addition, allowances will be paid to the veteran for monthly housing allowance, books and supplies up to $1,000 per year; and a one-time payment of $500 to certain individuals relocating from highly rural areas.
But specifics about how his changes in the education system will work are still largely unknown.
Local educators from preschools to technical schools and school board members contacted for this article did not wish to comment on Obama's plans, stating they had not seen anything specific enough yet to know how changes might affect local schools.
Obama's ideas for education range from an $18 billion plan to encourage, but not mandate, universal pre-kindergarten, and a tax credit to pay up to $4,000 of college costs for students who perform 100 hours of community service a year at an estimated cost of $19 billion.
"Overall, the education program (Obama) is trying is a way to level the playing field and boost the program everywhere," Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, said.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, called Obama's plans laudable.
"We need a national dialogue on education, especially. The ideas President-elect Obama has are positive, but we need to have a discussion and prioritize. I don't know how he's going to pay for this," he said.
Obama told the Associated Press in October he would pay for part of his plan by ending corporate tax deductions for CEO pay.
"But with the recent national economy the way it is, locally, families are struggling. The fees and such in school districts are adding up, costs for college are adding up, and families are feeling the pinch," Davis said.
"The state is under a major deficit of $5.4 billion," he added.
Obama wants to launch a Children's First Agenda that provides care, learning and support to families with children from birth up to 5 years old, and a "Zero to Five" plan with early learning challenge grants, but the plans does not include mandatory attendance.
"I think the goal is to provide kids all around the country with the same opportunities, or at least similar ones. Kids are entering school at different levels," Hilgenberg said.
While Hilgenberg is not opposed to high-level preschools, like Montessori schools, he said not all children have the opportunity to attend such early development education. And in families with both parents working, parents are not able to give as much time for helping to their children, he said.
"We have no good record dealing with children raised in poverty, or even in rural areas," Hilgenberg said.
"The secret to a better country comes through education, and early education attempts to get at that from the very beginning," he said.
Internationally, the United States ranks below many counties in educational levels.
Early education would be one way to "bump that up, and boost it at the lower levels," Hilgenberg said.
Both Davis and Hilgenberg admitted the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law needs reforms. Obama wants to fund NCLB and improve its assessments and accountability systems.
"I think he's reaching out to what's in the public," Hilgenberg said. "Teachers don't like it; parents don't like it. It attempts to measure kids all over, but the tools aren't adequate and funding's not adequate."
Hilgenberg also said the program is designed in such a way that teachers end up teaching to the test.
"I hope the federal government takes a broader look than just at one piece of education, and gives states the flexibility to set high standards, and not tied just to test scores, but also to things like graduation rates and truancy," Davis said.
Obama wants to improve schools by recruiting well-qualified teachers and improve teacher compensation by rewarding expert, accomplished teachers for taking on challenging assignments.
Teacher pay raises would be tied to, but not solely based on, students' performance or test scores, but only if teachers negotiate the arrangement.
Obama plans to reduce the high school dropout rate by passing his legislation, the Success in the Middle Act, which would invest in intervention strategies in the middle grades, and in summer learning, and by double funding for afterschool opportunities.
Obama also intends double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools, but only to states that improve accountability for charter schools, allow for interventions in struggling charter schools and have a clear process for closing down chronically underperforming charter schools.
Obama's American Opportunity Tax Credit would make tuition at the nation's community colleges free and will cover up to two-thirds the cost of tuition at the nation's public colleges and universities. The plan will allow a tax credit of up to $4,000 for a student who invest 100 hours per year in community service work.
Hilgenberg sees the tax credit as another way to move the county's education forward, and as "an alternative to the military," that would also build strong public service that would boost the country's infrastructure.
"Not just as jobs, but as a way to get them to go to college," he said. "As they get older, they become more productive, earn more money and pay more taxes," he said.
Obama said he wants his administration to "expand access to education for our veterans, and increase benefits to keep pace with rising costs. All who wear the uniform of the United State are entitles to the same opportunities that my grandfather had under the G.I. Bill."
But that plan may already have been put in place this year.
The Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act, conceived by freshman Democrat Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, becomes effective Aug. 1, 2009.
Introduced Jan 14, 2007, and approved as part of a wartime budget supplemental (HR 2642), the plan is for veterans with active duty after September 10, 2001.
The plan is a far richer benefit than the Montgomery GI Bill, but MGIB benefits also will climb, by 20 percent, almost immediately. Payments for full-time students will jump from $1,100 a month under the Montgomery GI Bill to an average of $1,900.
The total estimated cost of the 10-year cost of the Webb GI Bill initiative through 2019 is $62 billion.
The plan will pay tuition and fees at any college up to amounts charged by the most expensive public colleges in each state. In addition, allowances will be paid to the veteran for monthly housing allowance, books and supplies up to $1,000 per year; and a one-time payment of $500 to certain individuals relocating from highly rural areas.