On Education

By Mike Honda

"In the 21st Century, the competition for jobs and for a stake in the world marketplace will be won by the young people who are best educated. In Silicon Valley, perhaps more than in any other part of the country, we must commit ourselves to providing our students with the very best education we can give them. They will be counted on to drive the high-tech world further than we have ever dreamed and they must be prepared."
- Assemblymember Mike Honda

REDUCING CLASS SIZE. As a former teacher and principal, Mike Honda has seen first-hand the problems teachers face when trying to work in overcrowded classrooms. More often than not, the learning process breaks down and students get left behind. Honda has been a consistent champion of class size reduction efforts in the California Assembly and worked to pass legislation reducing class sizes. As a Member of Congress, Honda will support legislation to fund hiring 100,000 new teachers in grades one through three to reduce the student/teacher ratio to 18 to 1.

IMPROVING ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY FOR STUDENTS. In order for our students to be able to compete for high-paying, high-tech jobs, they must learn to use the most advanced computer and internet technology. Unfortunately, too many schools do not provide adequate access to this technology. In 1999, Assemblymember Honda secured funding to bring Plugged-In, a national award-winning program, to San Jose. As a Member of Congress, Mike Honda will support tax credits to pay for interest on nearly $25 billion in bonds to be used by local communities for public school modernization and revitalization. He will also support providing loans and grants to low-income school districts to fund urgent school repairs and modernization.

MAKING COLLEGE AFFORDABLE. For too many families, the dream of sending their children to college is unattainable because to costs are too high. Mike Honda believes that, if a student wants to go to college, he or she ought to have that chance. Therefore, he supports providing tax credits and deductions for the cost of tuition and fees for parents sending their kids to college. Additionally, he supports increasing funding for Pell Grants and continued funding for the Direct Student Loan program.