In Manor, TX, President Obama began by praising teachers. President Obama said that people wouldn’t know it by listening to the gloom and doom of cable TV, but there are a lot of things going on, and a lot of reasons for people to be optimistic. Obama said that the economic growth that is occurring is not good enough. He said corporate profits are skyrocketing, but that’s not good enough because we need good middle class jobs. The president pointed to the sectors of the economy that are doing better, and said, “we’ve cleared away the rubble from the worst economic crisis of our lifetime.”
The president said he has sent Congress a range of proposals to grow the economy, but some of them have been blocked for political reasons. President Obama said sometimes he needs constituents to pressure Congress to do the right thing. He also announced executive action to help with the economy. He touted Austin’s economic growth. The president said the best ideas trickle up to Washington, so he was there to learn. The president described some of the things that they are doing at Manor New Technology High School.
President Obama reiterated his call to give every child high quality public preschool. In terms of post secondary education, the president proposed that colleges that don’t keep tuition costs down should receive less federal aid.
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Manor New Technology High School is the embodiment of President Obama’s vision for American public education. The school’s curriculum focuses on science, technology, education, and math. Ninety seven percent of Manor’s 2011 grads, and all of their 2012 graduates went on to college. The president understands the connection between education, and good middle class jobs.
It is the idea that colleges who don’t try to keep their tuition costs down should receive less federal dollars that is the most interesting. One of the major problems that needs to be addressed is the rising cost of a college education. It is critical to the future of our economy that higher education not become a luxury that is only affordable for the wealthy.
However, public universities are in an increasingly difficult position. In many states where Republicans control governorships and state legislatures, state aid to public university systems has been slashed. The president wants higher education to do more with less, but with states continually cutting funding, university presidents argue that they have to raise tuition to make up for revenue shortfalls.
It is a good idea to go after the institutions that are price gouging, but the country won’t have the higher education system that it needs as long as Republicans continue to slash funding. The problem may not be that schools are greedy, but that they are being strangled by Republican spending cuts.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
