Education

Improving our nation’s education system has been a top legislative priority of Senator Sununu. He believes education is the most important investment that society can make in an individual. He also believes that the federal government should honor its funding commitments to the states, which is why he has been a leading voice in favor of the federal government assuming its full share of special education funding. John has also worked hard during recent financial market difficulties to ensure that students continue to have access to student loans. Furthermore, he has been a strong advocate of charter schools and the options they provide for parents who want to ensure the best education possible for their children.

Special Education Funding – Senator Sununu has consistently worked during his time in Congress toward the goal of having the federal government fully fund its share of special education costs. This issue is of particular significance to New Hampshire, where education is primarily funded at the local level. Requiring the federal government to make good on its promises is important for New Hampshire taxpayers and critical for our special needs students. Importantly, funding for special education can be increased without raising taxes and without busting the budget. Bolstering support for these programs is a matter of adjusting federal spending priorities. To this end, the Senator has urged appropriators for the last several years to provide the highest possible funding for special education.

Ensuring Access to Student Loans – Concerned about negative consequences arising from difficulties in our financial markets, Senator Sununu was one of the very first members of Congress to write to leaders in the Administration urging them to act to ensure students can obtain adequate financing to attend classes this fall. In addition to steps taken by the Administration, with John’s support, Congress recently passed legislation that is meant to ensure students have uninterrupted access to student loans as they prepare for the upcoming school year.

Advocate for Charter Schools – While Senator Sununu believes that public schools are the foundation of our country’s education system, he also strongly believes that empowering parents with the freedom and authority to make important decisions regarding their children’s education is essential to improving our public schools. John has cosponsored multiple pieces of legislation and resolutions over the years in support of charter schools.

Encouraging First Generation College Students – The Senator has been a strong supporter of federal TRIO programs such as Upward Bound and Talent Search, which provide educational opportunity outreach to motivate and support low-income first generation college students as they progress through their academic careers, from middle school on.

Leading Voice for Libraries – John’s work to incorporate certain safeguards into the PATRIOT Act legislation included a clarification of current law to ensure that libraries, when functioning in their traditional roles, are not subject to undue national security oversight. In addition, he has signed multiple letters to appropriators over the years encouraging additional federal funding for school and public libraries.

Support for New Hampshire’s “Follow the Child” Initiative – Senator Sununu has advocated on behalf of the state’s effort to implement a comprehensive plan to address the individual educational needs of New Hampshire’s students.

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