Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2016 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
View more of the Sun's opinion section
“D-R–E-A–M. Dream!” Every day, I teach Nevada children how to read. We preach college and career readiness in my school, yet Nevada is ranked last for educational outcomes. We are in last place for students’ chance of success in the annual Quality Counts rankings by Education Week. Assuming that nothing changes, less than half of my 21 students will go on to college.
As a Pell Grant recipient, I attended UNLV for my degree in education. That money helped me achieve my dream of becoming a teacher. I am reciprocating that grant with public service, by teaching children how to attain dreams of their own.
Congressman Joe Heck voted to cut Pell Grants for 35,000 Nevada students and to raise student loan interest rates, essentially cutting off a path to college and self-improvement. Donald Trump, his party’s candidate for president, went so far as to say that he wants to abolish the Department of Education. Meanwhile, Catherine Cortez Masto and Hillary Clinton want to fully fund education and support free college tuition for students whose families make less than $125,000 a year — which describes 80 percent of Nevadan families, according to the census. These Democrats have my children’s best interests in mind.
Not all Republicans are opposed to education funding. In 2015, Gov. Brian Sandoval and a bipartisan group of legislators voted to increase state funding for education. I applaud our elected officials who are able to work together to invest in our kids and our future.
