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John Spratt believes that our country's future depends on our children's education.
As Ranking Member on the Budget Committee, John this year proposed a budget that provides $4.6 billion more than the House Republican budget for education, and over five years, provides $45.3 billion more.
John opposes a Republican plan to eliminate 42 education programs, such as vocational education, Perkins loans, Safe and Drug-Free Schools state grants, and the GEAR-UP college readiness program.
He wants to start all children on a strong foundation, using federal aid to hire new teachers, so that in grades one through three, no class in America will have more than 18 students.
He wants to send “No Child Left Behind” back to the drawing board, and fulfill the federal funding commitment.
John believes that higher education should be as accessible as high school. He has backed tax credits for college and tech school tuition. His budget this year lowers the interest rate on student loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent for one year, as a down payment on efforts to help more students afford college. His budgets have also supported higher Pell Grants and tuition tax deduction.
John's support for education won him the Natcher Award for Distinguished Service from the Coalition for Education Funding. The South Carolina Association of Independent Colleges also named him “Legislator of the Year.”
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