Education

Rep. Chu speaking to children in a classroom.

Education is a proven pathway for success. As a former community college professor and school board member in our community, I’ve fought to provide schools with the support they need my entire career. We need to fully fund education programs, give our teachers and students the resources they need, ensure our schools are environments for learning, while guaranteeing equal opportunity for all students—from pre-K through college and beyond.

Early Childhood Education

Investments in early education, when a child’s brain is rapidly developing, can lead to better academic and personal achievement lasting a lifetime. And they give every child a level playing field with equal chances for a healthy, successful life. Furthermore, parents, particularly women, should not have to choose between earning a paycheck and making sure their children are properly cared for. I believe every child and family must have access to affordable, quality childcare and early education and why we must provide universal pre-K for all. That is also why I strongly support robust funding for Head Start and Early Head Start, our nation’s proven programs that provide comprehensive development and early learning services for low-income children and their families.

K-12 Education

A child’s zip code should never determine the quality of their education. I am committed to increasing federal investment in our public schools to guarantee equitable opportunities for every student so they can be set up for a healthy, successful life. That means investing in school infrastructure and resources to ensure that students are learning in safe and updated classrooms, reducing class sizes, fighting against book bans, and fulfilling our promise to students with disabilities. It also means investing in our teachers so that we can attract, train, and retain the best educators for our students. We also must prepare our students for a 21st century world by expanding science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities and strengthening access to arts and music education. And we must invest in the mental well-being of our youth, which is why I have introduced my bipartisan bill, the Increasing Access to Mental Health in Schools Act, to put more qualified mental health professionals in low-income schools. The bill would also encourage more people to become school counselors by offering student loan forgiveness in exchange for their service to high-need communities. This bill will help students, school districts, and the mental health services professions, all while meeting an urgent need to provide mental health services in schools.

Making Higher Education More Affordable

Colleges and universities are engines of our economy and a proven pathway to a better future for many, but the rapidly rising costs of tuition have excluded too many students from attendance. And countless students who do attend find themselves saddled with crushing student loan debt, preventing millions from moving forward with their lives. That is why I strongly supported President Biden’s decision to provide student debt forgiveness to tens of millions of million working- and middle-class Americans. Unfortunately, in June 2023, the Supreme Court struck down that debt forgiveness plan, preventing the Biden-Harris Administration from delivering this essential relief to the borrowers who need it most. However, the Biden-Harris Administration continued to find ways to provide student debt relief wherever possible, including by making significant improvements to income-driven repayment and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and by providing relief for students who were victims of for-profit college fraud.

I am committed to finding long-term solutions to make higher education more affordable. That is why I have consistently advocated to double the Pell Grant and supported legislation that would eliminate tuition at all community colleges and for working- and middle-class students at 4-year public colleges. I also lead legislation, the POST GRAD Act, to reinstate subsidized federal loans for graduate students, which do not accrue interest while students are still in school and will save students thousands in debt. I look forward to continuing my work in Congress to make higher education affordable for all.