The Honorable Ron Kirk to Join OFA-Florida for Roundtable Discussion on Education at Broward College
FORT LAUDERDALE – Monday, Sept. 24, The Honorable Ron Kirk will join OFA-Florida at Broward College in downtown Fort Lauderdale for a roundtable discussion on education. (Broward College Board Room, #1208, at 111 East Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale)
Kirk will be joined by local educators and students who will talk about the importance of a skilled workforce to keep America’s students competitive and President Obama’s efforts to make college more affordable.
President Obama has a vision to create an economy built to last, where those who are responsible, work hard, and play by the rules can be given a fair shot at success, and this starts with education. Since coming to office, President Obama has been a staunch advocate for making education an economic necessity for our nation’s young leaders.
For Florida students, President Obama’s policies mean broader opportunities: new college tax credits for 717,000 Florida students, larger Pell Grant scholarships for 608,000 students, and more affordable loans for 453,000 hardworking students taking responsibility for their education.
From granting waivers on No Child Left Behind to creating the Race to the Top initiative, which Florida was crowned a winner for improving student outcomes by closing the achievement gap, President Obama knows providing a quality education will help this country achieve a full recovery from the middle-out and the bottom-up.
The President’s vision is far different from Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s plan for education. Under the Romney-Ryan plan, Floridians would see Pell Grant scholarships cut and funding for K-12 and special education eliminated, leading to increased class sizes and fewer teachers.
The Romney-Ryan solution for students who are worried about college costs are to “shop around” and “borrow money from your parents.” Their policies would mean fewer Pell Grants, higher student loan interest rates, and the elimination of critical investments needed to ensure America’s students can compete with the rest of the world and secure jobs of the future.
