Education

By Edward R. Royce

Co-sponsored and voted for H.R. 1, which boosted federal funding for our schools by 27%.

All skills begin with the basics of reading and math. Yet for too long, many children simply went from grade to grade, never learning those skills. That is why I co-sponsored and voted for H.R. 1, which boosted federal funding for our schools by 27%. What we now need to do is ensure that more of this money gets directly into the classroom where children and teachers need it most. I also have supported requiring higher standards, and testing for every child on these fundamentals, and ensuring results are being reported to parents to make sure they are kept informed about how their children are doing in their local schools.

We are fortunate to have good schools in Orange County, but the same cannot be said for schools in other communities. Testing is the only way to identify and students who are falling behind. I don't think that we should have go back to the days of simply passing children along from grade to grade, without ascertaining whether they have learned the basic skills they need to succeed.

I believe that we must ensure that students can continue their education after high school. For the past several years. I have hosted a "Paying for College Workshop" to educate parents and students about college affordability. This helps people make sensible decisions about college financing while educating them about the entire financial aid process.

I have also been a congressional champion for Education IRA's that now allow families to save for higher education and voted to make the exclusion for employer education assistance permanent and extend it to graduate-level courses.