1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing in support of the New Democrat Coalition's Workforce and Education Agenda, which includes investments in public schools, training and credentialing pathways for students (including non-college-bound options), as well as workforce development programs for teachers. The strongest piece of this agenda is its strong support for public education. “American students deserve world-class public education from kindergarten onward,” the coalition writes, and they want it for every student. It pledges to protect federal funding for public education, including Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These policies allocate funds intended to support high-poverty populations and students with disabilities. To move this agenda forward, the New Democratic Coalition will continue to work with constituencies, including educators, industry partners, and workforce organizations to build consensus around student and worker transitions to today's quickly evolving workforce. To set a comprehensive policy roadmap with the goal of creating a world-class public education system, better non-college pathways to success, and robust worker support from everyone’s first job to their last, I urge you to support the New Democrat Coalition's Workforce and Education Agenda as it's goals are crafted into legislation, discussed in committee, and brought to the floor for votes so that its pro-public education ideals can be encoded into law. Thank you.