A good education is the best path towards a successful future for the next generation. As the father of two children, I understand how deeply important it is to fight for small class sizes, quality teachers and schools, and affordable higher education. I have made hundreds of visits to schools in my congressional district over the past few years to listen to parents, students, and teachers talk about the challenges our schools face.

Even in a tight economy, there are jobs available that require highly specialized training but do not demand a college education, such as welders, laboratory technicians, and firefighters—as well as positions in Oregon's growing renewable energy industry. That's why I've been such a strong supporter of our community colleges. As co-chair of the Congressional Community College Caucus, I have fought to provide local schools with the funding they need to offer quality, affordable job training programs in high-demand fields like health care and renewable energy.

Oregonians can continue to count on me to be the representative who will stand by your side and fight for our kids, our schools, and our future.

As your congressman, I have:

• Passed multiple laws to provide emergency education funding for K-12 and higher education to keep Oregon schools open and avoid layoffs of teachers and staff.
• Passed a law to make textbook prices more fair and transparent for students, ultimately lowering the cost of a college education. Textbook costs put an overwhelming burden on many college students.
• Passed a law modeled on an Oregon program to help the thousands of students who struggle with paperwork and bureaucracy each year as they try to transfer from community colleges to four-year schools and universities by reducing required paperwork and streamlining the transition.
• Introduced legislation to help modernize, renovate, or repair public school facilities. The bill, which passed the House, would provide grant funding for schools to replace roofs and lead pipes, remove mold and asbestos, improve energy use, and upgrade classroom technology.
• Introduced class size reduction legislation to help our schools hire more teachers and reduce class sizes, particularly in early grades, where studies show children get a better start from a more focused learning environment.
• Worked to update the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (known as No Child Left Behind during the Bush administration) through my role on the Education and Labor Committee, so that student success is tracked more fairly, small school districts have an equal opportunity to benefit from federal support, and funds are dedicated to reducing class sizes.