Kaine’s wife touts Clinton’s plan for free college tuition at Henderson event
At her first campaign event in Nevada, Anne Holton, the former Secretary of Education for Virginia, and the wife of Democratic vice presidential nominee, Tim Kaine, emphasized the importance of reinvesting in public education and making higher education accessible for everyone.
Holton said Tuesday during a roundtable at Nevada State College that she’s “so proud” of Hillary Clinton’s plan to make college debt-free for most families.
“There are industrialized nations that do it,” Holton said. “There’s no reason we — the greatest nation in the world — can’t make higher education much more accessible, especially for those who need higher education as a pathway forward.”
Specifically, Clinton’s policies call for free tuition to in-state public colleges and universities for families with an income of up to $125,000 annually. Clinton’s goal is for that to happen by 2021, with free tuition initially starting for students in families making $85,000 a year or less.
Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.6 million-member American Federation of Teachers, also participated in the event, returning to Las Vegas for about the sixth time this election cycle.
Nevada’s story of its economic boom, the downturn and coming back is the “story of the nation,” Weingarten said. “You get a sense of how special the state is.”
Weingarten is on a two-week swing that has included stops in Wisconsin, Illinois, New Mexico and Las Vegas. She next goes to New Hampshire.
“Obviously, the stakes are high here and it’s a battleground state,” she said.
During the roundtable, Weingarten said the election gives the country the opportunity to “recreate a vision of public schools as an engine of democracy and the propeller of the economy,” as opposed to focusing solely on how well a child does on an English or math test.
Weingarten said Clinton’s proposed policies, which include technical and vocational education programs and expanded renewable energy production and jobs, fit well within the state’s framework for the future.
Voters also see the same benefits to supporting Catherine Cortez Masto, the Democratic candidate running for Senate, Weingarten said. She tied Clinton’s policies for economic growth to what Nevadans want after the state’s cycle of booming growth followed by the downturn during the Great Recession. Nevadans are optimistic about the state’s future, she said.
“It is about the hope for the future and what you’re seeing in the last month is a real connection between Hillary Clinton and Catherine Cortez Masto to the hope for the future,” she saidKaine’s wife touts Clinton’s plan for free college tuition at Henderson event | Las Vegas Review-Journal:
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