Maffei releases education plan

SYRACUSE — U.S. Representative Daniel Maffei (D–DeWitt) today announced an education plan that’s intended to “strengthen” education and provide students in Central New York with the “tools they need to succeed.”

Maffei announced his plan during a morning press conference at the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central High School.

The plan identifies six keys to success, which include providing support and “reasonable” timelines for educators; community support and involvement; investing in pre-kindergarten; investments in school infrastructure to support curriculum; career-track and vocational training; and making higher education “affordable.”

Maffei’s plan also includes policy recommendations for achieving these goals.

The recommendations include investing in pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) programs, noting that Maffei is a co-sponsor of the Providing Resources Early for Kids Act (PRE-K Act). The bill would create a new federal-state partnership to improve preschool programs and expand programs to serve more children, according to the report.

It also recommends pursuit of federal grants to invest in the infrastructure that students need, such as high-speed Internet, the report said.

The plan followed roundtable discussions with teachers, administrators, and students from all four counties throughout the 24th Congressional District, his office said.

He visited schools such as Jamesville-DeWitt Middle School, Henninger High School, and Onondaga Community College, according to the report.

Maffei on Sept. 12 also sent a survey to hundreds of educators, soliciting their input on ways to strengthen kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) education.

The survey, which was also available on Maffei’s website, encouraged local educators to provide feedback about the challenges they face and help identify solutions, according to his office.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com