Congresswoman Angie Craig Visits Elementary School to Highlight Need for Critical Education Investments
Craig talked with students, teachers, and administrators about the need for increased investments in special education funding and building improvements
On Friday, May 24th, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig visited Lincoln Center Elementary School in South St. Paul to reinforce her support for safe, welcoming and high-quality public schools for every student.
As the daughter of a teacher, wife of an educator and a mother to four sons, Rep. Craig has made it her priority to make sure the federal government invests in our teachers, the infrastructure of our schools, as well as upholds its promise to fund special education programs and Title 1. That's why she is cosponsoring the Rebuild America's Schools Act of 2019, and the bipartisan IDEA Full Funding Act of 2019. Additionally, in her strong support of teachers, she is a cosponsor of the Educators Expense Deduction Modernization Act of 2019 to double the amount educators are able to deduct on their out-of-pocket expenses such as school supplies and books for their classrooms.
"There is no substitute for high-quality education. Our public schools give our students the skills they need to become future leaders in our communities and earn a good life for our families," said Rep. Craig. "Investing in infrastructure and special education funding reflects our shared commitment to the talented students who are building a bright future for all of us."
"Many of the students in our special education programs have goals around functional communication, social skills and social cognition, like eye contact, and self-regulation, like being able to maintain calm in different parts of the school day," said Allison Jenson, Lincoln Center Students With Unique Needs (S.U.N.) Program Teacher. "Projects like these give our students a chance to practice those things in real time. They take a lot of pride and ownership of their work with this project. It gives them the chance to get up and move during the day, and to interact with other adults in the building."
"Fully funding special education as required under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) would go a long way to helping us provide more programs like these that are really helping some of our neediest students," added Kelly Tetrick, South St. Paul Director of Special Services.
