Education

Education is the foundation for opportunity and a better life. Scott went to college with the help of student loans and a federal work-study program, when college cost 1,482.63% less than today. Scott believes all students deserve a quality, affordable education and that technical training and STEM education must be expanded to meet the demands of the 21^st century workforce. Scott is working to improve early childhood education, increasing access to education for veterans and active-duty military, supporting teachers, and creating dynamic and safe schools to realize this goal.

Improving San Diego Public Education and Affordability

All students deserve a safe place to get a quality education. Education should provide a path to level the playing field for all children. Scott is dedicated to investing in our education workforce to support a public education system where students are treated equitably and feel supported. Scott works towards this goal by:

• Introducing and passing Employer Participation in Repayment Act, which incentivizes employers to support their workforce by making employer-provided student loan payments tax-exempt up to $5,250/year.
• Expanding access to Pell Grants, including supporting efforts to increase the maximum individual award, increase the amount of total semesters a student may receive a Pell Grant, and index Pell Grant awards to inflation.
• Ensuring that students in schools are safe from extreme punishment through cosponsoring the Keeping All Students Safe Act, which would eliminate the use of seclusion and inappropriate restraint of students in the classroom.
• Implementing additional incentives for educators to serve in early education and high need public schools by expanding the Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) Program to early educators and schools leaders and allow service towards TLF and Public Service Loan Forgiveness to count concurrently.
• Securing $1,550,000 for the San Diego College of Continuing Education for their Gateway to College and Career for Transition Age Foster Youth. This project will help prevent vulnerable transition age foster youth from experiencing poverty, homelessness, and mental health challenges by providing services, learning opportunities, job training and internships.

Promoting Access to STEM Education

The growing demand for jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) requires that the U.S. workforce is prepared to fill the jobs of the future. Yet, data shows we are not doing enough to equip students with the skills they need. San Diego leads in science, benefitting from top institutions and companies that teach and value software skills like programming and data analytics. Those skills need to be cultivated at an early age, which is why supporting STEM education is so important.

• Scott secured $2,160,000 for the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to develop curricula and remote modules for future STEM leaders. This project helps democratize access to cutting edge technologies and better prepares a diverse and talented pipeline of working professionals.
• Scott helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law in 2022, which authorized new and expanded investments in STEM education and training from K-12 to community college, undergraduate, and graduate educations.

Supporting Military Families and Veterans

1.2 million veterans, active-duty military, and military-connected family members and survivors live in San Diego County, making up 39% of the county’s population. It is crucial to support both those who have served our country and their families – we owe it to them. Servicemembers and students from military families often face many challenges, including trouble transitioning back to civilian life, turbulence in their personal life due to frequent moves and parent deployment, and struggles with service-related disabilities. Scott works to ensure our servicemembers have access to quality educational opportunities by:

• Supporting legislation that would lower the average daily attendance Impact Aid threshold so that San Diego Unified can be better equipped to serve over 5,500 military-connected children.
• Cosponsoring the Veteran Education Empowerment Act, which would help veterans and military-connected students mitigate unique challenges and receive specialized support by funding Student Veteran Centers at colleges and universities across the U.S.