McCain's Voting Record on Education

Do you agree with the way Presidential Candidate Sen. McCain votes on education issues? Check out this Democratic Party report on McCain's voting record over the past 25 years:

"McCain Has Voted Repeatedly Against Fully Funding No Child Left Behind...

2006: McCain Voted Against A Bipartisan Measure Restoring Bush's Cuts To Education. McCain voted against a bipartisan provision sponsored by Sens. Specter and Harkin that would advance $7 billion from FY2008 funding for health, education and labor appropriations into FY2007 in order to restore many of Bush's budget cuts to health care, education and job training programs. [2006 Senate Vote #58, 3/16/2006]

2006: McCain Voted Against Funding For Provision In No Child Left Behind Aimed At Increasing Achievement Among Disadvantages Students In Favor Of A Tax Break. McCain voted against an amendment to increase funding for No Child Left Behind by providing an additional $1 billion in Title I funding. The provision would have been fully offset by eliminating certain corporate tax breaks. [2006 Senate Vote #64, 3/16/2006]

McCain Has Opposed More Funding For Teacher Training Programs…

2001: McCain Voted Against Funding For 100,000 New Teachers. McCain voted against an amendment authorizing $2.4 billion for FY 2002 for a Federal program to assist States and local educational agencies to recruit, hire, and train 100,000 new teachers in order to reduce class sizes in the early grades to a national average of 18 students per classroom; and authorizes such sums as necessary for each of FYs 2003-2008 for the program. [2001 Senate Vote #103, 5/15/2001]

2000: McCain Voted Against $2.2 Billion For Recruitment And Mentoring For Teachers. McCain voted against an amendment that would replace the language of the bill with the text of the Democratic substitute amendment, which would increase the general estate tax exemption for a couple to $4 million, as well as the family-owned business exemption to $8 million per couple by 2010 and uses projected savings to fund various education programs, including $1.3 billion in grants and loans for repairs for schools in high-needs areas, and $2.2 billion for the recruitment, mentoring and professional development of qualified teachers. (CQ) [2000 Senate Vote #184, 7/13/2000]

2000: McCain Voted Against Increasing Funding To Enable Colleges To Train More New Teachers By Over $200 Million. McCain voted against an amendment to increase funding for Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants from $98 million to $300 million in order to enable colleges to train more new teachers. [2000 Senate Vote #153, 6/28/2000]

2000: McCain Voted Against $2 Billion To Recruit And Train Teachers. McCain voted against an amendment that would provide $2 billion to help schools recruit and train teachers. It would provide $1.75 billion to fund President Clinton's proposal to hire 100,000 new teachers to reduce class size and authorize $1.3 billion in grants and loans for emergency school repairs and renovations. (CQ) The underlying bill used block grants. [2000 Senate Vote #90, 5/3/2000]

McCain Also Voted Against Programs Aimed At Helping Disadvantaged Students…

McCain Repeatedly Voted Against Breakfast And Lunch Programs For Low Income Students. McCain voted against several amendments authorizing as much as $5 million for outreach efforts and start-up grants for state school breakfast and lunch programs for low-income children. [1997 Senate Vote #200, 7/24/1997; 1997 Senate Vote #162, 7/9/1997; 1997 Senate Vote #8, 2/11/1997; 1996 Senate Vote #213, 7/23/1996; 1995 Senate Vote #613, 12/22/1995]

2003: McCain Voted Against $20 Million For Dropout Prevention. McCain voted against an amendment increasing funding for various education programs by $210 million including $20 million for dropout prevention. [2003 Senate Vote #322, 9/3/2003]

2001: McCain Voted Against 1,000 Technology Centers In Disadvantaged Communities. McCain voted against an amendment to the 2001 Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization bill authorizing the Office of Education Technology to award competitive grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements in order to create 1,000 community technology centers for disadvantaged residents of distressed urban or rural communities, and authorizing $100.0 million for FY 2002 and such sums as necessary for each of following six FYs. [2001 Senate Vote #96, 5/9/2001]

1983: McCain Voted Against Funding For School Desegregation. In 1983, McCain voted against the Emergency School Aid Act, which authorized grants to local school districts to help them offset the costs of school desegregation. [1983 House Vote #162, 6/7/1983]

And McCain Repeatedly Has Denied Struggling Students Crucial Access To Federal College Aid…

McCain Voted Against Additional Funding For Pell Grants Repeatedly . [2005 Senate Vote #268, 10/25/2005; 2001 Senate Vote #153, 5/22/2001; 2001 Senate Vote #155, 5/22/2001]

2005: McCain Voted For The Final 2005 Budget Reconciliation With Largest Student Loan Cuts in History. Senate Republicans voted for the final version of the 2005 budget reconciliation bill, which passed 50-50 with the Vice President casting the tie-breaking vote. The package cut $12.7 million from college loans, the largest cuts to the student loan program in its history. [2005 Senate Vote #363, 12/21/2005; 12/21/2005; AP, 12/19/05; Washington Post, 12/19/05; Minnesota Budget Project, 1/17/06]

2000: McCain Voted Against A $12,000 Annual College Tuition Tax Credit. McCain voted against an amendment that would increase the general estate tax exemption for a couple to $4 million, as well as the family-owned business exemption to $8 million per couple by 2010, and provide that up to $12,000 per year for college tuition may be tax deductible for taxpayers with a top marginal rate of 28 percent. The college tuition provision would fully phase in by 2002. It also included a tax credit for teachers seeking board certification. [2000 Senate Vote #182, 7/13/2000]"

Source: The Democratic Party: http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/07/mccain_watch_ed.php

Kim's Note: It's rather disturbing that Sen. McCain voted against funding for school desegregation. I'd like to know more about that. Watch for future posts. Or feel free to comment.

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