Cutting teachers' pensions is acting in bad faith. Money was withheld for the pensions from theri salaries and should not be considered as a source for state income.

We are three graduate students enrolled in a Social Welfare Policy Analysis class at University of South Carolina. As part of our group project, we are creating this petition to advocate awareness about Bill H. 3016: Cooperative Dual Credit High School Programs. Dual credit high school programs are established to bring high school students the opportunity to begin and/or complete an associates degree, certificate, or vocational program. Another option is for students to earn up to two years of college credit within the four years they are attending high school. Positive Successes of Dual Credit High School Programs: (1) decrease in retention rates (2) increase in completion rates (3) admission to four year institutions (4) post graduation employment (5) decrease in dropout rates (6) certification and associates degrees completed

“to let undocumented students qualify for in-state tuition, but only if they attended a Florida high school for at least three years. The students would also have to file an affidavit with the college stating plans to legalize their immigration status” (McGrory, 2013).

Tell the student loan authority to reimburse payments taken from disability and social security checks. Seniors and the disabled shouldn't be burdened with these payments.

I have taken part in music programs when I was in school. A lot of kids that take part in art and music and science type programs tend to do better in reading, writing, math and science and it also helps keep kids out of trouble and gives them an outlet for self expression.

Tough choices are facing Washington's legislators as more money is needed for education while social services (and other) programs have been seriously cut during the recent recession years. The choice is whether to cut these programs further, or raise additional revenue to meet very pressing needs. The choice should be for more revenue.

I'm a student at Carthage Middle School. Everyone here would love to get some free time/recess after lunch, when you finish eating early. Recess helps students develop communication skills, such as cooperation and sharing, and helps counteract the time they spend sitting in class.

Our children our future this is espcially true if your a parent its really hard to be a low income parent and to be able to provide your little ones with the same advantages as other kids whose parents are blessed and able to afford to spend money on special preschools or be able to afford medical and dental and be able to make ends meet. Headstart is a blessing for parents whose children are low income our son is in his last year of headstart and they have been a godsend my husband and I are both low income and we are both disabled my husband is a disabled veteran its hard to make ends meet. Our son has thrived at headstart since he is an only child he has been able to make positive and hopefully lifelong friendships with the other kids his age and has learned socialization skils and how to problem solve but he has also learned how to get skills ready for kindergarden he knows his alphabet and counting and I appreciate how they have worked with my son on helping him learn to start writitng and cutting and use his hand muscles he has learned so much he even likes to draw pictures alot better. Even though my son will be starting kindergarden next year it would be heartbreaking too see the budget cuts from the sequester being done on this wonderful program and it would be a big injustice espeially to all the families and decades of children who are living proof of how wonderful headstart has been not only do they help the kids get prepared for kindergarden academically but they also do prevenitve screenings and help kids with any kind of special problems or needs so that they can get that early help for things when its crucial.. My son loves his teachers and all the teachers and the staff at headstart so much and so do us parents they help out with nutrition and teach kids about brushing their teeth and washing hands and give us parents help and the resources to help us transition our kids to kindergarden and to help us with reources so we can help our kids do well for the future. Please do not cut funding to any headstart programs its not right to punish low income preschoolers and their parents who are trying to give them a chance at a good education and a headstart so to speak in life and to help set a positive tone for all of their school years. Please sign this petition if you have been touched by the headstart program whether you are a parent or a kid who was lucky enough to be in headstart or if you work for headstart and if your an educator that knows that the program really does work! Headstart is a really special school for kids and as a parent I feel that it does more for kids than even a preschool that you have to pay for. I am urging all the politicians to put the preschoolers ahead of politics and let the future kids at headstart have a chance to have a real headstart in life too!

Clear Springs High school has made recent staff changes that negatively affects the education of many students. A higher value should be placed on academics rather than athletics.

My name is Ron Rodriguez, and I'm a first-generation college student enrolled in the TRIO program, which helps low-income and first-generation students like myself enter college with the guidance and resources necessary to succeed and become contributing members of society. Thanks to the guidance of my TRIO counselors, I am an honor student with a 4.0 GPA, and an active member of my college community. However, due to the budget sequester-- the TRIO program-- among other vital education services, loans, and programs, is suffering from massive budget cuts, crippling an already ailing program. This week of March 18th, 2013, Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA) will present a bill written in cooperation with the United States Student Association (U.S.S.A.) called the Student Debt Fairness Act of 2013. This bill serves to protect past, present, and future students, including but not limited to: veterans, first-generation students, Upward Bound students, students with disabilities, low-income students, immigrant students, and students receiving Federal loans such as the subsidized Stafford Loan and Pell Grants, from drastic cuts to vital education programs and services. Federal Work Study will see $49 million in cuts, $406 will be cut from Head Start, and $725 million will be cut from Title 1 Grants for disadvantaged public schools, affecting approximately 1.2 million low-income K-12 students. Some college campuses are putting further caps on enrollment into the TRIO program, which serves veterans, low-income, first-generation, minority, and immigrant students. TRIO is facing budget cuts and enforced enrollment reductions due to budget limitations. The TRIO program has suffered $66 million in systematic budget cuts since 2005, and those cuts will increase by another $42 million due to the 'sequestration'. The interest rate of the subsidized Stafford Loan is currently set at 3.4%, but that rate is set to expire in July of this year. Afterward, it will double to 6.8%, with no grace period for college graduates to seek out employment. The Marines have announced they have stopped their Military Education Tuition Assistance Program immediately as a result of the sequester. These are just some of the issues that we should ALL be concerned with as they relate to our nation's education system and economic stability. Building a better higher education system for ALL of our students results in a brighter future for all of us, as they go on to lead productive lives that strengthen our nation's economy, our infrastructure, and our relationships abroad in this growing global economy. Tell them that our college students MUST have the opportunity to pay off their student loans with a fair interest rate, and not be saddled with excessive debt. Tell them that our veterans and students with disabilities WANT their chance to become stronger citizens! First-generation and lower-income students WANT to be citizens that are productive and contribute their talents and skills to our society, and contribute to a stronger economy! Don't cut their programs! Don't cut education funding! That's the foundation of a stronger economy, not budget cuts to education! Tell your Senators and Congress to vote "Yes" on the Student Loan Fairness Act of 2013!

Spending cuts in schools have to stop! Without theses extra-curricular activities, kids loose their creativity in things they might have been good at.

Teachers pay!