As a Teacher and Parent of children in public schools, I have watched class sizes steadily increase while the quality of education declines. Quite frankly, we should be embarrassed by the state of our schools. You were elected for a reason. It's time to fix our broken school system with permanent, stable funding. Please act now!

I have personally been effected by student loans I cannot afford to pay back. The interest just keeps mounting up and there seems to be no way out. I got my BS degree thinking I would be making a good salary when I finished college, but was suprised to see the jobs I qualified for only paid a little more than mimimum wage. I wish I would never went to college and kept the job I had for 10 years.

I have had personal experience with the issue of the expense of higher education. My children have had college loans that seem never ending and they are soon going to have their own children with theses problems.

There are currently two bills in front of Michigan lawmakers, HB 4072, SB 133 that will circumvent/ eliminate the state requirement for one year fine arts credit for high school gradiation. This will be devastating to the performing, visual and practical arts curriculum for all Michigan's students, especially in struggling districts, where creative thinking skills and education are most needed.

Student loan debt continues to grow at a steady rate while middle income salaries have flat-lined for 30 years and the ideals of earning a degree to contribute to society both financially and socially are dwindling. Citizens want to continue their pursuit of their American Dream and they are willing to try anything to reel in their debt and start building capital, including playing lottery games like Powerball. We have learned quickly that few win in Powerball, and their winnings don't make much of a difference to the rest of us playing. I request that we consider a nationwide Student Loan Lottery game. Players (both with debt or without) could purchase tickets either online or at convenience stores. Jackpots could be used to pay student loan debt incurred to that date, if short, remaining debt would remain, if some funds remained following payoff - they could be added to the future jackpot. In essence, we could pay off each others student loan debts and truly make a difference.

Public policy should be based upon evidence.

Public schools have been decimated over the past few years and, when you increase funding, this funding is going towards testing, teacher evaluation systems, new programs, etc... instead of going for the students. This money should be going towards bringing back teaching assistants, bringing class sizes back down to previous levels, and bringing back social workers and psychologists to work with students who desperately need their services. If an individual claims to be a "lobbyist for the children", then they must do what is best for the children.

Coach Grisham was recorded by a student ranting and raving about the physical build of FLOTUS Michelle Obama. Although he has the right to his personal opinion, he does not have the right to state that opinion before students and others who may look to him as a role model. He used profane language and made the statement sound very racist. He also was noted to have said “I don’t believe in queers. I don’t like queers. I don’t hate them as a person, but what they do is wrong and an abomination against God.” This person is not the role model needed to teach impressionable children. Although the Lauderdale County High School coach was suspended by the school board this decision needs to be revisited and he needs to be fired and his teaching certificate should be revoked.

Let us cut the umbilical cord from the Texas State Board of Education to every School Book Publisher in the US. Because Texas is the major purchaser, by far, of schoolbooks used by children in every state, every schoolbook publisher in the United States must toe the Texas School Board of Education line. No State Board should be the national umpire for the contents of the schoolbooks every American schoolchild is taught by. Unless you live in Texas, you have no say on what schoolbooks contains. Our top priority in education must be one that starts our children equally on their path to education based on access to the broad aims of the Nation rather than narrowly to those of any one State.

The cost of college tuition has been increasing dramatically and this needs to stop. It is preventing many individuals from receiving an education. It is important that our future leaders of America benefit from the education system in order to improve our country.

My son attends Wadsworth Elementary School, which has been targeted for school closure. Our children's education and safety should be our top priorities, and dis-investing in our community schools should be stopped.

Immigrant youth should not be hindered from working towards a more promising future solely because they were brought to the United States by their parents at a young age without legal status. We believe the Iowa DREAM Act (SF80) would be a good building block for needed immigration reform and help add talented, motivated, and multi-lingual people to our workforce. They are important to our ability to counteract the serious demographic and workforce challenges we face in Iowa. The Dream Act represents a practical, fair, and compassionate solution for young persons who simply want to reach their potential and contribute to the well-being of our state. Please join us in telling Iowa lawmakers to pass the Iowa DREAM. act.