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The following is a transcript of an interview with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona that aired Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022, on “Face the Nation.”
MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning to you, Mr. Secretary.
EDUCATION SECRETARY MIGUEL CARDONA: Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: This is a busy time of 12 months for you, little question. President Biden stated America’s college students are on common two to 4 months behind in studying and in math due to the pandemic. Now, we even have this trainer scarcity. And in some states, like Missouri, plenty of districts are shortening the college week to only 4 days. How a lot extra studying loss will occur due to the scarcity?
SEC. CARDONA: Well, you realize, to start with, I’m enthusiastic about the starting of the college 12 months. This is a 12 months filled with promise and alternatives for college kids who’ve, for the final two years, put up with an excessive amount of. And due to the American Rescue Plan, the {dollars} are there to make it possible for we are able to open up our colleges with enough educators. Our college students want extra, not much less. So after I hear stories of districts shortening up their week, it issues me. Our college students want extra assist. They want smaller class sizes. They want tutors. They want after-school packages. So let’s use the American Rescue Plan {dollars} to deliver again retired lecturers, to work with universities to make it possible for our scholar lecturers are beginning somewhat bit earlier into their career, utilizing the {dollars} that had been put ahead by the federal authorities. We suppose it is vital that our college students get extra this 12 months, not much less.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Americans have pumped billions of taxpayer {dollars} over the previous three years into colleges by way of emergency packages. You talked about considered one of them. Can the federal authorities drive governors to reallocate these funds? I imply, how do you really get governors to do what you are asking them to do?
SEC. CARDONA: Right, you realize, it is not likely about forcing. It’s about working with them. And since we began this administration, we have labored carefully with our states to suggest and permit for these funds for use to handle the points that they are going through. But let’s face it, this trainer scarcity is a symptom of one thing that is been going on for longer than the pandemic, and that is a trainer respect concern. Unless we’re critical about offering aggressive salaries for our educators, higher working situations, in order that they will proceed to develop, after which together with trainer voices on this strategy of reopening and reimagining our colleges, we’ll continuously cope with scarcity points, particularly in our areas which are more durable to show or the place there are much less candidates, like bilingual training administration. We have to focus on this collectively as a rustic. I’ve heard throughout the nation that folks simply need their kids to return again to highschool with a robust program with certified lecturers.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Is it actually nearly cash? Is it actually nearly salaries?
SEC. CARDONA: It’s undoubtedly not nearly salaries. But let’s suppose again the final couple years, you realize, our educators have bent over backwards. We went from completely in-person studying to distant studying in a single day. Yet, the pandemic actually pushed many of those educators out of the career, as a result of in lots of instances, you realize, educators weren’t being revered when colleges needed to shut. It created some tensions in our colleges. We want to verify we’re supporting our educators, giving them the working situations the place they really feel related to the neighborhood and really feel supported in the work that they are doing. Critically vital work. As I stated, earlier than, speaking to educators, college students and oldsters, they acknowledge the significance of our colleges and them being open full time. We want to verify we’re persevering with to take a position not solely cash, however respect and partnership with our colleges.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But in the meantime, it is a matter of what is greatest for college kids. And I wish to ask you, we’re seeing districts change the {qualifications} in order that instructors will be there in school. Oklahoma eradicated a basic training take a look at certification requirement. Arizona now permits folks and not using a school diploma to start instructing earlier than they graduate. In Illinois folks can train in a classroom with simply 90 hours of school training. This seems to be, Mr. Secretary, like the requirements and high quality of American training are being lowered.
SEC. CARDONA: Right, you realize, and it is unlucky. Our college students want extra now, not much less. And whereas I perceive that there are points getting certified educators into the classroom, we have been working actually carefully with our states to provide them not solely the assets, however the concepts on tips on how to assist tackle the short-term concern and incentivize–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you assist these concepts?
SEC. CARDONA: I don’t assist decreasing any requirements for {qualifications} with lecturers. I believe we should be artistic in how we get the lecturers in. For instance, scholar instructing is 4 months of instructing with out pay. I believe we should always use the American Rescue Plan {dollars} to get scholar lecturers and provides them a wage. Many persons are leaving the career or training- the coaching packages for the career as a result of they can not afford 4 months of instructing with out wage. I believe we have to increase the bar on ensuring lecturers are getting paid what they’re due. You know, the instructing career, school graduates earn, on common 33% lower than different college-educated packages or different college-educated jobs. That’s unacceptable. In the final 25 years, once you alter for inflation, lecturers have made solely $29 greater than they did 25 years in the past. We have to do higher there. And that can tackle a few of the scarcity points.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you focused debt aid, scholar debt aid for these lecturers who’re in packages such as you simply talked about?
SEC. CARDONA: Certainly, you realize, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is up and working. We- we supplied a waiver for one 12 months to widen the web of individuals that may reap the benefits of that. So for these of you who’re listening, studentaid.gov, checkout to see when you’re eligible now for scholar mortgage aid. If you are a public servant, and you’ve got labored for 10 years, it is best to have your loans forgiven. We wish to make the course of less complicated, however we’re additionally focusing on ensuring the mortgage forgiveness that we’re offering goes to these of us who’ve been taken benefit of by their establishments. All whole, Margaret, $32 billion since day considered one of this administration in mortgage cancellation for many who both have whole and everlasting incapacity, those that have been taken benefit of by their establishments of upper training. We’re not slowing down. We wish to make it possible for school is extra accessible and extra inexpensive for Americans throughout the nation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you may have a call for us then on what is going on to occur at the finish of this month for households budgeting when it comes to whether or not there might be a suspension of a few of these scholar debt packages?
SEC. CARDONA: Sure, I haven’t got a call for you as we speak. But what I’ll inform you that each day, we’re having conversations about this, and the American of us will hear it earlier than the finish of the month.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We spoke to the superintendent of Los Angeles School District simply final Sunday, and he instructed us that there are roughly 10 to twenty,000 kids who’re simply merely lacking. No concept the place they went. How widespread is that this downside of- of misplaced kids in American college programs?
SEC. CARDONA: You know, it is a- it is a concern, not solely in Los Angeles, however in different components of our nation, specifically city facilities the place we all know the pandemic impacted city facilities, the place their density is- is larger. Many households moved out of cities. So the work that I’ve seen taking place throughout the nation that I’m actually pleased with is the work the place districts are actually hiring of us to work as neighborhood liaisons, household liaisons, the place they’re knocking on doorways, discovering college students, bringing them again into the classroom, re-engaging them. It is a matter. And I’m proud to see that in several components of our nation, we see districts which are actually focusing assets, utilizing the American Rescue Plan {dollars} to search out these households and extra importantly, give them the assist that they want. Oftentimes, it isn’t simply training, you realize, the households falling on arduous instances, or they have- they’ve had loss of their household. So offering the assist that they want is one thing that we’re encouraging our colleges to do. And we sit up for getting these college students again and getting these households again into the classroom.
MARGARET BRENNAN: When I spoke to you a couple of months in the past, you identified the drop in enrollment particularly of the youngest Americans, kindergarteners, preschoolers.
SEC. CARDONA: Yes.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I do know that the CDC has loosened a few of the pointers for colleges in the case of COVID well being steerage. Each district decides its personal insurance policies. But proper now, we’re seeing COVID unfold. We are seeing monkeypox unfold amongst kids. Why is not the Biden administration internet hosting city halls, informing folks extra immediately, as an alternative of getting these very complicated and altering CDC pointers?
SEC. CARDONA: Well, you realize, as a father myself, my kids’s security is my precedence. And it is the precedence for me that every one college students are protected and- and may go to highschool wholesome. That’s why we have been preventing from day one to extend vaccination efforts, to make it possible for the colleges have the instruments for the mitigation methods that they want, that we have now information. Last week, I spoke to Dr. Walensky and Dr. Jha from the White House, about this upcoming college 12 months and we really feel very optimistic that it should be an awesome 12 months, that households should not be apprehensive proper now about monkeypox, and that we have now the instruments that we have to give college students vaccination to maintain them protected in our colleges. Look, the solely factor college students must be worrying about proper now’s making associates on the blacktop. I do not need households or colleges to be pondering that they’ve to consider monkeypox the method we thought of COVID two years in the past. We have higher instruments. We have what we’d like to verify our colleges can open safely. I would like our households fascinated with how this 12 months goes to be a greater 12 months than final 12 months. We have higher instruments, higher assets, and we should always count on a greater college 12 months for our college students and our households.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. Secretary, I believe all of us hope for that. Thank you to your time.
SEC. CARDONA: Yes. Thank you.
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