Democratic challenger, Kevin Strouse, in his run for the 8th District congressional seat, has made affordable higher education the centerpiece of his campaign.
Lowering student debt and making tuition costs affordable is a key piece in Strouse’s agenda. He believes the government should support new investment approaches to reduce the financial burden placed on students and their families.
Strouse’s main concern over education funding is that many families are experiencing a drop in household income while tuition costs continue to rise.
“No child who gets into college and wants to go should be denied that opportunity,” said Strouse.
Strouse claims that fast-tracking bachelor’s degrees, increasing the use of online learning, and investing in employment and apprenticeship programs are critical to improving higher education.
“I went to college through the G.I. Bill, and I want all Pennsylvanians to have the same access to a quality education that I had,” said Strouse.
Strouse’s family has a history of military service. Both of his grandfathers served in World War II and his father fought in Vietnam. Deciding to follow their legacy, Strouse left for training as an Army Ranger in Ft. Benning, Georgia, after graduating Columbia University in 2001 with a degree in literature.
Strouse completed three tours in Afghanistan and one tour in Iraq with the rangers. After Strouse finished his service in 2004, he joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for nine years.
In 2009, he graduated from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. with a master’s degree in security studies.
In 2013, he left the CIA and moved to Middletown, Pennsylvania with his wife, Amy, and their two children.
Strouse currently works as the program director of Teach2Serve, an educational program with goals to inspire and educate participating high school students.
Along with college improvements, he values the importance of early education advancements and identifying needed improvements. Strouse supports Tom Wolf’s plan to restore a billion dollars to fund schools in Pennsylvania.
“Providing every child access to early, quality education would go a long way to helping us compete in the 21st century global economy and reduce inequality,” said Strouse.
Strouse believes that putting more time into finding teachers with advanced qualifications, thoroughly funding special education and keeping classroom resources up to date are needed in order to strengthen our education system.
“We must also refocus teaching to meet the challenges of a 21st Century economy, with a greater emphasis on science, technology, and math—without merely ‘teaching to the test’,” said Strouse.
Kevin Strouse on the key issues:
•Rebuilding the Middle Class – his plan includes strategies to improve the education by creating a universal Pre-K, ending high-stakes testing, and making college more affordable; improve infrastructure by passing a multi-year highway bill, investing in a 21st century smart grid, and creating a national infrastructure bank; help small businesses succeed by simplifying the tax code, reauthorizing the export-import bank, and supporting a fair wage.
•Protecting Women’s Rights – he is in favor of a women’s right to choose and funding for Planned Parenthood. He is against employers restricting a women’s access to affordable birth control.
•Washington Dysfunction – his plan to get the government working for the people includes banning politicians from becoming lobbyists, co-sponsoring legislation to require Congress to pass all 12 appropriations bills by the start of the fiscal year in order to get paid, supporting the Empowering Citizens Act to reform the public financing system, and increasing transparency and accessibility for his constituents.
•Natural Gas and Fracking – he plans to support legislation to require the natural gas industry to disclose all chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process, fight to repeal the Halliburton loophole and bring natural gas drilling under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act.