No matter where in the state they live or how much money their family makes, Maine kids deserve a high-quality education. This work has never been more important: Maine’s workforce is aging rapidly, creating a skills and workforce shortage. Jared recognizes the urgent need to prepare Mainers to address these shortages and ready the next generations with the skills required to stay in Maine and take good jobs. 

That means providing schools, particularly in rural areas, with the resources they need to be successful. Teachers are some of the most valuable public servants in Maine. They should not have to struggle to make ends meet and they should have the freedom to teach rather than devoting all their time to testing. Earlier this year, Jared voted to boost funding for K-12 education and provide more support for special education programs across the country. 

Many of the dependable, middle-class jobs in Maine don’t require a four year degree. Industries like shipbuilding and forest products need workers with specialized technical skills. Jared believes we need to improve the pathways to these jobs with better access to training programs and more support for apprenticeships. Jared has stood up against changes that would hurt successful apprenticeship programs. He also passed legislation through the House that directs the Navy to develop and implement a plan to train the workforce necessary for its growing fleet at Bath Iron Works and other shipyards.

Jared knows many Mainers struggle under the weight of student loans, stifling their ability to buy a house, start a family, or launch a business. He’s working to help make higher education more affordable for regular folks. Student loan debt in our state has doubled in the last decade, averaging about $30,000 for recent graduates. These are pressures that older generations just didn’t have to deal with and they keep young Mainers from contributing to their local economies, buying houses, having children, and often pushes them to leave the state in search of higher pay. Jared voted to expand Pell Grants, our country’s largest financial aid program. He is also a cosponsor of the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which improves the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so that teachers, nurses, first responders, and other professions designed to serve their communities can have their loans forgiven after a decade of service.