Elizabeth Esty Interview

Democrat Elizabeth Esty appeared on local radio station WNPR as part of the "Where We Vote" series. During the discussion with host John Dankosky, she tackled many topics such as social security, the middle- class, education, just to name a few.

On the topic of higher education in particular, Esty was asked:

Question: tell me how would you make higher education more affordable for not only Connecticut residents but America?

to which she responded: 

Answer: “...I think we need to stand strongly by the federal programmes that are supporting what otherwise is a crushing student debt but I think we need to step back further and just say as a country do we believe in supporting higher education and one of the areas were we could do differently and better, we’ve seen small steps say in supporting medical students who commit to serve underserved communities... I think we should seriously look at supporting through educational either grants, perhaps better yet loan forgiveness for students who choose to enter these areas where we know we have jobs that are sitting open right now and they’re tough academic programmes...I think we could do more to encourage students to be perusing the kinds of degrees and the kinds of skills that actually would be really helpful and really valuable in the economy."

Esty's response seemed to be consistent to what she had previously mentioned in terms of education. For instance she states on her official website:

Insisting on results and accountability:  We must look hard at the performance of our current education system and figure out how to deliver better results for children.  The limitations of the last decade of “teaching to the test” as well as the impact of budget cuts at the local, state, and national levels, demand that we do things differently.  It is not enough to have admirable goals – we must insist on real results.  That is why I believe that we need to work more closely with business as well as education professionals to prepare children for the future.  

Preparing for 21st Century jobs:  We need to revamp our education system to equip our children for 21st century jobs, which require solid grounding in math, science, and technology.  I support greater incorporation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) curriculum as well as increased emphasis on mentoring and apprenticeships to put that knowledge to use in real world settings.  A system of strong vocational training in high school, combined with apprenticeships and 1 or 2 years of post high school education, would create a talent pool of highly skilled workers who will be able to compete globally in the new economy.

Also at an environmental forum for the 5th Congressional District candidates on October 3rd, Esty was quoted as saying:

"We have to look at loan forgiveness to incentivise young people to persue degress in areas where we know we need help,"