US Education secretary to launch back-to-school bus tour that includes swing states
WASHINGTON (INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Thursday he is launching a “2024 Back to School Bus Tour” in early September that will include stops in multiple battleground states across the United States as he and other Biden administration officials highlight their work in investing in public education.
While not a campaign event, the Sept. 3-6 tour will take place in the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, along with stops in Indiana and Illinois. As schools are getting back in session, the department said Cardona, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten and Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal will shed light on the administration’s “commitment to helping students and communities recover from the impacts of the pandemic by improving academic achievement and succeed from cradle to college and career.”
Cardona said “this year’s Back to School Bus Tour will remind the American people why the Biden-Harris Administration has unapologetically fought for public education, the foundation of opportunity in this country, and the contrast between our efforts and those who wish to destroy public education,” per a Thursday statement.
The Education secretary added that he is “looking forward to lifting up what’s working in public education and celebrating the exciting work taking place in our schools and communities to ensure that all students, no matter their race, place, or background, have opportunities to succeed and contribute to our country.”
Cardona and other officials will be talking about some of the Biden administration’s initiatives in education, such as promoting the importance of regular attendance, providing student debt relief — including through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program — expanding full-service community schools and widening mental health support access at schools.
The department said it has invested more than $357 billion under the Biden administration to “strengthen education across America.”
This year’s tour, with a “Fighting for Public Education” theme, will kick off in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Sept. 3. Other stops in the Badger State will include Madison and Milwaukee. The Education Department said White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden and Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will also be at some of the stops.
Officials will also visit Chicago, Illinois, and La Porte, Indiana.
Cardona and other administration officials will then take the tour to Michigan, with stops in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, will join the tour in Grand Rapids, according to the department. NEA is the largest labor union in the country.
The tour will wrap up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and feature U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. Both the NEA and AFT have endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, the vice president.