Santos Limon

*Candidates: Questionnaire information and responses are for INTERNAL USE ONLY. Please clearly indicate your response to each of the questions. Clarifications, explanations and other information may be attached, but please be certain to make reference to the corresponding question. Please return your completed and signed questionnaire to your NEA state affiliate.

Section A. Opportunity Begins with Great Public Schools for Every Student

Ensuring Every Student Has the Opportunity to Learn

1. Do you support increasing Title I funding with the goal of fully funding it? yes

2. Do you support increasing Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funding? yes

3. Do you support mandatory full funding at the promised 40 percent level for IDEA? yes

4. Do you support federal funding to modernize and improve public school buildings, facilities? yes

5. Do you support steadily increasing federal investment in Community Schools to meet demand and increase expansion of this model? yes

6. Do you support increasing federal investments to help states expand public high-quality prekindergarten programs and to ensure all children have access to full-day kindergarten? yes

7. Do you support increased federal investments in and commitment to; Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian education? yes

8. Do you support increasing funding for high-quality career and technical education programs that help high school and post-secondary students attain credentials, degrees, and skills to secure in-demand jobs and occupations? yes

9. Do you support an honest and holistic education for students, with adequate resources that help them better understand the lives, cultures, and experiences of different people regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender expression, religion, or heritage?

            Yes

Health, Wellness, and Safety

10. Please indicate which of the following you support in regards to Medicaid. (Select all that apply.)

X__  Increasing funding and federal match for Medicaid

X__  Converting Medicaid to a block grant

____ Instituting per capita caps on Medicaid funding

____ None of the above

11. Do you support providing universal healthy school meals for all students, regardless of their families’ ability to pay? yes

12. Do you support ensuring healthy nutrition standards for school meals and snacks, such as the standards outlined in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act? yes
13. Do you oppose any cuts or attempts to block grant funding for school meals, other child nutrition programs, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)? yes
14. Which approaches to preventing gun violence and improvements to safety preparedness in schools do you support? (Select all that apply)

X___ Universal background checks for guns bought in stores, online, or at gun shows

X___ Extending the initial background check review period from 3 to 10 days

X___ Banning assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines, and bump stocks

____ Prohibition on federal funding to purchase firearms and firearms training for educators

X___ Preserving the Gun-Free School Zones Act

____ None of the above

15. Do you support increasing funding for and access to school-based mental health services offered to students by licensed professionals? yes

16. Do you support legislation to protect students’ personally identifiable information and ensure students’ data privacy? yes

Respect for the Profession

17. Which approaches to teacher preparation programs do you support?

X___ Providing incentives for teacher preparation programs to include comprehensive “residencies” serving as clinical practice of at least a year in which experienced teachers provide guidance to teacher candidates and work to develop the skills to be profession-ready upon entering the classroom as the teacher of record

X___ Providing supports for new teachers, including mentoring by experienced teachers X___ Providing incentives for teacher preparation programs to recruit and retain teacher candidates, especially from communities of color and other underrepresented groups, including male teachers, to expand diversity in the teaching workforce

____  None of the above

18. Which approaches to raising educator salaries, as a means of improving teacher recruitment and retention, do you support? (Select all that apply)

X__ Establishing a national minimum salary for first-year teachers

X__ Using federal funds for raising teacher salaries

X__ Federal-state partnerships to raise teacher salaries

X__ Creating grants to support Local Education Agencies or State Education Agencies in raising teacher salaries

___ None of the above

19. Do you support measures that would ensure educators have access to mental health resources? yes

20. Do you support federal funding for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which offers valuable professional development and high standards for educators to further their practice? yes

21. Do you support providing funding that can go toward professional development for education support professionals and specialized instructional support professionals?

            yes

22. Do you believe that each educator has the right to, within generally accepted professional and content standards, exercise their professional judgment in designing age-appropriate lessons, providing resources, and encouraging discussions that offer an accurate, honest, and high-quality education? yes

23. Do you support preventing federal government interference or intrusion in higher education, so that educators and faculty can embrace academic freedom and pursue their research without political encroachment? yes

Accountability for All Public Schools

24. Do you support holding charter schools, including online charter schools and for-profit charters, to the same standards of transparency (i.e. financial, holding public board meetings, and reporting that includes the preservation of historical data) as all public schools? yes

25. Do you support holding charter schools, including online charter schools and for-profit charters, to the same accountability standards/requirements (i.e. civil rights, employment, health, labor, safety, educator qualifications) as all public schools? yes

26. Do you support removing the federal barriers that deter states from replacing standardized tests with new innovative types of assessment for federal accountability purposes? yes

27. Do you support reducing the frequency and number of federally mandated statewide standardized tests in state accountability systems? yes

28. Do you support expanding flexibility in statewide accountability systems that would allow for the inclusion and weighting of a diverse array of indicators that can provide a more well-rounded picture of school quality (such as teacher retention, access to advanced coursework, access to school counselors and nurses, and access to a personal learning device)? yes

School Vouchers and Related Privatization Schemes

29. Please indicate whether you support the following: (Select all that apply)

____ Private school vouchers

____ Education savings accounts for K-12 students

____ Tuition tax credits for K-12 students

____ 529 savings plans for K-12 private school tuition or home schooling

X___ None of the above

30. Do you support private school vouchers for any of these specific populations of students? (Select all that apply)

____ Students from military families

____ Students who attend Bureau of Indian Education schools

____ Students who reside in Washington, D.C.

____ Students with disabilities

____ Students who have been bullied or harassed

____ Students who have been placed in foster care

X___ None of the above

Section B: Opportunity Requires an Economy that Works for America’s Middle Class

Creating a Fair Economy   

31. Do you support a living wage for public-school educators and other public employees that includes increasing the federal minimum wage to at least $15 per hour by 2030, with future wage determinations based on the increase in the median hourly wage for all employees? yes
32. Please indicate which changes to the U.S. tax code you support in order to ensure we have the revenue needed to make critical investments in our students and communities. (Select all that apply)

____ Reducing corporate tax rates

X___ Increasing corporate tax rates

X___ Closing corporate tax loopholes

____ Reducing high-income individual’s tax rate

____ Increasing high-income individual’s tax rate

____ Repealing the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions

____ No change

Making College More Affordable for Everyone

33. Do you support federal reinvestment in higher education to make college more affordable and shift the cost burden away from students and their families? yes

34. Do you support tuition-free community college? yes

35. Do you support broad-based student loan debt cancellation to invigorate the economy and narrow the racial wealth gap? yes

36. Do you support legislation allowing federal student loans to be refinanced—like mortgages—when interest rates decline?             yes

37. Do you support legislation allowing all federal student loans to be discharged during bankruptcy? NO … While some suggest that discharging federal student loans would be consistent with bankruptcy laws in general, it is my experience in the business realm that this has the potential to distort the market incentives, as lenders might raise interest rates or tighten credit if loans are easily discharged. It is my conviction that this would actually create a much more difficult situation in the long run by seeking only a short-term solution.

38. Which of these do you support regarding the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) programs?

X__ Preserving PSLF and TLF

X__ Improving both PSLF and TLF to ensure borrowers are not denied their benefits due to loopholes and flawed implementation by the U.S. Department of Education

___ Neither of these

39. Do you support increasing institutional aid programs under Title III and Title V that provide aid specifically to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Asian-Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, and other Minority-Serving Institutions? yes

40. Please indicate which changes to the Pell Grant award you would support. (Select all that apply)

X___ Expanding the maximum award to keep pace with annual cost of living increases

____  Decreasing the maximum Pell Grant award

____  No change

41. Please indicate which solutions for simplified student loan repayment plans you support. (Select all that apply)

X___ Waiving additional interest, as long as the borrower continues to make payments

X___ Making plans available to all borrowers, regardless of the type of federal student loan they hold

X___ Factoring discretionary income accurately so that it is easier for borrowers to manage and make monthly payments

X___ Ensuring payments count toward achieving Public Service Loan Forgiveness, regardless of the type of repayment plan

___  None of the above

Employees’ Rights and Benefits

42. Do you believe all public sector employees should have the right to bargain collectively? yes

43. Do you support due process rights for all education employees? yes

44. Do you support protecting people from being denied health insurance coverage or being charged more for coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions? yes

45. Do you support providing strong paid leave provisions for all American workers? yes

46. Do you support modifying the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and offering paid leave protections for low-wage workers who do not meet the 1,250-hour threshold currently needed for FMLA benefits because their position/job classification restricts the number of hours they work? yes

47. Do you support maintaining the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health coverage? yes

Retirement Security

48. Do you support eliminating or reforming the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision? yes

49. Do you support raising the Social Security payroll tax cap? yes

50. Which approaches to Medicare policy and funding do you support? (Select all that apply)

____ Raising the Medicare eligibility age to 67

____ Converting Medicare to a voucher system, also referred to as premium support

____ Means testing Medicare benefits eligibility

____ Maintaining at least the current level of benefits for recipients

X___ None of the above

51. Do you support the deferral of income tax on contributions to a pension plan? yes

Section C: Opportunity for All Requires a Democracy that Works for All

Human and Civil Rights

52. Which approaches to improving school climate and discipline practices do you support?

X___ Increasing funding and access to school-based mental health, including the full complement of specialized instructional support staff (i.e. counselors and nurses) and education support professionals (i.e., health and student services staff)

X___ Increasing funding and/or staff support to implement restorative practices in schools

X___ Increasing funding and/or staff to implement trauma-informed services and age-appropriate responses

____ None of the above

53. Which approaches in police reform do you support to address systemic racism in the justice system?

X__ Prohibiting law enforcement agencies from profiling based on race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or other characteristics

X__ Banning physical maneuvers like chokeholds that apply pressure which slows, restricts, or stops blood flow or oxygen to the brain

X__ Mandating dashboard and body cameras for federal law enforcement and requiring state and local law enforcement to use available funds to purchase body cameras

X__ Eliminating the Department of Defense’s (DoD) 1033 program which provides excess DoD supplies and equipment to state, county, and local law enforcement, including school-based police agencies and departments

X__ Removing law enforcement involvement from the school discipline process to reduce unwarranted school-based arrests and referrals of students to the criminal system

____ None of the above

54. Do you support increased funding for the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights so it will have the necessary resources to ensure timely action and enforcement to secure equal education access for all students through extensive data collection, research, investigation, and enforcement of both individual and systemic civil rights complaints and demonstrated problems in our nation’s schools? yes

55. Do you support amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include a ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and sex in the areas of public accommodation, such as education, employment, housing and public spaces?  yes

56. Do you support federal legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people, including current DACA recipients, those eligible to apply for DACA, and other immigrant youth? yes

57. Do you believe your first and foremost duty is to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and to support future election outcomes that have been certified by proper state authorities, as adjudicated by the courts according to the process set forth by the Constitution and federal law, regardless of whether it benefits you or your party?  yes

58. Which of the following do you support in an effort to protect voting rights and facilitate greater civic participation? (Select all that apply)

X__ Automatic voter registration

X__ Same-day voter registration

X___ Early voting

X__ Restoration of voting rights for individuals who have completed felony sentences

X__ Restoration of the Voting Rights Act

X___ Prohibition on purges of voter rolls

X__ Ensuring that discriminatory voter ID requirements do not prevent Americans from exercising their right to vote

X__ Enhancing federal support for voting system security and increasing oversight of election vendors

X__ Transparency in funding sources for federal elections

Section D: Short Answer

59. Do you believe the federal government has a role in fostering educational excellence and equal access for all public school students, regardless of race, Zip code, family income, special needs, language, and other factors? yes

If yes, please provide a short answer describing what you believe that role should be. If no, please provide a short answer describing why you believe the federal government should not play a role in public education.

Federal Government should always have an oversight on procurement and allocation of funding for public schools and students as a high priority.

60. What is your personal background or experience with public schools?

I am a product of public education. I strongly oppose Vouchers and will only support funding for public education.

61. If elected/re-elected, how will you work consistently with NEA and the state affiliate for accountability and relationship-building?

Attending NEA meetings in person when possible; and sending my representative when necessary. Also having town hall meetings with educators to obtain a firsthand response to the potential effects and benefits of proposed legislation or enacted legislation.

62. FOR SENATE ONLY: What would your criteria be for considering confirmation of the president’s nominee for Secretary of Education? What stakeholders would you consult and what knowledge, experience, and expertise would you look for?

63. What criteria would you use to decide whether or not to support nominees to federal courts and to the Supreme Court of the United States?
64. Who or what types of stakeholders will you rely upon to inform your decision and what information about potential nominees will be most important to you?

Stakeholders are our American Citizens.

1. With regard to selection criteria for a Supreme Court justice, what qualifications, knowledge, viewpoints, and experiences do you consider essential for this position?

A person who knowledge and would uphold our American Constitution. Years of experience as a Federal Judge in Abortion, immigration, immunity for an executive chief, affirmative action, Public education, Health care and most important human dignity.

64. What would your criteria be for considering presidential cabinet nominees in general, and what would your process be for vetting nominees’ qualifications, expertise, and position on issues?

Consider years of experience. Review nominee background profile. Review nominee view points and voting positions.