Raimondo: More state support for education
At conference hosted by Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club, governor touts her support for pre-K, college subsidies
PAWTUCKET – Regardless of where a student grows up, whether it’s Pawtucket or Central Falls, Barrington or East Greenwich, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo said that she believes they deserve the same chance at getting an education.
“I’m a believer that your zip code and where you happen to be born shouldn’t determine your life’s chances,” the governor said.
As Raimondo looked around the tables filled with women inside the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket’s Teen Center on Tuesday morning, she noticed that she had something in common with virtually every woman in attendance – that she was a mother. Saying that being a mother is “the most important thing that I am in life by far” and “what drives so much of what I do everyday as governor,” Raimondo said she knew the value of providing children with education and a feeling that they are loved.
“I know how much they flourish when you talk to them at home, when they get a hug and some love and attention at a very early age,” she said. “Both of my kids really blossomed when they went to pre-K … My core belief is that every kid deserves the opportunities my kids have.”
Raimondo was one of a handful of guest speakers at the Rhode Island Head Start Association’s “Ready, Set, Kindergarten” conference. In addition to the governor, speakers in Pawtucket on Tuesday included U.S. Congressman James Langevin, former Central Falls School Superintendent Fran Gallo, and Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner Ken Wagner.
Created in 1965, Head Start is a taxpayer-funded program that fights poverty by offering services to lowincome children between ages three to five.
Raimondo took the opportunity to promote her “free college” plan for Rhode Islanders.
“Right now, set that goal for yourself and your kids, to get that degree past high school, because that’s a good ticket to a middle-class life,” Raimondo said, touting her proposals such as free college tuition to the state’s public universities, free SAT tests for high schoolers, and money in the state budget to fund pre- school, all- day kindergarten, and Head Start.
Raimondo said that a goal from her administration has been to ensure that 70 percent of Rhode Island students have some degree past high school so they can have the best chance on the job market. In addition to her proposal to have three-quarters of third-graders reading at grade level by 2025 – an “ambitious goal,” she said – the objective is to invest in education at the youngest age.
“You have to invest at the front end in order to be able to make sure kids are ready,” she said. “These are good investments. It is much less expensive and much better to invest in pre-K than to invest later in social services for folks that don’t have jobs.”
The governor later said that Rhode Island has and continues to need to have high- quality pre- kindergarten programming, saying that kids flourish and have a better chance of doing well in school if they had highquality programming at a younger age.
“Since becoming governor, I’ve brought about allday public kindergarten for everybody, it shouldn’t matter what zip code you’re in,” the governor said. “Last week, for the first time ever, we provided the SAT for free and the PSAT for free in every public school, even if you come from a zip code that’s lower income.”
The governor also promoted “Prepare RI,” a program where every student, regardless of their school district, can take courses for college credit while they’re still in high school.
The governor also said that she worries daily about potential cuts from the federal government and the administration of President Donald J. Trump – cuts which would threaten the state’s ability to fund her proposals.
However, she said “we’ll fight against that,” and called on those in attendance to not get discouraged, but to work alongside her.
“My message is it matters so much because every life matters the same and every kid matters the same. They all deserve a chance. None should be left behind by the time they reach third grade,” Raimondo said.
“Our state will be stronger and these kids will get the chance they deserve … Let’s work hard everyday for a brighter day and opportunity for everybody,” Raimondo said, concluding her speaking program. The audience then gave the governor a standing ovation.