U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona 1-on-1: Funding, teacher shortage, mental health

FOX 2 - U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona made three stops across Michigan as part of the 2024 Back-to-School Bus Tour campaign. 

Joined by local and national leaders on Thursday, Cardona first stopped at Grand Rapids Community College where he spoke about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program with educators and recipients. Then he visited Glencairn Elementary School in East Lansing, which is implementing a teacher apprenticeship program to recruit more educators amid a national shortage. 

He wrapped up his Michigan tour at Cass Tech High School in Detroit, discussing the mental health crisis among youths with high school students.

"This year’s theme, Fighting for Public Education, highlights how school communities are using the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments in public education to implement evidence-based and promising and innovative strategies and accelerate academic success, to support students of all ages and backgrounds," according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Education.

To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has erased more than $69 billion in loans for upwards of 946,000 borrowers through PSLF, the U.S. education department states. Also under the current leadership, teacher apprenticeship programs to address the shortage in educators have expanded nationwide.

But before leaving Michigan and heading to Pennsylvania, Cardona visited FOX 2 Detroit to discuss the mission behind the multi-state bus tour. 

"We're celebrating our public schools, but we're also talking about fighting for public education," Cardona said.

The secretary of education highlighted the importance of funding public schools, ensuring competitive teacher salaries, and providing mental health and career support for students. 

"I really want to make sure that our local neighborhood public education institutions have the support that they need to grow. And that means making sure students are reading on grade level. That means we're paying teachers a competitive salary," he said. "In Michigan, teachers start at about $40,000 a year; we have to do better. It's making sure students have mental health access and have pathways to careers, not just for your colleges. So that's what we're fighting for."

The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on students that many are still recovering from. 

In addition to the American Rescue Plan, the U.S. Department of Education announced a $179 million grant focused on supporting literacy programs and quality assessment systems to help students get back on track. 

"We (also) announced $28 million to support Teacher Quality (Partnership) programs. I visited one earlier today where we had a school that looked at their high school students and said, ‘you know, you could become teachers,’ and created a pathway for them to go to college to address the teacher shortage," Cardona said of his Glencairn Elementary School visit.

Watch Cardona's full interview on FOX 2 in the player above.