What’s on the ballot?
Candidates’ Educational Stances
Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump has proposed several policies relating to education, with the goal of giving educational authority to the states rather than federal oversight. He has vowed to disband the Department of Education and cut federal funding for schools or programs that feature “critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content.” Trump has also expressed support for the idea of “merit pay”, a system in which the amount of money teachers receive differs based on student performance, as well as the proposal to end teacher tenure laws. However, with power over education potentially in the hands of individual states instead of the Department of Education, it is not clear if these suggested policies for teachers will actually be enforced. Jacob Grossman (‘25) provided his input on Trump’s policies.
“I am against Trump’s stance on merit pay,” Grossman said. “It can lead to a lot of disparities, especially with areas that deal with systemic poverty.”
While lighter on policy, Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris openly criticized Trump in her speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) for his proposals to dismantle the Department of Education and has promised to “strengthen public education.” According to news organization Education Week, Harris has also supported increasing wages for teachers, and major unions such as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have endorsed her. Grossman added his opinion on Harris.
“I also feel like Harris hasn’t taken a particularly strong stance one way or another, making me feel very uncertain and nervous about her stance on education,” Grossman said.
In regards to college affordability, a concern for many high schoolers, neither candidate has mentioned new specific policies this year. As NPR details, Harris under the Biden Administration has pushed for federal student loan forgiveness, a policy she has also emphasized in her current campaign. However, this policy faced heavy criticism in nationwide approval polls, and Harris has not made any new promises for student loan forgiveness in the future. Trump, on the other hand, has been strongly against student loan forgiveness. As an alternative, in late November of 2023 he proposed on his policy website the creation of a new college, “The American Academy”, free of charge for Americans.
California Ballot Measures
During the election, Californians will vote for California-specific propositions. These measures are a way for citizens to vote directly for whether or not they want to implement certain legislative measures and citizens’ initiatives, or plans for constitutional amendments, statutes and bond measures introduced by the California legislature or non-politicians, respectively. Out of the ten propositions, two propositions that may affect younger generations are Props.2 and 32. With Prop. 2’s legislation, $10 billion would be used for the construction and modernization of K-12 schools and community colleges, including those within SMMUSD, according to the Santa Monica city government. Many schools across the state are in poor shape, with inadequate funding for renovations and school repairs, and this measure would aim to rectify their situations. Prop. 32 is a citizens’ initiative to increase the minimum
wage. This initiative, if agreed upon, would raise the state minimum wage from $16 to $18, and would be enforced starting from January 2025, with the remainder of 2024 being raised to $17. If voters say “yes,” California will have the nation’s highest state minimum wage.