Goldberg Outlines Policy to Strengthen Economic Security in MA

Friday, October 17, 2014

GoLocalWorcester Politics Team

Democratic candidate for Treasurer Deb Goldberg has outlined a series of policies aimed to empower Massachusetts families by dramatically expanding access to financial literacy.

This series of policies offers innovative solutions to make higher education more affordable and also encourages robust investments in apprenticeship programs to help close the Commonwealth’s economy skills gap.

“Too many young people can no longer afford a college education,” said Goldberg. “We must do more to give students the financial skills and assistance they need to get ahead in today’s tough economy.”

Goldberg has also been a strong supporter of Senator Warren’s proposals to allow students to refinance their loans at lower interest rates and looks forward to building consensus across government behind these common-sense solutions to help working families.

Policies

Goldberg outlines several policies in her plan, “Economic Empowerment for Massachusetts Families," which is her second of several policy proposals that she will introduce in the coming weeks.

Policy initiatives include:

• Establish a fundamental principle: no Massachusetts student should graduate from high school without some basic financial literacy education.

• Launch a college savings account for kindergartners at no cost to taxpayers.

• Set up a new customer service hotline in the Treasurer’s office for concerned citizens to call and receive guidance on a wide range of financial issues, including student loan repayment options.

• Expand the Commonwealth Covenant Fund to award additional loan assistance for college graduates who are working in science, technology, engineering, arts and math related fields, shifting the focus from STEM to STEAM to incorporate the arts.

• Enhance the Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership (CDEP), which enables Massachusetts high school students to take college-level courses for free and simultaneously earn college credit as they work toward their diploma, with increased marketing and outreach, particularly in low-income communities where college feels distant and out of reach.

• Work closely with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to better align technology, equipment, and capital projects – particularly in our 64 vocational-technical schools and programs – with business demands in a rapidly-evolving 21st century economy.

• Create new agreements, working collaboratively across state and federal agencies, to enable apprenticeship training to count as college credits toward an associate’s degree or technical certificate at community colleges.