Noriega lays out education plan

AUSTIN (AP) - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rick Noriega released an education plan Monday that proposes reforming the No Child Left Behind Act for public schools and increasing grants and loans for college students.

Noriega also proposed expanding funding for pre-kindergarten programs and helping states increase pay for inner-city and rural teachers.

"Investing today in our education system will more than pay for itself tomorrow. Texas has already seen the benefits of a work force equipped for high-technology and high-skill fields," Noriega stated in the plan, which was being released in at Austin news conference. The Associated Press obtained a copy in advance.

The Houston state legislator is trying to unseat first-term Republican Sen. John Cornyn in the November election.

Cornyn's campaign responded by saying that Cornyn has been a leader in education reform.

"He is committed to limiting the government's burdensome role, empowering local schools and teachers with the flexibility and tools to develop tomorrow's leaders," his campaign said in a prepared statement.

Cornyn co-sponsored legislation authorizing more than $30 billion to invest in science, technology, engineering and math research and education programs, his campaign said. It also said he introduced a bill to ensure parents are properly notified about their options when their children's schools "aren't making the grade."

Noriega did not immediately provide a cost estimate for his proposals.

Noriega noted that Texas ranks the lowest in the nation in the percentage of adults who have at least a high school diploma and that from 2002 to 2006 tuition and fees at public universities increased more than 60 percent.

He said he wants to require any college that accepts federal assistance money to allow students to lock in a flat tuition rate. He also proposed increasing the number and size of Pell Grants, the grants for low-income university students, and increasing funding for government-backed student loans.

Cornyn's campaign said he supported legislation that by 2011 will raise the maximum Pell Grant from $4,050 to $6,300 and reduce interest rates on certain federal student loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent.

Noriega proposed ending "illogical rules" from the No Child Left Behind Act for public schools, which he said has created an environment that encourages schools to "game the system."

"Congress needs to demand better oversight in how states and schools report their statistics, and hold leaders accountable for attempts to deceive the system," Noriega said.

Cornyn's spokesman, Kevin McLaughlin, said Cornyn already has introduced legislation to reform No Child Left Behind to reduce regulatory burdens on educators.