With elections coming up in November, candidates running for election in the Tucson area are being watched for their stance on education. Candidates’ viewpoints on education and the candidates’ own education background are coming to the forefront of voters’ interests.

Fred DuVal (D)

DuVal attended Tucson High School and received a Bachelor of Arts from Occidental College and a law degree from Arizona State University. He plans to invest in education from K-12 to community college, vocational training and university by making it accessible to more people.

“With a serious investment in education, we can encourage new businesses — large and small — to start and grow,” according to DuVal’s website.

Doug Ducey ®

Ducy attended Arizona State University and received a Bachelor of Science in finance. He said he believes that the money spent on education in the state, which, according to his website, adds up to around $8700 per child, should be better spent. He plans to work on teaching techniques before increasing education spending.

“We need to make real reforms and get better results from the money we already spend, rather than simply throwing money into a system that’s under-performing,” according to Ducey’s website.

Ron Barber (D)

Barber attended Rincon High School in Tucson and received a Bachelor of Arts from the UA. Barber plans to improve federal policies on education and protect funding for schools. Barber also said that he will continue to try to make student loan debt less detrimental in the students of the future.

“Congressman Barber will continue to work to improve these federal policies, while protecting critical funding for programs that are effective, like Pell Grants for college students and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act programs,” according to Barber’s website.

Martha McSally ®

McSally attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, received a master’s degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and received a second master’s degree in strategic studies from the Air War College. McSally plans to improve the K-12 education system by increasing the amount of vocational initiative. She also plans to decrease the cost of college.

“Taxpayer dollars should be going to improving education, not paying for federal bureaucrats to dictate mandates and standards from [Washington],” according to McSally’s website.
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