{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://norcross.house.gov/press-releases?ID=2DFABFC6-F162-4EAD-B757-DD6CD1B1F3A1", "Norcross Welcomes Education Secretary Cardona to South Jersey to Meet with Students, Local Leaders to Discuss College Affordability & Supporting School Reopening Through the Build Back Better Agenda", "2021-07-16", "2021", "2021-07", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Donald Norcross", "N000188", "norcross.house.gov", "norcross", "https://norcross.house.gov/press-releases", "page_html", "CAMDEN, NJ \u2013 Today, U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) welcomed the U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to South Jersey. Secretary Cardona\u2019s visit included a tour of Rowan College of South Jersey, Nursing and Health Professionals Building, a roundtable discussion on the need to pass additional education assistance and a visit to the North Camden City Community Center to meet with high schoolers to discuss reengaging youth and how the American Rescue Plan is getting kids back to school.\n\n\u201cHere in South Jersey, we know the importance of financial support for students and how it benefits not only them, but our communities by creating opportunities for our future leaders,\u201d said Congressman Norcross, a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor. \u201cSouth Jersey remains a leader in innovative higher education programs, however, we must pass additional provisions of the Build Back Better Agenda to get students across the country the resources they need to thrive and create major investments in education. I thank Secretary Cardona for his visit to South Jersey, and I look forward to continuing to work together to build back better.\u201d\n\n\u201cI want to applaud what\u2019s going on here,\u201d said Secretary Cardona, US Department of Education. \u201cEducation is the backbone of our country\u2019s growth and students here are getting skills to fulfill their life\u2019s purpose. It\u2019s exciting when we see systems that work well together and talk to each other and have their students at the center. The build back better agenda is going to accelerate the world we are already living in.\u201d\n\nDuring the visit, Secretary Cardona and Congressman Norcross hosted a roundtable at Rowan College of South Jersey where they met with students and education leaders to discuss making higher education more affordable through provisions within President Biden\u2019s Build Back Better agenda.\n\nRepresentatives present from across the district included President of Rowan College of South Jersey Fred Keating, Chancellor of Rutgers University \u2013 Camden Antonio Tillis, President Rowan University Ali Houshmond, Vice President of Camden County College Dr. David Edwards, Gloucester County Commissioner Bob Damminger, Jesus Calixto, a student at Rowan University and Miriam Craig-Venti, a 2021 graduate of Rowan College of South Jersey.\n\nA video of the roundtable is available here.\n\n\u201cThe American Rescue Plan has provided a lifeline for the schools here in South Jersey,\u201d said Congressman Norcross. \u201cWe are blessed to have such great institutions in our district that work so well together. Now, it\u2019s time to pass additional legislation to deliver resources to students across the country so that they can focus on their education and excel.\u201d\n\n\u201cDuring the pandemic, the federal funding we received was the only way we could survive,\u201d said President Keating of Rowan College of South Jersey. \u201cThis new plan could give us the national structure we need. Designing programs to connect high school students to their future education so that they can see their options is so important.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe must give people options because not every student is the same,\u201d said President Houshmond of Rowan University. \u201cThe moment a student gets into college, they see Rowan and beyond.\"\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think we would have survived without the American Rescue Plan,\u201d said Chancellor Tillis of Rutgers University\u2013Camden. \u201cIt is our responsibility to make sure that there are structured steps to take so that we can get our students from K-12 to the next step. We work here at Rutgers\u2013Camden to make sure students understand what their possibilities are. We look to educate the whole student.\u201d\n\n\u201cAn important part of the American Families Plan is that last dollar that goes to making college affordable for our students,\u201d said Vice President Edwards of Camden County College. \u201cStudents don\u2019t need funding just for tuition but also for technology. During the pandemic students started to reach out to us saying they didn\u2019t have a computer at home, that they relied on that the computer labs on campus. Federal funding was able to allow us to help them and work to close that equity gap.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s so important for us to push education, not just higher education. We take care of our high school program and having schools for the developmentally disabled,\u201d said Gloucester County Commissioner Bob Damminger. \u201cGloucester county is committed to education and working together to find ways to keep college affordable.\u201d\n\n\"Two years ago, I had a mental barrier make me think I couldn\u2019t go to college,\u201d said Jesus Calixto, a student at Rowan University. \u201cLuckily I have a big support system and one day I heard about a state grant that funds low income students and that was my first foot in the door. From then on, it\u2019s been one big rollercoaster full of opportunities.\u201d\n\n\u201cI enthusiastically support the American Families Plan to provide younger children a head start in school and those over 18 a two-year tuition free community college education,\u201d said Miriam Craig-Venti, a 2021 graduate of Rowan College of South Jersey. \u201cTo be hired nowadays you need to hold a degree. Just like the cost of living, education needs to increase, and we must invest in the future of knowledge.\u201d\n\nOn their last stop, Secretary Cardona and Congressman Norcross visited North Camden Community Center where they spoke with students and local leaders about school reopening and ways the American Rescue Plan funding can support efforts to re-engage students. During their visit, they were joined by Camden City Mayor Carstarphen, Superintendent of Camden City Katrina McCombs, Senator Cruz-Perez, Camden County Commissioner Jon Young and local students.\n\n\u201cCamden is a great example of what can go right when everyone works together,\u201d said Congressman Norcross. \u201cThe pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for schools, but Camden\u2019s positive momentum remains uninterrupted, thanks to the leadership and resources from the American Rescue Plan. The city of Camden \u2013 and especially its public schools \u2013 is resilient and will come out of this crisis ready to continue its progress.\u201d\n\n\"We are honored to be a part of the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona\u2019s visit,\u201d said Camden City Schools Superintendent Katrina McCombs. \"We are grateful to President Biden and his Administration for addressing the devastating impact Covid-19 has caused, in particular its impact on public education. As we prepare to come back into our school buildings, the American Rescue Plan will provide our district with the resources we desperately need to support our students\u2019 return as well as provide a sense of normality for our staff and families.\"\n\nThe American Rescue Plan passed the House in March and was quickly signed into law by President Biden, delivering funding to get vaccines into arms, students back in school, money in pockets and people back to work.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-03-30T11:08:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://norcross.house.gov/press-releases?ID=2DFABFC6-F162-4EAD-B757-DD6CD1B1F3A1"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8489349856972694, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}