Kay Hagan

I appreciate your service. I know you have a lot on your plate today.

We cannot seek to balance the budget on the backs of our servicemembers.

Proposals in this budget would result in the inactivation of the Air Force's 440th Airlift Wing from Pope Airfield at Fort Bragg, NC.

I feel strongly that the recent COLA cuts need to be repealed, as I said earlier.

We cannot balance the budget on the backs of those who have answered the call of duty.

If allowed to continue, sequestration will drastically reduce future military readiness and actually jeopardize the national security of our country.

I supported the recent budget after I heard from top military leadership in North Carolina's military community about the urgent need to halt sequestration of our defense budget.

Because this is a benefit that these men and women have really deserved and it has certainly helped from an educational standpoint for those individuals and, as I said, when they transition out.

I think that is a powerful program that allows our servicemembers to pursue education in their off time.

I hope you make this issue a personal priority.

One of my top priorities has been to get help and answers for those individuals in the Marine Corps that have been affected by this water contamination at Camp Lejeune.

If confirmed, I would examine it fully with the States, the National Guard Bureau, the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve.

What happens when a piece of technology breaks here at Phillip O. Berry Academy? Who fixes it? And who pays for that to get fixed?

One of my top priorities is updating the education technology portion of that bill to make sure that it reflects and that it supports the good work that we've heard about here today.

I do think that we in North Carolina are truly leading the way in implementing this digital learning.

For some people, it must take much longer.

But how could you tell which one was right?

I'm more worried about when the younger people go to the next level if they don't have that access in their school systems.

Do you have time after school during professional development time to really coordinate with the other teachers?

So what that brings to the students in North Carolina would be, as you said, an AP Calculus, a BC Calculus, the aerospace course.

We've got to do what needs to be done to get young people prepared, to have access, to have equal opportunity.

Technology is important in school because it provides economically disadvantaged students an equal opportunity to advance along with the fast-paced digital world.

I truly believe that education is our future.

I think a lot of people don't understand that North Carolina has the School of Science and Math, which is a boarding school, 11th and 12th grade.

President Obama chose Mooresville Middle School to come to last June to announce his initiative, ConnectEd.