Project manager and software engineer Rick Kennedy is running for US House Representative for District 17 in Texas, in the 2020 Democratic primary. After decades working in tech, and after Trump was elected, Rick decided to run for office to try to solve difficult social problems and help end political divisiveness in the country. He joins the podcast to talk about his vision for universal pre-K, the costs of higher ed, rural internet, online disinformation, and more. Related to this episode: • Rick Kennedy’s campaign: https://rickkennedyforcongress.com/ • US House District 17: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas%27s_17th_congressional_district • Texas ranked 36th nationally in per-student education spending: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/15/texas-student-teacher-spending-average/ • Title 1 federal funding for schools: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html • Accreditation of Marlin ISD in Texas: https://www.kxxv.com/news/local-news/tea-revokes-marlin-isd-accreditation-no-longer-recognized-as-public-school • The return on investment of early childhood education: https://www.impact.upenn.edu/our-analysis/opportunities-to-achieve-impact/early-childhood-toolkit/why-invest/what-is-the-return-on-investment/ • Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/two-years-after-the-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-who-are-the-winners-and-the-losers-2020-02-11 • Tips for protecting yourself from disinformation: https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/02/26/4-ways-to-protect-yourself-from-disinformation/ • HR1 We the People Act on gerrymandering and redistricting: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1/text • Voting information for Texas: https://www.votetexas.gov/ Subscribe and find more podcast information at: http://www.k12engineering.net. Support Pios Labs with regular donations on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs, or send one-time contributions by buying us coffee: https://ko-fi.com/pioslabs. Thanks to our donors and listeners for making the show possible. The K12 Engineering Education Podcast is a production of Pios Labs: http://www.pioslabs.com.