Article snippet: HOUSTON — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden unveiled his first major policy proposal on Tuesday before one of the nation’s largest teachers unions. The former vice president’s education plan would triple funding for schools with a high percentage of low-income students. It would double the number of psychologists, guidance counselors, nurses and other health professionals in schools. It would also provide universal prekindergarten for all 3- and 4-year-olds. ‘‘There’s no debate about what needs to be done, about whether or not a child starting off in kindergarten or first grade is behind the eight ball,’’ he told more than 200 Houston-area teachers at a town hall meeting sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers. As part of his education plan, he also called for ‘‘rational’’ gun laws, saying it was not acceptable for gun violence to be a routine part of American life. To that end, he called for bans on certain military-style guns and ammunition, which he included in the 1994 crime bill he helped pass as a U.S. senator from Delaware. Some of his Democratic rivals have critiqued the 1994 bill, while President Donald Trump, seeking to foment doubts among progressives about Biden, has taken to slamming Biden’s role in the law while touting his own enactment of bipartisan legislation easing federal sentencing rules. As part of his education plan, Biden also called for increasing teacher pay, though he stopped short of setting a benchmark. ‘‘Look, you... Link to the full article to read more