State Representative Denise C. Garlick represents the 43,000 people of the 13 Norfolk District, comprised of Needham, Dover and Medfield (precincts 1 and 2). She currently serves as the Chair of Bills in Third Reading, which is the final committee legislation must pass before it can be engrossed. She is also serving as the elected Chair of the permanent funded Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities and she is the only legislator serving on the Opioid Trust Fund Advisory Council.
According to the US News and World Report, Massachusetts is ranked number 1 in education in the country, and the 13th Norfolk District — Needham, Dover, and Medfield — ranks in the top tier in the state. However, we have so much more work to do to close the achievement gap in our state and ensuring that all of our children — no matter their race, their family’s socio-economic status, or what neighborhood they live in — are able to succeed in our public schools. In the House, I voted in favor of reforming the Foundation Budget Formula and was deeply disappointed that we were unable to find consensus on updating the formula. I vow to continue working to find this consensus to ensure that we are fully funding our schools and giving our students, teachers, and administrators the tools they need to thrive.
As a mother whose 4 children have attended the public schools in our district, I am committed to prioritizing education. As the former Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, I have developed important education policies that serve our community members with developmental disabilities and autism, ensuring that all our children have opportunities to learn and flourish.