The first woman to ever hold the 1st Hampshire District seat, Lindsay Sabadosa has her AB from Wellesley College (‘02) and her MSc from the University of Edinburgh (‘06). She was the recipient of the Wellesley-Yenching Program Fellowship, which led her to spend a year in Nanjing, China as a fellow at Ginling College at Nanjing University. She then moved to Italy where she worked in Marketing & Communications at CUP2000, a company in Bologna that strives to improve access and delivery of health care and provide telemedicine solutions throughout the European Union. In the same period, she opened her own small business, a translation firm, specializing in Italian and French legal and financial translation with a focus on international litigation, contract law, and finance. She ran this firm, with over 300 clients on six continents, for nearly 17 years until her election.
As a parent, I know the importance of a public education that enables kids to grow, learn, and develop a life-long love of learning. Education is essential for a thriving democracy and is a prime contributor to better health, lower violence, and overall life satisfaction. We have excellent schools in the Commonwealth, but they need dedicated financial backing to survive. Adequate Education funding is a top priority, and I will reverse the trend of neglect by the State House.
But we don’t just need more money—we need to make sure it is distributed around the Commonwealth equitably. The Chapter 70 Funding Formula determines how much money each school district is allocated by the State. I want to revamp Chapter 70 to alleviate financial disparities between districts. School districts must be funded fairly and equally—not simply according to the wealth of their residents.
Charter school funding is a problem that needs to be addressed. Right now, if a child uses school choice to move to a different public school, the school they leave pays $5,000 to the new school. If that child goes to a charter school, the school they leave has to pay $12,000 to the new school. This means that our local districts are unfairly burdened with footing the bill for charter school buildings. I believe the State—not municipalities—needs to pick up the tab for charter schools, so our own local public schools can remain successful and fully funded. At the same time, the cap on Charter Schools should be maintained so funds are not diverted from public schools.
I firmly support the Act Relative to Healthy Youth (S. 2062, H. 3754 ) which ensures all health education is medically accurate, discusses birth control, and includes information about LGBTQIA+ identities. Education should also teach our students how treat each other with respect. I have worked with Planned Parenthood to build support for this bill among many local organizations, especially those that work with young people. We need to pass this bill as soon as possible. Our State legislators have allowed the Act Relative to Healthy Youth to languish in committee. I will work to move and pass this important bill that affects our most vulnerable citizens.