As a former special education teacher in an under-resourced school, I have fought on the ground to provide children with the education they deserve. It is hard work, and there are no simple solutions to problems and inequities that have existed since the birth of public education in this country. I’m also the product of the great public schools in our district, having attended Concord and Carlisle public schools from K-12, so I understand the value of excellent public schooling for our kids, families, and the community at-large.

The towns in our district have a strong educational ethos and we continue to invest a large portion of our local tax base to maintain our in-district public schools, as well as the two great vocational high schools that serve our residents, Minuteman High School and Nashoba Valley Technical High School. The state government needs to be a better partner in order for our schools to continue to adequately serve our kids and our communities moving forward. Without strong financial partnership from the state, funding our schools will overburden our residents with local tax obligations that prohibit people from aging here with dignity, impede the provision of basic town services, and exclude working class families from our district.

As your State Representative, I will work to make sure that the state government is a true partner in ensuring the continued strength and improvement of our public schools. I will advocate for

• more favorable Chapter 70 funding for our school districts
• increased funding for special education services
• state aid for capital improvement projects for our school facilities
• in-school behavioral and mental health services, so that trained professionals can provide early and effective diagnosis and treatment
• increased investment in our vocational high schools, including the elimination of barriers to entry based on prior academic achievement, so that we can enable more of our students to enter the trades after high school

To move forward and right the historical wrongs that plague our education system, we also need to fight for universal pre-K, free and debt-free public higher education for those who can’t otherwise afford it. Finally, we should find creative ways, through state tax incentives and otherwise, to lower the cost of childcare – which in Massachusetts is currently the second highest in the entire United States. A mom or dad should be able to return to the workforce in a middle class job and make more after taxes than it costs to put a child in daycare.

These are the battles I will fight for the residents of Acton, Carlisle, Chelmsford, and Concord on Beacon Hill.