High-quality public schools are key to the educational, financial, and cultural health of communities in the 8th Norfolk District and around Massachusetts. The overall health of the Massachusetts economy also relies on the global competitiveness of our schools. As a graduate of Sharon High School, one of the top public high schools in the state, I have experienced the benefits of a well-funded public school firsthand. As your State Representative, I will fight for our public schools to ensure every Massachusetts student can be provided with the same excellent educational opportunities that I was.

I’m proud that the schools in the 8th Norfolk District are examples of successful investments in public education. However, schools in other lower-income areas of the state have not seen the same successes nor been provided with the same investments. A student’s zip code should not determine the quality of their education, and while the Student Opportunity Act of 2019 was a strong step in the right direction towards fixing the inequities of our school system, there is still much work to be done. 

All students deserve access to high-quality public education and the wealth of opportunities that come with it, because nothing opens more doors than a good education. The Commonwealth must continue investing in our public education system to combat inequities and support all of our students, regardless of where they live.

​As your State Representative, I will:

• Highlight the educational successes of our local communities and advocate at the state level for the value that our districts contribute to the overall economy.

• Advance the Fair Share Amendment to bring more funding into our schools through the Chapter 70 formula.

• Fight to re-evaluate the role charter schools play in our education system and move them back to their original mission of innovation in education.

  • Charter schools should be “laboratories of education,” testing new methods to educate our students to be implemented in our public schools.

  • Charter schools should NOT be siphoning funding away from public schools and cherry-picking the best students.

• Promise to not advocate for additional requirements unless those mandates are accompanied by the funding necessary to make sure the burden doesn’t fall on our towns.

• Meet with local leaders from each school district on a frequent basis to identify problems and monitor progress.

• Promote additional collaborative opportunities among school districts.

On this issue, I am proud to be endorsed by:

• Massachusetts Teachers Association

• Rep. Jeff Roy, chair of the Joint Committee on Higher Education

• Rep. Sean Garballey, author of the CHERISH Act

• Nancy Gallivan, member of the Walpole School Committee

• William Buckley, member of the Walpole School Committee

• Marcy Kaplan, member of the Sharon School Committee

• Kiera O'Neil, member of the Mansfield School Committee

• Sandra Groppi, member of the Stoughton School Committee

• Jon Hitter, former member of the Sharon School Committee