When we invest in the kids in our community and help them become well-rounded, productive adults, we are all better off. As a former SK public school student and volunteer in an afterschool program for low-income kids, I will always fight for a quality education for our kids. 

I would advocate for creating a pool of funding for schools to apply for in order to implement evidence-based curriculum changes (there is a national database for that) as well as pre-K, career/technical, and afterschool programs. I volunteered in an afterschool program for low-income kids for four years, and I am a big proponent of them because they provide a safe environment for kids after school. They help students whose parents work long hours and can’t supervise them or help them with their homework. Finally, the transition back to in-person learning has been tough on both teachers and students, and that is why we need more support staff to help with behavioral and mental health issues (social workers, etc.). 

Aside from funding, we also need strong leadership at the top. I spoke to someone at the Massachusetts department of education who emphasized continuity of superintendents. Many educators- superintendents, principals, and teachers- are getting burned out from the demands of the past few years. We need to hire and retain highly qualified and motivated superintendents and principals at the top, and we need to reform salaries and pensions and address common causes of burnout so that we attract and retain high-quality teachers.