Investing in Education

Trusting Teachers

Teachers know what works for their students, and it’s time that legislators follow the lead of our dedicated public educators. For too long, teachers have been treated like less than professionals, and we need a major change in both collaboration and compensation. I support teacher-led education reform that prioritizes the well-being and success of students and teachers. When policymakers write legislation that impacts education, educators should be involved at the highest levels.

Ensuring a Safe Environment

It is scary to think about how often we hear of school shootings in this day and age. Parents are fearful of sending their children to school and teachers are expected to risk their lives every day against various dangers. I am fighting for a future where my two little boys can go to school without fear of who might enter the building prepared to harm them. I am fighting for a future where every teacher and student is safe at school and they can focus on the reason they are there: education.

Equity

Through supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and promoting culturally responsive pedagogy, we can ensure that all students have equitable opportunities for success. Intelligence and talent are uniformly distributed across the human population, but the opportunities are not. It is unacceptable for children in low income communities to be left behind, and it’s time to utilize the power of education to end the vicious cycle of poverty. I support putting families first and that begins with education.

The Whole Child

Children are not only facing academic challenges in school, but they also deal with external factors that inhibit their learning. Major issues such as a lack of access to health care, public transit, and safe housing make it nearly impossible to make progress in school. If students go to school hungry or with untreated injuries or health issues, they will not be able to grow to their full potential, no matter how amazing their teachers are. I support prioritizing social-emotional learning and social services in all schools for children Pre-K to 12th grade.

Funding Our Schools

Michigan’s children deserve equitable opportunities regardless of their zip code or background. School districts within House District 21 in particular are amongst the lowest funded in the state. We know that our school system is currently not designed to create the same opportunities for all children, and income shouldn’t be a determining factor for what opportunities a child will receive. All children are capable of learning, but we face an opportunity gap and this leads to unfair outcomes in the long run. Buildings are falling apart across our state and resources are lacking. Teachers spend hundreds of their own dollars to buy supplies for their classrooms. The list goes on. Updating our infrastructure and investing in educators need to be among our top priorities. Our schools need to be fully funded, without discrimination, and we must ensure that public education is prioritized over for-profit charter networks.