Issue Position: Education

As a parent of three students who have attended District 196 schools, I know that our district's schools have prepared them well for the paths they choose. As a real estate professional, I know that excellent schools keep our property values high, encourage local businesses, and promote safe neighborhoods. School District 196 has some of the most renowned schools in the nation, with experienced and well trained teachers who are committed to a safe and productive learning environment. As your representative, I will support legislation that ensures our public schools continue to be the best in the nation.

As your state representative, I will:

Support full and equitable funding for our public schools. Funding should allow schools to have small class sizes, well trained teachers and support staff as well as a safe environment to learn. Funding for early learning and full-service schools will ensure that the opportunity gaps will close.
Listen and support educators and parents to determine what is best for our kids.
Fight against vouchers and school privatization, which diverts funding from our public schools to institutions that are not accredited and have little oversight.
Fight for highly trained educators and strong licensing standards. Recruiting future teachers into the profession requires high standards and higher salaries, not less preparation and training.
Promote programs that help make our schools safe and free of fear. Increasing the ratio of counselors to students, anti-bullying and other mental health programs, as well as keeping class sizes small will help make our schools safer. Arming teachers is not a reasonable solution.
Support a public two-year associate program for students willing to work hard for a higher education. States should also support any student who wishes to obtain a trade degree at a public vocational school.
Support programs that will lead to the forgiveness of a percentage of the current outstanding educational loan debt.

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