Education

Public education is a public good. As a public school teacher, I have witnessed the amazing outcomes and growth that can occur when children are safe and barriers to a quality education have been removed. Universally accessible, high-quality public education is one of the greatest investments we can make in the lives of all Kentuckians. 

Public schools should be well-funded, guided by best practices, and led by well-compensated, highly-educated professionals. All learners deserve opportunities for critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and the development and maintenance of executive function. That means that our children should be taught by real teachers not primarily by apps and AI bots.

Perennial budget cuts and privatization of educational institutions have resulted in our public education institutions being understaffed and ill-equipped to adequately serve learners and communities. This austerity has led to more harmful policies: an over-emphasis on high-stakes testing, extreme punishment practices, and a catastrophic staffing crisis.

As a State Representative I will fight for:

• An increase in K-12 and higher education funding to 2008 levels, at least, adjusting for inflation.

• Comprehensive public funding for universal, high quality, developmentally appropriate pre-Kindergarten.

• Teachers as workers statewide, ensuring that they have fair wages and safe, just working conditions.

• Working to free our children from the horror of screen addiction by promoting limits on classroom screen time and investing in real, human educators.
  

• Teachers as professionals, including ensuring that they have access to high-quality, paid professional development opportunities and are defended from assaults on culturally responsive curricula and censorship.

• Real action on the substitute teacher crisis.

• Fully and better staffed schools, providing holistic support of learners: counselors, wraparound staff, teaching support staff, and sufficient staff for operations such as custodial, meal, and transportation workers. 

• A de-emphasis of standardized assessments and removal of the high stakes tied to assessments.

• A rich curriculum for every child that guarantees every Kentucky public school student access to art, music, physical education, and world languages.

• Ensure Kentucky students have access to a high school curriculum on the history of the working class in our state, including the multiracial labor movements that shaped our state.
• Oppose state-level political interference that would restrict educators from teaching accurate history—especially efforts that ban discussion of race, enslavement and labor exploitation, indigenous displacement, and queer people in shaping Kentucky.
• Work toward tuition-free community college and vocational training, with the long-term goal of making all public higher education free and accessible.

• Strong support of Kentucky’s English Language Learners, including more Newcomer Academies.