Priorities

Building Community

I have spent my life in public service as a teacher, librarian, coach and school board member.

I never planned to go into politics, but years ago I was called to action when I grew concerned about what I saw in the Burlington School District. I pledged to improve morale and address high turnover among faculty and staff. I decided to run for school board to be a positive force and to make productive changes that would benefit our entire community. During my time as a Burlington School Commissioner, we have faced immense challenges from the departure of our superintendent to a global pandemic and the closure of our high school and technical center due to PCB contamination. Through all of these difficulties, I remained a steady leader serving as co-chair of our superintendent search committee, co-chair of the Finance and Facilities Committee and a member of our strategic planning coalition and a member of our Design Steering Committee. I also serve as regional representative on the Vermont School Boards’ Association and the Vermont literacy Council. Building community is at the heart of everything I do. 

 

Invest in People

Robust, affordable childcare and early education are a must if we want reduce the opportunity gap, increase student outcomes and simply provide all Vermonters with a good start in life. The same is true for health care. High quality health care that focuses on prevention and wellness must be available to everyone and is an investment that pays dividends and strengthens every aspect of our state.

 

Equity

This year, I joined the Coalition for Vermont Student Equity and along with educators and leaders from across the state we pushed for legislation to change how we fund education. The decades old “student weighting” formula did not properly address the needs of students living in poverty, English language learners or students living in rural areas. With the passing of S.287 and Governor Scott’s signature, the new funding formula will more accurately support our most vulnerable children. 

In both the Essex and Burlington School Districts, I have fought for equity and inclusion, serving on the Racial Alliance Committee, the Youth Family Engagement Team and serving on the Strategic Planning Coalition.

 

Education

In 2021 Vermont became the first state in the country to pass legislation requiring PCB testing in schools built before 1980. 

Our state faces some pending challenges as our aging school buildings require more and more maintenance and as we test statewide for PCB and radon contamination. The legislature has recently committed funds to assist districts that discover PCB contamination over state threshold levels, and this will continue to be an issue that needs focus and attention.

I will bring attention to our aging school buildings and highlight the need for school construction aid. It is too much to ask the taxpayers to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars in capital projects alone. The legislature should prioritize school construction aid in the coming session. 

I believe that early investments pay dividends. I fully support state and federally funded early education programs and paid parental leave!