Fully Funding Public Education

I proudly serve on the Education Policy Committees in the House. As a mother with two children in public schools, ensuring equal access to quality public education is one of my top priorities. (My son is even named for a Supreme Court Justice who wrote that equal access to education was critical in ensuring that children grow to exercise their rights as citizens to achieve the American Dream.)

Because of these values, I support a strong system of fully funded public schools, with moderate class sizes, fair pay for teachers, and comprehensive health counseling and career services for all students. I also support taking aggressive measures to address Minnesota’s opportunity gap, which is one of the highest in the country. I believe in ensuring that high quality education is accessible and affordable to everyone, regardless of zip code.

This year, for the first time in decades and under DFL leadership, our education budget met the pressing needs created by the pandemic and a decade of divided legislature that led to chronic underinvestment.

The pandemic brought into light how many students rely on our public schools as a source of nutrition, mental health resources, and a nurturing and stable environment. Last session, we acted to ensure those services were available and plentiful to support our kids and enacted measures like Universal School Meals and my bill for menstrual equity in K-12 and higher education. We also took bold action to address literacy and representation in the classroom.

As a member of a key committee addressing E-12 education in Minnesota, I also advocate for the generous compensation that our educational professionals deserve. Their creative energy and empathy for the students learning from home has been impressive to behold and we need to ensure that when our kids return to school, that we provide the support that they need to make our schools the best in the nation.