Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

In the last five years as a legislator I have worked hard to fully fund our education system. We have built a great foundation and yet, there is still more to be done. We need to increase support staff in our schools to be able to identify the social, emotional needs of our children. The need for smaller class sizes continues to be an issue. I am very committed to continue to look at school safety. No parent should be worried about sending their child to school. We need to take a comprehensive approach to solving this problem, instead of just wanting to put a band-aid on this crisis.

I have a passion for our schools and for assuring that all children succeed academically. I currently serve as a school counselor in the Everett School District where I work with youth in both a teaching and counseling capacity. The stories of my students and families have motivated me to bring their voices to Olympia and impact public policy.

In my participation with various organizations, I have had the great privilege of traveling around the state to talk with hundreds of families and children who have shared with me many stories, challenges and inspirational dreams.

These are dreams of becoming doctors, teachers, engineers and a dream of making the world a better place. I have yet to meet a student that wakes up in the morning and says, "I want to fail today" or a parent who has said, "I don't want my child to succeed."

If we want our children to truly succeed, it is imperative we solve our statewide crisis of teacher recruitment and retention so we can keep quality educators in our classrooms. In order to do this, we must strive to have our educators compensated and treated fairly!

Businesses thrive when they have an educated work force and I am committed to building a 21st century workforce that will make sure Washington succeeds for years to come.

It's simple really: when our children succeed our state succeeds.

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