Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

I will continue to fight for every state dollar for our schools!

I was proud to co-sponsor legislation to stop the Governor from making mid-year cuts via executive order, which hurt every town in our district. While I was able to restore that funding to our schools, the Governor vetoed the bill which would inhibit any future Governor from making those mid-year cuts by bypassing the legislature. The House overrode that veto, but the Senate did not call to overturn it. I will work to ensure that bill is raised again.

I also advocate for social-emotional learning in all grades to combat school violence by teaching kids emotional intelligence and resiliency.

Additionally, I'll continue to train teachers and administrators to recognize drug use, and train them to intervene and refer a child to treatment as a way to combat the opioid crisis.

This year, I'm happy to report our district received over $500,000 to make security upgrades to our schools. I will continue to advocate for state funding to keep our schools safe.

I will also continue to support the trades in schools, and work to implement a pilot program between Cheshire Schools and community colleges. This will specifically create a manufacturing program to train kids still in high school who prefer not to attend a traditional four year university, or who would prefer to graduate school without a tens of thousands of dollars in college debt.

My Student to Manufacturer Connection Fair introduces students to companies which are hiring directly out of high school in the field of manufacturing, for both apprenticeships and manual labor, as well as mechanical engineering careers, which have been difficult for companies to fill with qualified workers.

Source