Georgians deserve strong public schools and leaders who will invest in education from cradle to career. As a mom with two daughters in Cobb County public schools, I want every child in Georgia to have access to a quality education and the skills they need to get a good-paying job.
Our current lawmakers have failed our children and continue to jeopardize our future. Georgia is seeing an upsurge in the current pandemic, and parents and students are facing difficult choices regarding in-person or distance learning. At the same time, state lawmakers have slashed nearly $1 billion from K-12 education and another $250 million from the university system, rather than seeking ways of limiting revenue loss.
Cuts will eliminate classrooms, in turn creating larger class sizes and decreasing individualized instruction. Furthermore, economic repercussions may result in teacher layoffs, diminished instruction quality, and possibly even increased local taxation. Georgians deserve better through this pandemic and beyond.
As representative of State House District 45, I will work to:
Restore full funding to our public schools and update the 40-year-old funding formula, while limiting unaccountable programs that funnel tax dollars out of public schools into private schools without oversight.
Enhance counseling programs and mental health support within the public school system.
Fully fund pre-K and after school programs.
Invest in technology to support a hybrid model of education that includes online and in-person learning.
Create a need-based scholarship program while maintaining full support to the current HOPE Scholarship program.