This is my top priority. I am a lifelong Ohioan who grew up in poverty and experienced periods of homelessness as a child. Educators and public schools were a place of intervention, opportunity, and safety when my home life was not. That lived experience is what drives my public service career. As a community organizer and a statehouse staffer, I have fought for and defended the necessity of public education. The inequity in our public schools is not just unconstitutional, it's immoral. It takes a village, and all children deserve our support. As our State Representative, I will focus on fully funding our public schools to ensure all children have the opportunity to receive a quality education. 

The promise of a democratic society is visible in fewer places than in public schools. And yet, the grim reality is that public education is a driver of inequality, when it could be a weapon against it. It is imperative that we address this situation in Ohio.

Charter Schools & Vouchers

As a statehouse staffer to a district that included Youngstown City Schools, I have more than six years’ worth of knowledge and research on the master plan to defund public schools and convert them into charter schools. I authored op-eds and testimonies as we held the line for Youngstown and demanded the repeal of the disastrous Academic Distress Commission that resulted in one of the longest teachers’ strikes in state history, millions in unaccountable taxpayer dollars, and an FBI raid on the district. 

Because of that experience, I can confidently say that, with limited exception, charter schools and vouchers provide a subpar education to students while draining resources from public schools. I support a moratorium on expanding charter schools. Existing charter schools should be required to accept any and all students, including those with special needs, English language learners, and students facing barriers to education. Charter schools should be held to the same standards of accountability and transparency as public schools, including collective bargaining and civil rights. Their boards should also be subject to the ethics filings required of other boards and elected officials, since they currently accept taxpayer dollars. 

I will work to pass budgets that de-emphasize outside vendor contracts and no-bid contracts. I will seek to emphasize social-emotional support and learning in public schools, such as placing full-time social workers, guidance counselors, and psychologists in schools. I will also support the roles of physical education, music, art teachers, and sports in every school. I will advocate for a budget that covers the real cost of educating a child, including fair compensation for teachers and staff, appropriate class sizes, transportation, special education services, and student support. 

Universal Meal Access

As a student who received two free meals a day at a public school in Ohio, I understand the value of a full stomach and the difference it makes in a child’s ability to learn. I will support universal meal access in lieu of public dollars going to private, religious schools. 

Early Childhood Education

In order to see statewide academic achievement, our state needs to implement early childhood education programs such as universal pre-k to build foundational skills and increase kindergarten readiness. This also has the added benefit of addressing the ever-increasing cost of childcare. 

Career-Connected Learning

We must strengthen career-connected learning in middle and high schools to ensure our future competitiveness. We can do this by helping to link students to in-demand careers. I would support efforts to create an agency that aligns education and workforce data. This would provide a pathway for students to engage with meaningful careers while achieving academically. Finally, it is imperative that we consolidate the various plans mandated by our current legislation. There should be a unified strategy to develop curriculum in conjunction with professional input from teachers.