Issue Position: I Will Stand Strong so Every Child has the Same Opportunities

Issue Position

Our classrooms are overcrowded and our schools are underfunded. When I attended South Kitsap High school, there weren't enough desks for every student in my English class. But I was incredibly fortunate: I had many dedicated teachers, and a supportive family, who encouraged and helped me to set and achieve my goals. In spite of many obstacles and resource limitations, I was given the opportunity to pursue the education and professional life that I wanted.

But years later, we continue to see portable classrooms crowding the lawns of schools across the district.

Teachers and paraeducators, like my mom, are overworked and undervalued. Students are not getting the resources and attention they need to be ready to graduate, much less for what comes next -- college, apprenticeship programs, family-wage jobs.

In order to build a future that works for all of us, we need to strengthen our schools, value our teachers, and invest in our children. I believe opportunities for a good education -- be that in college, a trade school, or an apprenticeship -- should be available to every child in the 26th district, and I will stand strong for that in Olympia.

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