Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

As an educator, I understand that the key to good jobs is good education. It's as simple as that. Economic prosperity in the future requires a strong investment today in education and workforce training. Access to quality education - regardless of your family's economic circumstances -- has been a legacy passed from one generation of Californians to another. It has been one of the key promises folded into California's image as the Golden State.

For more than 25 years, I've worked on the front lines of public education as an elementary school teacher in Fullerton. Who better to fight for our kids than a teacher who works every single day in the real world to offer our children a quality education? When I go to Sacramento to work for you and your family, I'll fight to ensure that our kids receive the critical tools they need to succeed in school and in life.

I'll demand accountability to make sure dollars get into classrooms and help students learn. I am committed to building an educational system that will prepare our children to compete in tomorrow's economy. I'll also fight to protect school funding in this era of economic downturn and budget cuts.

As the first member of my family to graduate from college, I was fortunate to attend Fullerton College, UCLA and Cal State Fullerton at a time when public higher education was still affordable in California. What I was able to do -- put myself through school without the burden of massive debt -- seems no longer possible in California. When I grew up in this district, the State was known nationally for its commitment to funding public education and for the quality of the public education its children received. As a lifelong educator, I am committed to bringing that distinction back to California.

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