14 Days to Go: Invest In Public Education

With just fourteen days until the primary, I am using each day to discuss an issue I have highlighted on the campaign trail. For Day 14, I am highlighting my plans to ensure that every kid gets the education they deserve.

I’m a product of public education. My husband, Eric, is a public middle school teacher. Our kids go to public schools.

I know the value of a public school system that teaches our children the skills they need to thrive and contribute meaningfully to our society and that encourages them to learn from and alongside people who are different from them.

In Congress, I’ll fight for fully funded public schools, to stop the privatization of education, and to make sure working families are not the ones paying the price for politicians’ ideological crusades.

New Hampshire ranks DEAD LAST in funding for public schools. That’s right: dead last.

And somehow, Republicans in Concord, who have refused FOR DECADES to fix this problem despite several Supreme Court rulings saying their approach to funding schools is unconstitutional, are making it worse.

For example, take the situation in Claremont. Last year, the Claremont School District faced a budget crisis that left it in a $5 million hole. It was a real crisis, and because of the abysmal way New Hampshire funds public schools, Claremont had to deal with it almost entirely on its own.

The school district had to lay off teachers, close schools, and shift money out of clubs and athletics to fill the budget shortfall. Kids in Claremont suffered, while Republicans did nothing but craft the most punitive and unhelpful legislation imaginable.

Donald Trump is no better.

The voucher program created by New Hampshire Republicans has been taken nationwide by the Trump administration. This scheme takes money from public schools and transfers it to wealthy families, the vast majority of whom already send their children to private and religious schools.

The program has blown past its initial budget, leaving public schools with even less than expected, which means that local communities will have to cover the shortfall by, you guessed it, raising property taxes.

Our kids deserve so much better, and I need your help to fight for them in Congress.Your support helps power a campaign that will fight to roll back Trump’s national voucher program, fully fund IDEA, and protect the constitutional rights of every student and teacher.

We need leaders who are willing to invest in our kids and in public education. Thanks for standing with me on this issue.