We should fund public education as a first priority. Investing in our children’s education sets the tone for the care and concern needed for a bright outlook for Missouri and America. No other issue can endow future generations with the power that critical thinking brings like providing a rich and productive education for our children.

Having been a product both of public and private schools, I have seen firsthand the breadth of possibility in our educational environments here in Missouri. My initial experience in public service fifteen years ago was in helping co-create a curriculum for at-risk youth in an inner-city school. Both my parents were teachers and they always taught me the value and importance of education and learning as being the principal foundation upon which any lasting success is built.

• I currently sit on Parkway School District’s “Project Parkway Subcommittee on Differentiation and Depth of Knowledge”. Project Parkway is a district-wide top to bottom evaluation to help set the future direction of Parkway schools. I support higher education affordability, expanded pre-kindergarten services, lower class sizes and incentives like tax credits to encourage the retention of good teachers in public education.
• I have just completed a rewarding experience in the Mentorship Program for sixth grade students at Curtis Bishop Middle School in Wellston.
• An innovative idea called the HELPME Act (Healthy Education and Learning through a Positive Media Environment) is an area of legislative support for educational reform that has not been explored. The HELPME Act legislation is a pioneering new approach to help encourage education reform outside of the classroom through incentives for media outlets to carry more socially and educationally responsible programming. I'm collaborating with educators, community leaders, media executives and parents in framing this novel approach towards enriching our children's overall educational experience.
• I have been proud to volunteer lobby on improving our schools in Jefferson City

Seven positions I will pledge to insure quality education in Missouri public schools:

1. Expand early childhood learning, funding the Parents as Teachers program and making higher education affordable.
2. Reducing class size will improve each child’s educational experience. In addition, I will promote evaluation programs, like Project Parkway, in Missouri's school districts to explore curricula that better serves the individual needs of students and prepares them for our current quickly evolving global marketplace.
3. I support recognizing educators who choose to invest in their students through out-of-pocket expenses that they may incur in buying materials and supplies for their classrooms. I have seen this first-hand with teachers I have worked with. Teacher Tax Relief legislation can cover these out-of-pocket expenses that an educator may assume in investing in their student’s educational experience.
4. I support collective bargaining rights for all education employees.
5. Emphasize Arts and Sciences in education. Supporting Arts and Sciences and other innovative learning techniques will help better prepare our children to the quickly evolving national and global job opportunities today.
6. Encouraging the retention of experienced good teachers in our public education system is paramount to improving our schools. A problem is that 30% of all teachers leave in the first five years of employment. I will support any state legislation that responsibly increases teacher retention thereby increasing the institutional memory and capacity of our educators and schools.
7. I will work to oppose any voucher scheme and secure and protect funding for public education.