As a member of the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee, I worked directly on a once-in-a-generation education reform package to increase teacher salaries, lower class sizes, increase accountability, and produce graduates that are well-prepared for their future academic and professional careers. I also support keeping school resource officers, who have appropriate training,  in our schools to maintain the safety & security of learning environments.

Our schools have been dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the herculean efforts of our teachers to reach students via online education, prolonged disruptions to our public education system have resulted in significant learning loss and  increased mental and behavioral health issues.

I believe we must also do more to improve the mental and behavioral health of students by leveraging wrap-around service providers in our communities and leveraging millions of additional dollars through Medicaid– both of which I fought to include in the Blueprint for Maryland's Future (see pgs 178-188). Together we can elevate and address the issue of mental & behavioral health, reduce classroom disturbances, and empower our teachers to focus on doing what they do best: teach.

In addition, we must continue to improve our schools by promoting career and technical education programs that guide students to high-paying industries of the future, such as cybersecurity, renewable energy, and value-added ag; as well as more traditional trades like auto mechanics, welding, or construction. We are already on the path to achieving these goals, but we need thoughtful and focused leaders to make sure these efforts are implemented effectively.