OUR FAMILIES DESERVE BETTER

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As a mother of three special needs kids, I've spent 18 years learning how our educational system works...and doesn't work. In medical, educational and community settings, I've been an advocate for programs and policies that work for all of our children. Change is hard. It means uniting parents, educators and community leaders in common cause to build the school system that will shape our kids' future. Now is the time--that is the mission--and I'm ready to get to work.

MY VISION FOR ACTION:

Working Together, we can:

Build Trust

Trust and transparency are built on collaboration among parents, teachers, and educators

Plan for the Future

Fight for Resources

We can't prepare our kids for tomorrow's challenges with yesterday's technology

We need to commit to long-term practical solutions...not quick fixes

EVERY DAY I PROMISE I'LL BE:

—Fighting for our kids to have the safest and most enriching learning environment

—Ensuring our teachers get the support, respect AND pay they deserve

—Delivering top-notch infrastructure and technology for our schools

SO HOW DO WE GET THERE:

Bring all children up to a third grade reading level

We fail when we don't give our children the tools they need to succeed. Since 2015, North Carolina has fallen to the bottom in almost every educational category. Programs like this will return us to a place where we can once again be proud of our educational system.

Increase mental health support

It's hard for kids to learn when they're afraid. We need to better support students that are being targeted. And we need to work with those students who are targeting others to help them understand the damage they are causing. We need to turn bullies into allies.

We are simply not investing the appropriate amount of resources for mental health support in our schools. It's about hiring the right people. Creating safe physical spaces for meeting. And having programs dedicated to educating and informing students about the importance of recognizing and treating mental health issues for themselves and their friends.

Introduce an anti-bullying initiative

Restore teacher pay to a livable level

Our teachers in NC and NHC are some of the lowest paid in the country not to mention the Southeast! In fact the average NC teacher salary is $60,000 which is under the minimum living wage ($62,000) and well under the national average ($74,500).

Restore other incentives such as Masters pay

Since 2015 the General Assembly has chipped away at other incentives for our teachers, so we are unable to attract and retain the best and most qualified teachers for NHC.

Increase staffing levels

There has been a hollowing out of our teacher population, particularly teacher assistants and those specializing in teaching EC (Excellent Children). This affects our overall teacher morale, leading to retention losses and inability to attract good teachers to NHC.

Pass the school bond

We are in the hole to the tune of over $500 MILLION dollars for maintenance and infrastructure repairs, but passing the $320 million bond is the first step in beginning to build back our schools. We can't allow our children to learn and our teachers to teach in crumbling, deeply under-resourced schools.

Invest in technology

Our students need to benefit from the latest in educational technology. We continue to put them at a deep disadvantage if we don't, as we prepare them to compete in the fast-paced global economy.