“I am a mother and currently raising two children here in Georgia. Quality, reliable, and accessible public education is best way to make Georgia the best place to raise young children. Children benefit from an education that will enable them to go on and have upward economic mobility. Whereas parents benefit by having a safe place their child can be, so they can focus on other responsibilities. The path there includes raising salaries for our public-school teachers and giving those same teachers more flexibility in testing. Not every child’s brain develops the same way, so it follows that not every child should be tested in the same rigid method and schedule.

Thankfully, our state has already made concrete steps towards improving our public education, and I was lucky enough to be involved. Georgia will have dedicated literacy coaches in our elementary schools to work with students and teachers. Students will now be able to focus in class, because we listened to teachers when they told us they need cell phones out of their classrooms. Retired teachers can now return to full-time positions without losing their retirement benefits to educate our young children and mentor new educators. Also, parents can now decide whether their child may need an extra year in a Pre-K program instead of jumping straight into kindergarten.

These are all initiatives that were passed just this year. I plan to continue the work if the constituents of District 57 send me back to the Georgia General Assembly.”