MY APPROACH

 

Make racial equity the governing framework: I served on the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education (BHE) from 2014 to 2019, including on the Executive Committee as Chair of Fiscal Affairs and Administrative Policy. In December 2018, the board voted unanimously to adopt an Equity Agenda, making racial equity the explicit north star of Massachusetts public higher education with real accountability metrics for closing gaps in enrollment, persistence, and completion. That is the standard I'll bring to the Senate: outcomes measured, gaps named, progress required.

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Expand and codify Early College: In January 2017, I voted as a BHE member for the unanimous resolution creating Early College, a program designed specifically to give first-generation students, Black and Latino students, and lower-income students a foothold in higher education by letting them earn college credits at no cost while still in high school. The results are striking: Early College students now enroll in college at nearly double the rate of comparable peers (64% vs. 38%), 82% return for a second year compared to roughly 60% statewide, and students who reach year two are seven times more likely to complete their degree. Two-thirds of the 12,000 students currently enrolled are Black, Latino, or low-income. Governor Healey just announced the largest expansion in state history, aiming for 100,000 students by 2036. I will champion H.4407, An Act Relative to College in High School, to codify this policy in law so its future doesn't depend on annual budget politics.

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Fix credit transfer so community college students stop losing ground: I helped create MassTransfer while on the BHE, a policy that aligned community college coursework with state university requirements so that credits students earn at the community college level actually count when they transfer. Before MassTransfer, students were routinely losing credits, time, and confidence in the transfer process. That is one of the hidden drivers of why first-generation students drop out, and we fixed it. An Act Relative to College in High School (H.4407) would further codify these protections into law.

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Fully fund public education: I'll fight to fully implement the Student Opportunity Act, address funding gaps, and ensure schools have the resources they need. Teachers deserve competitive salaries and real professional development.

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Lead on evidence-based curriculum: As Chair of the Winchester School Committee, I worked with our Superintendent to bring in a neutral third party to assess our literacy curriculum and culture when community trust in the district was low. The result was a teacher-led process, including pilots, that ultimately selected the Arts and Letters curriculum which we funded at Town Meeting and are rolling out district-wide this fall. That model, building the right coalition, trusting the process, measuring what changes, is how meaningful school improvements happen.

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Support students with diverse learning needs: I'll expand special education funding, push to reduce wait times for evaluations, and support educators in evidence-based approaches. Every student deserves appropriate services, not a waiting list.

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Make higher education affordable and accessible: I'll build on MassGrant Plus, support community colleges as engines of economic mobility, and push for debt-free pathways that don't require students to choose between education and financial survival.

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Create clear pathways from education to careers: I'll connect high schools to community colleges to four-year institutions, build apprenticeship programs, and support career technical education that leads to real employment. The Early College and MassTransfer models show what connected pathways look like in practice.

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Invest in early education: Quality pre-K is the foundation for everything that follows. I'll work to expand access for working families, support childcare providers with fair wages, and treat early education as the economic infrastructure it is.

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Support youth mental health: I'll work to expand school-based mental health services, increase access to care, address youth substance abuse, and work to create school environments where young people can thrive. The mental health crisis among young people is real and it deserves a real response, not waiting lists and underfunded programs.

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Inspire girls and young women in STEM: I chaired the MassTLC Education Foundation, focused on inspiring middle and high school girls and young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. One student told me the program caused her to choose computer science in college. She graduated with a job as a software engineer at Microsoft. Changing who sees themselves in these careers changes who holds power in our economy. I'll support and expand funding for programs that open those doors.

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Keep schools safe, healthy, and climate-ready: I'll support building improvements, accelerate school electrification and net zero transitions, and push the MSBA to make net zero ready design the standard for all new school construction. Lynch Elementary in Winchester shows it can be done and that it saves money while creating a healthier learning environment.

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