Issues

Funding Public Education

A strong education system is the foundation for a strong democracy and a strong Vermont. In Vermont, we want our public schools to inspire imagination, cultivate critical thinking, and ensure our children can live fulfilling lives.

As a State Senator, I have worked closely with families and teachers from across our state to ensure our public schools are well-equipped to meet the needs of every child. We must assure that free, high-quality education is universal — from pre-K through college.

Over the last few decades, some political leaders have chosen to fuel divisions and divert funding away from our schools. We must reinvest in public schools so that every school, teacher, and student has the resources they need to receive a quality education. In addition, we must fund universal Pre-K and other early childhood programs to give our children the support they need from an early age – including mental-health resources for students, more school counselors, and after-school programs. 

Our teachers dedicate themselves to our children and our communities. We can value this dedication with more adequate compensation and continued investments to recruit and retain these essential workers. This includes supporting and training teachers in using a culturally-inclusive curriculum. 

For students who choose to pursue higher education, the burden of student loan debt has grown dramatically. Today, 43 million people have more than $1.7 trillion in student debt. This is untenable. The first step we must take is to cancel this debt and remove this economic squeeze on folks who simply sought out education to keep up with today’s economy. Then, we must go further by fixing the system that created this debt in the first place. By making all public college tuition-free, by expanding existing programs like Pell Grants and Work-Study, and by reinvesting in our public higher-education system and trade schools, we can work towards guaranteeing debt-free higher education for all. 

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