Our communities revolve around education. Many of us move here for outstanding schools. These schools helped my mom raise four kids. She went on to lead our PTAs and serve on the District 225 school board (like her mom back in Kansas!).

Moreover, Illinois has a long history of investing in education. We are home to some of the best institutions of higher learning in the world. Our public university and community college systems are some of the best in the country.

My family includes teachers, parents, and (more recently) kids, and I am firmly committed to funding and advocating for safe, quality, and equitable education statewide.

Early Childhood Education

• Support pre-K expansion: Early childhood education improves long-term outcomes and helps working parents. Dollar for dollar, pre-K spending has one of the highest returns on investment of any public program. I support the Governor's continued work to invest in and expand pre-K programs statewide.

• Improve pay for childcare workers: Childcare is often unaffordable for families and childcare workers are often chronically underpaid for the extremely difficult jobs (and hours) they work. As we expand access, we also need to ensure teacher pay attracts top talent to care for our precious children.

Supporting Educators & Support staff

• Support teacher training and development: Fund professional development, mentorship programs, and continuing education so teachers stay current and engaged. Create pathways for teachers to grow into leadership roles.

• Improve classroom ratios: Smaller class sizes allow teachers to actually know their students and provide individualized attention. Support staffing levels that make real teaching possible.

• Pay educators and support staff competitively: Illinois should ensure teacher salaries in districts statewide are competitive with surrounding states and reflect the importance of their work.

Champion Higher Learning & Research

• Champion research: At a time when the federal government has failed its commitments to research & development spending, the state must step in and support our research labs, educational institutions, and press on with critical scientific and medical funding that will keep Northwestern University and Illinois at the center of technological breakthroughs for years to come.

• A Healthy Education & Training Ecosystem: Oakton Community College is a treasure in our community, providing training, instruction, and education for students and community members. I will advocate for Community Colleges, Apprenticeship programs, our public colleges and universities, as well as private institutions to give students a full range of options as they transition into the workforce.

School Funding & Resources

• Fight for adequate, equitable school funding: Illinois has taken important steps towards investing in schools statewide, so that zip code doesn't determine educational resources. I will continue to fight for the Evidence-based Funding Formula investments in statewide school districts.

• Support special education funding: Students with special needs deserve fully funded services. Support state reimbursement for the actual cost of special education.

• Fund mental health and counseling services: Schools are often where kids receive vital mental health support. Ensure schools have counselors, psychologists, and social workers to address students' needs.

Education Quality & Curriculum

• Support literacy and numeracy: Strong reading and math skills are foundational. Invest in evidence-based literacy and numeracy instruction, especially in early grades.

• Advocate for a training and talent pipeline: Work together with industry leaders, unions, and community stakeholders to ensure students are learning skills and being trained on career paths that will set them up for success. Provide students access to science, technology, engineering, and math education.

• Protect arts education: Music, visual arts, theater, and dance develop creativity, critical thinking, and joy in learning. Guarantee all students have access to arts instruction.

School Safety & Student Support

• Fight for common sense gun rules to keep weapons away from schools and children.

• Address school safety holistically: Every student deserves to feel safe at school. Support evidence-based approaches that focus on building positive school communities, not just security measures.

• Expand school-based health services: Ensure students have access to healthcare, vision and hearing screenings, nutrition services, and mental health support at school.

• Support school counselors and social workers: Students facing trauma, homelessness, or poverty need support systems to succeed. Fund school-based counseling and social work.

• Reduce the school-to-prison pipeline: Support restorative practices instead of punitive discipline. Eliminate policies that push students into the criminal justice system.

Reducing Achievement Gaps

• Address barriers to student success: Students facing poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, or language barriers need additional support. Fund wraparound services that address the root causes of achievement gaps.

• Invest in schools serving the most vulnerable: Schools serving students facing the most poverty and trauma need more resources, not fewer. Support concentrated funding that targets greatest need.

• Support attendance and engagement: Chronic absenteeism is often a sign of deeper problems. Address barriers to attendance and support students in staying engaged.