Since both of my parents are public school teachers, I obviously see the importance of education. I have thought of many ways to improve education for future students and have sought advice from current and past educators as well as policy leaders. Additionally, I want to tackle student debt which has bogged down so many people's aspirations. According to the College Board, the average cumulative student debt balance in 2017 was $26,900 for graduates of public four-year schools and $32,600 for graduates of private nonprofit four-year schools. Cancel all existing student loan debt. Both of my parents graduated as soon as they could from college yet they were still paying off college debt till their mid-40s. So with all of that being said, here is what I would want to do to better Oregon's education.

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So Here Is My Plan:

• We need to end all funding of schools via property tax. This creates a segregated education system based on neighborhood income and has cemented racial inequity across Oregon let alone the United States.

• Eliminate homework from the public school curriculum. Homework is outdated; The best education systems on earth have practically eliminated homework with excellent outcomes across the board. End the use of the prefabricated curriculum.

• Prevent High Schools from starting before 9:00 as most students are not ready to learn before then anyway. 

• In education, one size does not fit all, teachers should drive the educational experience for their students. 

• Remove standardized testing requirements.

• Eliminate barriers to college-readiness exams by ensuring states cover fees for the ACT, SAT, and other college preparatory exams for all students.

• Address disciplinary practices in schools that disproportionately affect Black and Brown children.

• Fund school transportation to help integration, ending the absurd prohibitions in place.

• Increase access to English as a Second Language instruction.

• Increase funding for public magnet schools to $10 million annually to help integrate our schools.

• Ban for-profit charter schools and support the NAACP’s moratorium on public funds for charter school expansion until a national audit has been completed to determine the impact of charter growth. It means halting the use of public funds to underwrite new charter schools.

• Increase the state base salary for teachers to $60,000 per year, with overtime pay and pensions. This would resolve a lot of starting teachers not having to worry about money or the love for the job since now they can have both.  

• Ensure professional development for all teachers, including continuing education and mentorship programs

• End racial and gender disparities in teacher pay.

• Provide $5 billion annually for career and technical education to give our students the skills they need to thrive once they graduate.

• Ensure schools in rural communities and indigenous communities receive equitable funding.

• Triple the above-the-line tax deduction for educator expenses and index it to inflation to reimburse teachers for the nearly $500 on average they spend on out-of-pocket classroom expenses each year.

• Create a grant program to provide teachers with funds explicitly meant for classroom materials.

• Spend $50 million annually to substantially expand access to summer and after-school programs, teen centers, and tutoring.

• Community and youth organizing.

• Community goods and services such as job training classes, art spaces, GED, and ESL classes.

• Protect the rights of LGBTQ students.

• Fully funding PK-12 education based on need. This includes: 

  • Expanded special education services. 

  • Expanded vocational education at the high school level. 

  • Expanded arts and music programs. 

  • Expanded counseling, mental health, and social services. 

  • Free school breakfasts, snacks, and lunches for every child all throughout the year. 

  • Improved nutritional standards and food preparation education. 

  • Making all lunches free while eliminating any lunch debt within the state.

• Protect students from harassment, discrimination, and violence in educational institutions by protecting and enforcing Title IX.

• Ensure that immigrant children and their parents are free from harassment and surveillance at school, regardless of their immigration status.

• Enact comprehensive gun violence prevention laws to end the epidemic of gun violence in this country and in our schools.

• Make public colleges, universities, and trade schools tuition-free with all curriculum available digitally, free of charge. In essence that would mean the next generation of students would not have to ever worry about student loan payments. This would be the first time graduates would not be so dramatically financially handicapped for pursuing higher education post-high school.

• Provide and fund state grants for education-related expenses (i.e. room & board, specialty supplies/equipment, and etc.)

• Guarantee free meals to all public college students and faculty. We all know about the starving student and the professor jokes it's not ok. They're human and deserve food too especially if they are improving or receiving higher education.

• Pay college students a stipend, based on area cost of living.

• Pressure the Federal Government to cancel all student debt. If they can do it for multi-billion-dollar banks in 08' they can do it for 45 million current or former students too.