Public schools are the foundation of our community. My child attends our local public schools because I choose to invest my time and my family’s future here. 

My first duty as a School Committee member would be to be a good steward of East Providence's public schools and ensure they support every student to thrive. 

• Support district administration and teachers to find root causes for inequities across student sub-groups in our district and address them so that we can:

  • • Improve outcomes for students with disabilities, students of color and Multilingual Learners.

    • Improve the high school graduation rate.

• Raise reading proficiency by supporting policies and curricula that require what teachers know works best: phonics instruction and reading real books.  

• Balance enrollment across the elementary schools to ensure no elementary schools are “single-track” (only one teacher per grade) because that limits teacher collaboration and special-ed inclusion. 

• Expand pre-K until we have universal availability for all four year-olds in the city. 

• Pass policies for smart technology usage based on emerging research and best practice. This could look like reducing classroom screen time in lower grades and non-academic screen time in all grades. 

• Support policies that promote more time outdoors. 

All children have the right to an education. Our schools must especially protect students and families whose rights are being limited at the federal level so students can show up and learn their best.

• Support continued improvement of our Special Education program. 

• Pass policies to protect and support students from immigrant families, regardless of documentation status.

• Strengthen and uphold existing policies that protect all students, regardless of their gender identity. Provide resources to teachers on how to better support their LGBTQIA students so all students can thrive and learn.

• Protect students' freedom to read books with characters from all different backgrounds and different life experiences and freedom to learn accurate civics and history. 

• Look for more community partnerships to provide wrap-around support for students, families and staff. Schools cannot afford to provide every support that children need, but they are a community hub to reach children in need.

• Increase transparency around the work of the School Committee. 

  • • Get School Committee meeting agendas to include the text of policies that are going to be considered - DONE!

    • Create a resource to help residents easily access information on our schools and what the school committee is doing. - In Progress -> Transparency Hub 

    • Publish a regular newsletter updating residents on school issues. 

• Increase opportunity for student input on district decisions. For example: look to add high school students to the school committee sub-committees. 

• Increase transportation accessibility across the city for students, most of whom cannot drive.  

  • • Advocate for better bike and pedestrian infrastructure across the city.

    • Work with RIPTA to secure free bus passes for EPHS students who want them.

• Facilitate ways for parents and guardians of current students to attend more School Committee meetings.

  • • Seek solutions for child-care during School Committee meetings.

    • Make School Committee meeting time as efficient as possible to increase accessibility. Most current teachers and guardians of school-aged children cannot sit through a three hour meeting on a school night.  

• Use the district staff survey and the EPEA staff survey to improve the experience of school department staff. 

• Implement office hours for residents, staff, and families to have a reliable time to talk with me.  

• Ensure funding is going to positions that directly support students, such as teachers, paraprofessionals and Social Workers. 

• Keep facilities costs down by not re-opening previously closed school buildings. 

• Request an evaluation of all district high-cost ed-tech and consultant contracts to ensure that the products and services are high-quality, not redundant, and are successfully supporting student learning outcomes.

• Ensure teacher pay and benefits stay competitive so that East Providence is a district of choice for educators. 

I will also advocate for policies on the state and city level that will strengthen the school budget so we can continue to fully fund our schools (and I encourage you to as well!): 

• Work with our state delegation to support a new school funding formula that would move to state funding for many of the high and unpredictable costs of education - such as out of district bussing.  

• Work with our state delegation to oppose school vouchers, which take public dollars out of public schools.  

• Support thoughtful policies that keep East Providence accessible for working families and long-term residents. Stable neighborhoods and strong public schools go hand-in-hand: 

  1. • Housing security allows local students to stay in their neighborhood schools uninterrupted, creating better learning outcomes.

     • Our graduates should have realistic opportunities to remain in East Providence, buyt homes, and raise their own families here.

     • Dropping school enrollment is one of the biggest crisis our schools are facing locally.

       • • Welcome new families helps share the local tax load, creating a healthier tax base that protects long-time homeowners from sharp property tax increases.

         • Dropping enrollment leads to lower funding and hard decisions, like closing buildings or eliminating classes and laying off teachers.

         • Stabilizing student enrollment secures our fair share of state funding, ensuring our schools are fully resourced without relying solely on local taxpayers.