It was in my role as “Mom” that I first became an advocate for public education.  Portland Public Schools faced a financial deficit and planned to cut full-day Kindergarten districtwide as a result, just as my firstborn was about to enroll.  I petitioned the board, organizing more than 150 parents and educators to successfully oppose this decision.

 

In 2019, I was one of the key architects of the game-changing Student Success Act, which will add $1 billion a year in perpetuity to our chronically underfunded education system.  I am particularly proud of the Act’s emphasis on meaningful equity and supports for mental health and nutrition. (The food access provisions of the law make Oregon the best state in the nation for the percentage of students receiving meals in schools.)  It is the crowning achievement of my public service career.