A great teacher or school employee can change a student's life. And great teachers and school employees depend on our strong support for our public schools.

Here’s the good news, as our students go back to classrooms across Oregon – we met the challenge of funding a historic public education package.

A few more legislative victories for our teachers, school employees, and students:

• Oregon students need more support in reading, especially after the pandemic, so we made a big investment in literacy for young kids. The Early Literacy Success Initiative funds best practices in reading, curriculum improvements, and programs to reduce disparities among those furthest behind.

• Equity is crucial to our education system and that means access to school for everyone. This session we stood up for disabled students to make sure districts provide a full day of in-class instruction.

• Oregon is committed to reducing poverty among children. We passed a bill that gives a $1000 per-child tax credit for low-income families.

• Following our success with civics education last session, we passed my bill requiring personal financial education and life skills as a vital part of our high school graduation requirements.

My service in the State Senate builds upon my lifelong passion for supporting students of all ages. I can promise you this: I'll fight to keep our schools fully-funded and serve every child in Oregon.