Our children deserve school funding. Recent legislative decisions to defund schools and the education has created increased strain on all families and those who lift our education system up, including teachers, volunteers, and especially our children.

Students who can't afford meals at home, often eat at school. Defunding our programs increases strains on everyone, and often leaves our children hungry.

Additionally, South Carolina State is one of the worst in the nation for education. Our children and families deserve better!

Our children are an investment. We should treat them like they are.

Smart School Funding Means:

• Investing in literacy, teacher retention, and safe classrooms before adding new requirements unrelated to academic funding achievement.

• Paying teachers higher wages. Livable wages.

• Children should not get left behind due to education disparities or lack of investment.

• Expand access to Pre-K, and 4-K programs.

• Ensuring funding actually reaches the goals of classrooms and schools.

Affordable Child Care Means:

• Expanding access to quality early childhood programs

• Supporting local child care providers so they can stay open and staffed

• Creating and supporting existing child-care tax credits or state-level support for working families

• Treating early education as the workforce issue it truly is

Too many parents are forced to choose between:

• Working full-time and paying most of their paycheck to child care

• Cutting hours and losing income

• Or leaving the workforce altogether

This is not sustainable for families and leaves in impoverished or in debt for decades while they try to catch up. If childcare costs the same or more than a mortgage, families can't survive.

When we invest early, we:

• Strengthen our economy

• Support working parents

• Reduce long-term social costs

• And give children a fair start by investing in them!

I pledge to work hard on our Education and Child-Care as South Carolina State Representative and help our communities flourish responsibly.