Supporting our teachers is essential to retaining experienced educators and improving student outcomes. While I will always vote for salary increases, we must also pursue practical, creative solutions that improve teachers’ daily working conditions.

Key Actions:

• Establish fully paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers; currently, only mothers receive partial pay and fathers receive none.

• Renegotiate health insurance premiums, which are significantly higher than those paid by employees at major companies in our region.

• Improve the overall work environment to reduce burnout and strengthen teacher retention. for example, simple things like add more copying machines in schools, where many teachers currently share a single copier while serving up to 650 students.