On the Issue of Improving...
EDUCATION - for children, teens, adults, & families
As a retired elementary and special ed teacher, I know students can thrive with a high-quality public education, but I also know students' lives can take a very different path if the education system fails them. Sadly, the pandemic shone a bright light on education-related concerns here and elsewhere. Lack of broadband infrastructure and 21st-century tools (tablets, phones) for virtual learning; lack of adequate support for teachers, counselors, and staff to handle multiple pressures and increased stressors; and severely limited social connection among students, leading to increased bullying and violence at schools, need comprehensive action. We must do better - for the well-being of our families and communities. My strategies:
Implement mental healthcare services for schoolchildren (K-8), in the classroom, 30-minutes weekly
Increase the number of accessible, affordable pre-K and childcare slots and programs
Convert abandoned residential and commercial buildings to childcare/pre-K facilities using loans/grants program
Increase the number of Career & Technical school slots and programs for teens interested in skilled trades
Revise Registered Apprenticeship (RA) regs to include childcare and early childhood education careers
Implement loans/grants to apprentices (beyond wages earned from the employer) to expand interest in all fields
Develop loan program to provide RAs with "start-up" equipment, tools, and supplies
ENVIRONMENT - for cleaner air, cleaner water, and the elimination of PFOAs ("forever chemicals")
We have a responsibility to leave our children and grandchildren a physical environment that is both livable and enjoyable. At the present time, however, many of the available solutions to issues such as water contamination and fossil fuel dependence are financially beyond the reach of most residents in our District. Clean air, water, and power should not be luxury items. Legislation to develop programs that solve air, water, and power issues will have the secondary, good benefit of bringing new, higher-skilled jobs to our communities. My strategies:
Strengthen oversight of the levels of nitrates and PFOAs in water well systems
Implement programs that limit the release of methane and carbon dioxide into the air in our District
Require proper labeling of different types of compost to reduce residents' ingestion of harmful chemicals
HOMES - for veterans, young adults, families, and retirees
Even with increased development in Sussex County, it is still very difficult for our families and friends in the District - young adults, veterans, working families, and retirees - to find homes with rents or mortgages that are reasonable for them to manage on their incomes. As with most everything in our lives, the pandemic made this issue worse. We must make sure that everyone who wants to live and work in and around Seaford and Blades can find a safe home with an affordable rent or mortgage. My strategies:
Establish age-appropriate financial literacy classes in grades 1-12 and public post-secondary schools
Identify funds and resources to renovate abandoned homes as condominiums to sell to veterans, families, and retirees currently residing in the District
Develop and build moderately-priced condominiums and townhomes in Seaford's core area to sell or rent to veterans, families, and retirees currently residing in the District
JUSTICE - for women and under-served communities within our District
Witnessing the stress and distress in our communities caused by the DuPont departure was painful, and I got to work - and haven't stopped since - trying to do my part to lift up businesses, friends, and neighbors. I have volunteered with Seaford Public Library raising funds for children's programming; sorted and distributed food items with the Food Bank of Delaware; gone door-to-door for the 2010 and 2020 Census surveys; and served meals to unhoused veterans with Code Purple. I fought alongside others in the community for an increase to Delaware's minimum wage rate and for changes to the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights (LEOBOR) in order to address and reduce racial injustices.
I am still joined in the fight for people's right to make their own decisions about privacy and bodily autonomy including end-of-life, and women's healthcare and reproductive rights. I fully support legislation that guarantees and protects the rights of all Delawareans to make these decisions. A decision to have an abortion, in particular, is an extremely difficult one to make, and the physical, mental, and emotional experience of the abortion itself is very hard to get through. Every girl and woman need to have the "space" to make hard and complicated decisions and to have the option to not continue a pregnancy for any (or none) of a myriad of reasons.
My positions (always!):
Ensure respect for and respectful treatment of all residents in our District
Safeguard women's rights as human rights
Never, ever sit on the sidelines when there is a need in our District, county, or state
Bring an action-oriented, problem-solving approach to Legislative Hall as your Representative
