In Maura’s eyes, many Georgia politicians have forgotten where they came from. They have taken for granted their access to education, the basic necessities they had growing up, and their ability to achieve a high paying job. Now, they are trying to prevent future generations from having the same opportunities. Investing in public education is not a pipedream, it is a necessity. Nobel Prize winner James Heckman completed research that shows every $1 invested in early childhood development can yield returns of up to $16. Investment starts with our educators, and Maura wants to ensure that all teachers are paid a fair and liveable wage. In Georgia, you are required to have a college degree yet, according to Indeed, the average teacher salary in Georgia is $14.60/hour. In order to retain high quality teachers, we need to pay them what they deserve.

We also need to acknowledge that students today are facing immense hardships. With the gun violence epidemic and Covid interruptions, we need to provide more resources for students to lean on in times of need. Maura wants to secure funding to make sure every school has a qualified mental health professional. Republicans are always quick to blame gun violence on mental health issues, yet they have voted against every mental health support bill that comes through Congress. When mental health services are on the table, Maura will always vote yes. The very act of growing up in the American school system can lead to trauma; other developed nations do not put children through active shooter drills. How can we expect students to focus on their education and their future when they live in fear as soon as they enter a school building?

In District 3, child poverty is a huge issue that Republicans don’t want to talk about. Nationally, Georgia ranks 42nd for children living in poverty, with 20.2% of children under 18 living in households well below the poverty threshold. Maura recently went to the State Capitol and met a group of 11th graders who were waiting in line to visit their State Representatives. The main issue on their minds was student poverty, and they shared some shocking statistics. On average, 11% of students can drop out of school. When children are living in poverty, the dropout rate increases to 24-30%. When you add food insecurity, the rate increases even more. Maura wants to see a world in which no child falls through the cracks because of their zip code or the color of their skin. All should have equal opportunities, and all should know that America wants them to succeed.