Stafford County is the 2nd richest county in America, and yet our per-pupil funding level is 35.3% below the state average.

As a parent, and as a taxpayer, I think that is unacceptable.

Schools are the backbone of our community. Schools are our kids, our teachers, our paraprofessionals, our bus drivers, our cafeteria workers, our nurses, our admins, and everyone who works to provide our students and our community with a quality education.

Ensuring a quality education for every child is critical – it means opportunities, the ability to advance in life, the chance to achieve their goals and dreams. And it matters for our whole community. Any realtor will tell you that strong schools equal strong property values. Strong property values equal strong economies and strong communities.

That’s why our Stafford County Board of Supervisors needs to invest in our schools as a true community resource, treating our school system like the crowning jewel that it is – not a rusty tin can they can keep kicking down the road.

This global pandemic has only highlighted how underfunded, understaffed, and undersupplied our schools are in good times, let alone in challenging ones. At $4,383, the Board of Supervisors per pupil local contribution is 35.3% below the state average and falling fast.

Our kids, and our entire community, deserve more than just the bare minimum.

We’re currently ranked 119 out of 132 school districts in Virginia in total per pupil expenditure (federal, state, and local) thanks to the woefully small local contribution from the Board of Supervisors. But if the Board of Supervisors met even just the average local contribution levels, that would put $70 million more into our school budget.

Raising that local contribution would allow us to fix Stafford County Public Schools’ incredibly high student-to-teacher ratio – we already have the 13^th worst K-7 and the 9^th worst 8-12 student to teacher ratio in Virginia. That’s an embarrassment.

It’s time for the Board of Supervisors to acknowledge that years of their underfunding public education has allowed the foundation of our education system to crumble. And while every student deserves educational excellence, we’re not asking for extravagance – we’re just asking for equity.

We must invest in our schools now to ensure that this generation can grow up with the same educational opportunities as previous generations, and so that our community remains a strong and vibrant place to raise a family.

I’m running to be your voice on the school board, as a representative of our community. These are our kids and our schools, and we deserve a real say in how decisions are made. It’s time for information to be given to taxpayers in a clear, consistent way that makes it easy to understand what’s being done, why, and how much is it costing us. It’s time for the community to have a real avenue to voice their opinions, concerns, and ideas. And it’s time for us to advocate, together, for what our kids, schools, and community need to succeed.

I won’t stop fighting until our schools are fully funded. I hope that you will join me armed with the information you need and deserve.