If you would have told 15 year old me, that I would one day trade in the halls of Lowell High School's field house for the halls of Congress I would have (awkwardly) laughed out loud.

But that’s the type of foundation a strong public education can build for our kids when we invest in our educators, classrooms, and facilities.

So, as we close out Public Schools Week I wanted to take a moment to pledge my support for a few major initiatives we should enact to ensure a solid education for kids across the country:

• Leverage federal, state, and local resources when repairing and constructing schools across the country, which has been estimated to create over 1.9 million jobs in the process
• Support our teachers who invest so much of their time and talent in our kids, because we know when teachers do well, students do well. No teacher should have to work a second or even third job just to make ends meet
• Make critical investments in high-poverty schools, as well as schools with majority Black and Brown enrollment, so students can learn in facilities that aren’t posing health and safety risks
• Develop a comprehensive national database on the condition of our public schools, making it easier to track when and how schools fall behind
• Expand high-speed broadband access, so digital learning is available to all – not just students in urban or well funded communities
• Promote the development of curriculum that best positions students for higher learning, so that they are primed for personal and professional success

Education is the great equalizer – and we owe it to our kids to keep their schools fully funded so they can succeed long after they leave the classroom.

They’ve waited long enough, and as the proud product of public schools, I’m proud to keep up the fight for their future.

Lori