Education is an important investment we make for our future. But during four frustrating years of Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump, we often had to fight back against their hateful and destructive policies instead of making progress.

We know that when we work together, we can accomplish:

• Universal early childhood education
• Equity in our K-12 schools
• Affordable, debt-free higher education

The COVID pandemic has exposed and exacerbated inequities in our public education system. Too many students are struggling to learn from home because they lack computer equipment and high-speed internet, or because their parents have to work. This is especially true for low-income families and students of color.

And it didn't have to be this way. Donald Trump should have shown leadership when the country needed him most. Instead of addressing the pandemic and working on how to reopen our schools safely, he's spending time on meritless lawsuits and planning pardons for his family members. The chaos he has created is unnecessary and harmful.

Here's the good news: In a few short weeks, Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos will be gone. In their place, we will have a President, Vice President, and Secretary of Education who believe in the promise of public education and who will work day and night to implement our shared goals. And our future First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, is a life-long educator who plans to continue teaching even when she and President-Elect Biden are in the White House!

Those of us in Congress who are fighting for better opportunities for all our children will have partners – not adversaries – in the White House and the administration.

Education has been a top priority of mine since I was an active parent volunteer decades ago. And now as a policymaker, I'm excited for what we will accomplish for our students in the years ahead. Stay tuned.