Bottom line, we can’t teach students without teachers. OPS is losing 500 teachers a year. I know, personally, what a good teacher can do. In 7th grade, my mom and I lived in a rundown RV we rented by the week. Like many kids from tough backgrounds, I was often absent or spent my day in detention. Somehow, my math teacher noticed me. He came to detention on his break to help with my homework, lent me a college textbook, and enrolled me in summer courses at a community college. I wouldn’t have made it far in life without the many public teachers like him going above and beyond to keep me afloat. Teaching is one of the most important professions in society and teacher pay should reflect that. It is the only way to recruit and retain the best.

I work in water infrastructure and am proud to have played a central role in projects to modernize the Florence Water Treatment Plant that serves my district, and treatment projects that prevent pollution of the Missouri River where a million Nebraskans get their drinking water. In my district, the worst contaminants (eg, lead, mercury, bacteria), are coming from neglected service lines in homes owned by serial slumlords who prey on the poor. These same lines are also prone to bursting, causing damage and stopping the supply of water altogether. For some reason, these slumlords who damage our neighborhoods and harm our children’s health are still on the property tax relief list, which should be going to improve quality affordable housing.

In my district: 1) Housing. We need to shift tax relief to increase the supply of quality affordable housing. Bill Gates and Ted Turner don’t need the rebate regardless of how much of our state land they own. 2) Roads. My district has the deadliest roads in Nebraska. We need to redirect freight traffic and design modern roads in our neighborhoods to encourage local commerce and provide clear access to first responders. 3) Health care. We are dangerously low on options for senior and emergency care, due to a staffing crisis. Nebraska is missing billions in federal funds and our tax dollars are instead being spent in other states. My community’s priorities are my priorities, and I will introduce legislation on day one to address these issues.

Attracting and retaining teachers and paraprofessionals. Refine the scope of curriculums. Create partnerships with Nebraska employers to share education responsibilities. Newly created or perfected shared teaching curriculums that include opportunities to learn the trades in order for students to have good paying, prompt employment after graduation.

Nebraska's underground water and waterways are Nebraska's greatest natural resource. Creating policy and programming to safeguard the transport, storage, disposal and use of pesticides is a critical step in protecting our clean water.

Keeping young and old Nebraskans in Nebraska. For the young it means education that leads to economic opportunity. Good paying jobs, lower cost of living, affordable housing are critical. For retirees it means reducing the Nebraska property tax burden so they can afford to stay and contribute to our state.

My top concern regarding K-12 education is ensuring a high quality education for every child in our state, regardless of where they live or their background. Public schools are the backbone of our education system, and it's imperative that we allocate resources to strengthen them and provide equitable results for students. My solution revolves around directing public dollars exclusively to public schools, and increasing state aid. Nebraska is 47th in state aid to public schools. We must prioritize the well being of schools and students and prioritize our schools, rather than give large tax cuts to large corporations, many of whom aren’t headquartered in Nebraska, as the Legislature has done in recent years.

Ensuring access to clean water in Nebraska is not just a priority but a fundamental human right. To ensure access to clean water, I would prioritize providing appropriate filtration systems to households lacking safe drinking water, particularly addressing issues like high nitrate levels and homes with lead pipes. I would focus on incentivizing conservation measures such as preventing erosion control and reducing chemical fertilizer application to prevent further contamination of water sources. By combining efforts to address immediate filtration needs with proactive measures to safeguard water quality, we can work towards ensuring a sustainable supply of clean water. No Nebraskan should be left without safe and reliable water supplies.

The number one thing I hear at the doors is housing and property taxes. Affordable housing is not easy to solve. You cannot build your way out of the affordable housing crisis. Instead we need to be thinking of creative solutions, such as incentivizing people in starter homes to move to the next tier, freeing up more housing options at every level. In addition, the rise in property valuations and property taxes is leaving many people, especially low-income people and seniors on fixed incomes, with the challenge of being taxed out of their homes. We must fund our schools at the state-level and find equitable ways to lower these taxes, especially for those who need the relief the most, without sacrificing the vital services people rely on.

Public education and quality school choice is a top priority in our state. There is an opportunity to address the funding formula, resources, staffing and family/student experience in our K-12 educational system, which are all complex opportunities. We know that our public school system is under funded, there are barriers to attracting and retaining quality teachers and staff, as well as addressing school cultures that don't allow for students and families to be successful. I believe we have to prioritize the funding formula for our public education system and need to explore other creative structures like legalizing and taxing marijuana, that can help produce income to fully fund one of our most important assets as a state.

Nebraskans deserve environments that are healthy and add to our wellbeing. Nebraska is home to the largest aquifer and access to clean water is vital component to ensure vibrant communities and corridors. There are lots of state-based environmental justice organizations and leaders that are actively working to ensure we have access to clean water. I would work with these partners and folks that are most impacted by access to clean water to ensure the state legislature is aligning to access of clean water to all Nebraskans and if there are any policy recommendations and steps that can be taken if there are gaps in that. It is important to bring in the leadership of those that have been active in this space to lead and advise.

Our democracy is at a crossroads and Nebraska is no different. There are major opportunities in front of us that we have to tackle in new and different ways. This includes managing our state budget including revenue opportunities, addressing the impact of our state managed systems like corrections, child welfare and health and human services, and the economic potential of Nebraska. We have to approach policy making by centering people with lived experience and expertise to help co-create effective policy versus trying to legislate community change. I have specific thoughts on how to address these issues and would want to convene the right partners first to develop the levers of change that would include but are not limited legislation.