5. Education for Opportunity and the Next Generation

CORE PROMISE: Every kid deserves a great school - and every adult deserves an affordable path to obtain job skills.

Maryland’s education system is strong in many ways, but inequities persist — and MD-05 often bears the heaviest burden. Schools in Prince George’s County, Charles County, and parts of Southern Maryland face overcrowded classrooms, aging buildings, and inconsistent access to high-quality teachers. 

The cost of higher education has grown exponentially, leaving students with massive debt. Meanwhile, colleges and employers struggle to match rapidly changing workforce needs, and vocational, trade, and apprenticeship pathways are undervalued and underfunded.

Families in rural parts of Calvert and St. Mary’s counties face long commutes to schools, limited access to specialty programs, and fewer extracurricular and advanced academic opportunities. Teacher shortages strain the system further, especially in STEM, special education, and early childhood learning.

Students with disabilities often confront slow services, delayed evaluations, and inconsistent support across school districts. College and career counseling varies widely, leaving many students uncertain about pathways into trades, apprenticeships, public service, or high-skill industries.

Education should be the gateway to opportunity, but too many students in MD-05 face obstacles that limit their potential — and too many teachers lack the support needed to thrive.

HOW I’LL WORK TO FIX IT:

Fully fund public schools and fight for higher teacher pay, retention, and classroom support

Expand universal pre-K and early intervention programs

Make community college and trade programs debt-free (or near-free) for working families

Expand Pell Grants and simplify aid so students can actually use it

Build pipelines into STEM, vocational, cybersecurity, clean energy, and technical careers

Expand student-loan forgiveness tied to public service and high-need professions

Incentivize degrees and career paths in higher education to generate and maintain a pool of qualified teachers

MD-05 FOCUS POINT:

I will lose rural access gaps in education (long commutes, limited programs) and strengthen special-education supports

I will assist states with reducing classroom overcrowding, while increasing the number of teachers and support professionals (speech pathologist/counselors)

I will fight to obtain federal funding for routine and emergency facility/building maintenance and upkeep