Policy Platform

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Bolster & encourage career pathways such as vocational trades, entrepreneurship, military service and college readiness. These vital career  programs, including financial literacy classes, need to be fully funded and staffed for students to have multiple options to choose from.

Secure a permanent location for the Dual Language School and for the school to receive the necessary funding and support for future  students. Waltham is a city rich in its diversity, and The Dual Language school is a unique and valuable resource for students to learn multiple languages. This is a hallmark of our educational system. James will continue to promote equity and language access across our entire school system.

Hire a dedicated and passionate superintendent for the Waltham School system, especially as we navigate the transition to the new high school. The Superintendent needs to have the foresight and vision for a long-term plan to lead our school system into the future. 

Teachers are the backbone of our educational system. James promises to continually meet with teachers on a monthly basis to understand what is happening inside the classroom and provide the necessary resources they need to maintain an ideal educational experience. 

It is critically important to maintain accessibility and affordability for students enrolled in Special Education services. James will work with students, parents and guardians on best opportunities for the over 1,000 students in the district who have physical, intellectual, developmental or learning disabilities who enroll in these essential services.

With 23% of children living food insecure in Massachusetts, we need to continue to strengthen healthy nutrition options for school breakfast and lunch. Research shows that universal school meals provides students with the needed energy to learn throughout the school day, as this is vital for student success and equity.

Prioritize social-emotional learning throughout the entire school system by making sure mental health resources are available for each student, cultivating a safe and inclusive climate & culture in every school. Providing a safe and positive atmosphere in our schools is vital for students to thrive both inside and outside a classroom setting.

As a guitarist and someone who has a passion for music, James will advocate for more funding for our arts & music department so they can compete in competitions all over the U.S. and the world. Art and music classes is a dedicated time in the school day for students to explore the creative process of learning.

Raised by a single mother, my family understood the challenges of the expensive and hard to find early childhood care for Preschool/Pre-K. James believes this is the next step we need to take as a city. Parents need to have increased options to send their children to Pre-K without the astronomical costs that comes with Pre-school education. 

As technology continues to expand and become more advanced, we need to equip our classrooms with the most up to date software and hardware systems/programs. We will have to collaboratively work with the IT Department on the resources  needed to prevent our systems from becoming slow and out of date.

James' goal will be to maintain a balanced educator-student classroom size ratio across each school. As the city continues to grow, we need to invest in more classroom space and staff to meet this goal.

James will have open access and communication with any questions you may have about the school system, at any time. Please feel free to reach out, as James' main goal will be to provide the most up to information to everyone.