A Fresh Vision for Our Schools
I’m Emily Serafy-Cox, parent of a 8th-grader and advocate for children and communities for the past 15 years. My fresh vision for Northampton Schools includes innovative curriculum, fair wages for teachers and staff, adequate public funding, and meaningful equity and inclusion. I will listen to and work with our community to make sure all voices are heard and to stand up for our shared values when faced with tough decisions.
Creating the Schools of the Future
Our public schools need to employ innovative curriculum to become destination schools and compete with charter schools. Programs like dual immersion Spanish/English education can even the playing field for English language learners, as well as attract parents looking for highly valuable skills for their children.
Funding Our Future
We probably all probably agree that schools need more money than they get, whether that's ensuring teachers don't have to work a second job to make ends meet or have to ask families to donate pencils to the classroom.
This is why I have been a tireless advocate for meaningful investments in our schools from all levels of government. For years, I have joined with community advocates to demand an update to our outdated school funding formula, taking that message to Beacon Hill. Here in Northampton, I have helped push forward the conversation about how we prioritize local tax revenues and how we will use those revenues to ensure our kids have a bright future.
Some wise and powerful women once said:
It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.
--Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Keeping Our Best Teachers and Staff
Northampton teachers and support staff are some of the best educators in the field. That's why I'm proud to have shepherded two landmark contracts with our educators, bringing their wages up to be competitive with other surrounding communities and ensuring that all district staff make a living wage.
There are no two ways about it. We must fund fair wages to retain excellent teachers and support staff.
Meaningful Equity and Inclusion
All students, no matter their backgrounds or abilities, deserve access to the highest quality education. We need to work with parents, students and teachers to create intentional plans for inclusion and equity that truly transform our schools and classrooms.
In many ways, even this is tied to school funding. In fact, studies have shown that low-income students benefit the most from increases in school funding.