A Vision for a Stronger Johnston County

Every student in North Carolina deserves an excellent education. As a teacher and NC parent, I stand for supporting great educators, empowering parents, and preparing students for success.

This incluces:

• Attracting and retaining the best teachers with competitive salaries and rewards for experience. North Carolina ranks 39th nationally in starting teacher pay and 43rd in average veteran teacher pay. We must work harder to improve this and keep great, dedicated teachers in our classrooms.

• Supporting parental options, including school choice, while ensuring all schools, public, private, and homeschool, are adequately funded so every child has access to quality resources.

• Implementing guidelines to ensure that equal-opportunity scholarships benefit families without causing unfair tuition increases.

• Expanding the opportunity for shop classes and hands-on technical training in our high schools, equipping students with skills for high-demand trades like welding, plumbing, carpentry, and auto repair.

• Financial Literacy for NC Schools: Empower middle and high school students with financial literacy classes covering budgeting, saving, investing, and debt management. This is crucial alongside the federal Trump Accounts program, which seeds $1,000 in investment accounts for newborns to grow for education or home purchases—ensuring NC kids maximize their savings through smart compounding.  Let’s be the first to teach smart, lifelong investing for a prosperous future.

North Carolina's first Constitution, adopted in 1776, included a provision authorizing the legislature to establish schools. Education is a top priority for me, as I have dedicated my career to teaching our youth. The state must guarantee a foundational education and empower parents to make decisions about their children's learning pathways. This means supporting policies that adequately fund public, private, and homeschooling options.

How you choose to educate your family is not a right-or-wrong issue for me, but schools are either properly funded or they are not. If schools lack the resources teachers and staff need to deliver a sound education, funding is the issue.

Our state ranks near the bottom nationally in school funding, and I intend to fight for your current tax dollars to improve education in our state.

Johnston County has a rich agricultural heritage, and farming remains a vital part of our economy and way of life. The rapid growth is threatening working farms — Johnston County ranks 19th nationally for farmland at greatest risk of loss by 2040 — I stand for protecting family farms while respecting private property rights.

For example:

• Voluntary programs that support farmers who choose to preserve their land through conservation easements and agricultural districts.

• Incentives and partnerships that keep productive farmland in agriculture without mandating participation.

I grew up in a farming community, and I respect family farms and property rights.

Simply put: No farms, no food.

Government works best when it is open and accountable to the people. I stand for building trust in Raleigh through greater openness and practical reforms, like:

• Full public access to records and decision-making processes. No unnecessary secrecy.

• Fresh ideas by preventing power from concentrating in the same hands too long.

• Supporting COS Principles: Term Limits and Balanced Budget Amendments.

I stand for openness, accountability, and effective leadership in Raleigh.

Hardworking Johnston County families are facing rising costs. I stand for rewarding effort, keeping more money in your pocket, and making government work better for you.

I’m prioritizing:

• Tax relief for overtime and tips.

• Tax reduction that allows families to keep more of their hard-earned dollars.

• Removing burdensome regulations.

• Eliminating waste to focus on core priorities.

Working families and seniors on fixed incomes deserve affordability and responsibility. Rising costs affect us all—my family feels it too.

I stand for practical solutions that improve access to quality healthcare, reduce costs, and support our community's needs, ensuring seniors and families get the care they deserve. This includes

• Approaches that encourage competition to lower costs while maintaining local providers as safety nets.

• Addressing key needs, especially mental and behavioral health services in Johnston County.

As District 26’s representative, I intend to be accessible, transparent, and responsive. Your concerns are my priority.

Together, we can build a brighter future for District 26 with strong schools, protected farmland, fiscal responsibility, and opportunities for everyone.