Fighting for Our Schools and the Towns That Support them

I’m proud to be a graduate of the Dennis–Yarmouth Regional School District. Education has always been part of my family’s story. My father taught Creative Writing in the district, and my mother served as a nurse at Ezra H. Baker Innovation School.

Today, my wife and I are raising two children—ages seven and nine—who attend D-Y schools. I know firsthand what our schools mean to families, because they shaped who I became, and now they are helping shape the lives of my children.

Across Cape Cod right now, communities are facing some difficult conversations. Towns are struggling to keep up with rising costs. Municipal budgets are stretched thin, and school budgets represent a significant portion of every town’s annual spending. Override votes are becoming more common—but they are never an ideal solution.

It’s too easy, and frankly unfair, to blame schools for every fiscal challenge our towns face. At the same time, accountability matters. Town leaders, state leaders, and everyone entrusted with public dollars share a responsibility to make sure our next generation of students has the support they deserve.

A major part of the problem is structural. Ten years ago, the state covered a much larger share of local budgets. Today, that support has dropped significantly. When multiple towns across the Cape are facing overrides at the same time, it’s clear that local leaders are not the only ones under pressure. The state’s Chapter 70 funding formula simply does not reflect the realities communities like ours are facing today.

As your State Representative, fixing this will be a priority for me.

I will fight for municipal budgets so towns are not forced into impossible choices between funding schools, maintaining public safety, supporting seniors, and providing basic services.

I will fight for school budgets that give our talented educators the staffing, resources, and stability they need to do their jobs well.

I will fight for teachers who show up every day for our children, often carrying more responsibility than the current funding system allows.

And most importantly, I will fight for our students—because their future should never be balanced against a broken funding formula.

Real solutions will require partnership. Municipalities, the Legislature, and state agencies must work together. We need a serious review of how education is funded and a renewed commitment to fairness for communities like ours.

The conversations happening across Cape Cod right now are serious—and they should be.

I grew up in these schools. My children are growing up in these schools. I’m running to make sure the next generation has classrooms that are supported, teachers who are valued, and communities that are not forced to carry more than their fair share.