New Jersey has some of the best public schools in the country. But this isn’t true of every zip code, where we continue to see large disparities in educational opportunities — which leaves talent on the table despite efforts to close the achievement gap. A strong foundation starts with making early childhood education, pre-K, and kindergarten affordable and available in every corner of the state. 

Across New Jersey, students in every district continue to face post-pandemic struggles with mental health and learning loss. That’s why I fought to bring back federal funding to safely reopen schools and get kids back on track, including by introducing legislation to provide high-quality tutoring to students. As governor, we’ll expand on this progress by supporting effective programs — like high-impact tutoring — that address learning loss. We’ll address the mental health crisis by increasing the number of school counselors, psychologists, and mental health services in our schools. And as a mom of four, I know that kids learn better when their stomachs are full. I will make school meals available at no cost for every student in New Jersey because we know good nutrition is essential to academic achievement. 

As our students graduate high school and move on to college or their careers, we can better prepare them by creating stronger pathways between schools and the workforce. This includes offering more apprenticeships, working closely with employers and colleges, and expanding job training programs. Our union apprenticeship and job training programs turn out some of the best trades workers in the country, and we need to make sure they have what they need to empower the next generation of the high-skilled workforce. A high-quality education opens doors and provides New Jerseyans with the opportunity to forge their own path to success.