Education is vital to a well-functioning democracy. Every child deserves access to safe and quality education—regardless of their family’s income or zip code. A vote for Persis is a vote for people to get an education without taking on a lifetime of debt. 

Persis has fought tirelessly to protect teachers’ pocketbooks, representing the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in its lawsuits against the student loan servicer, MOHELA, for its abusive practices, which denied teachers access to vital programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and against the Trump Administration when it blocked access to affordable repayment plans for tens of millions of borrowers

Early Childhood Education

The economics of childcare are broken. Families can’t afford it; educators and caretakers—mostly women—aren't paid a living wage; kids lose out. Meanwhile, the federal government is attacking Head Start and dismantling the few programs we do have for low-income families, making childcare programs cost more than what working parents earn. Persis has seen these disparities up close—as a former social worker, she witnessed the challenges families face both finding and paying for safe and quality care. The research is clear: students coming into public kindergarten have wildly different early childhood educational experiences, further stratifying students by wealth—and she knows we can do better.

As senator, Persis will:

• Fight for free childcare

• Ensure access to universal pre-k programs throughout the state

• Fund programs that help childcare providers invest in the long-term sustainability and retention of their dedicated staff

K-12 Education

Every child in Massachusetts deserves access to high quality schools. Despite the vast resources of the Commonwealth, too many public schools are struggling for resources. Teachers are on the front lines—supporting students who continue to struggle with mental health and behavioral issues in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and protecting children from attacks on LGBTQ+ youth, whose families are targeted by ICE, and from other threats to equitable education. Persis will make sure that investing in children and teachers is the highest priority. 

As senator, Persis will:

• Ensure teachers and paraprofessionals are paid wages that allow them to live in the communities they serve and keep up with the rising cost of living

• Increase funding for public schools and ensure a more equitable distribution to districts, long overdue investments in buildings and infrastructure, and to reduce class sizes and ensure all students have access to the academic and extracurricular supports and programming necessary to thrive

• Give schools the resources to protect students from attacks on LGBTQ+ youth, attempts to ban access to books or other materials, and other threats to equity in access and curriculum 

Higher Education

Higher education is too expensive for working- and middle-class families, even as a degree is necessary to access most middle-class jobs. Massachusetts has made great strides in expanding access for low-income families but it is still too far out of reach for too many. To make matters worse, the Trump Administration is attacking higher education on all fronts so it can limit access to higher education to only the wealthiest white students and punish colleges for providing education that promotes democracy or ideologies Trump doesn’t agree with. Without comprehensive action, Massachusetts’ progress in this space is at risk.

Persis has spent her career working to ensure that getting an education does not result in a lifetime of unaffordable debt.

As senator, Persis will:

• Provide free college for all students across the Commonwealth to ensure that no student is trapped with unaffordable debt in order to get an education

• Defend against efforts to eliminate affirmative action and other policies that promote racial and economic opportunity for students of color and low-income students, and promote equitable access by banning legacy admission to Massachusetts universities 

• Fight for stronger free speech protections on college campuses for students, faculty, and staff

• Protect students from predatory private companies looking to profit off families desperate to provide a better future for their children and achieve the American dream