To the Editor:

I am writing to support the candidacies of Michelle Embree Ku to represent Newtown as the 106th district State Representative and Jahana Hayes to continue to represent the 5th district of Connecticut in the US House of Representatives.

As I think about these candidates and the experience they bring, there is a common thread that stands out, candidates who value public education.

Focusing locally, Michelle has been working to ensure quality education for all Newtown students. While serving on the Newtown Board of Education, including serving as Chair, Michelle worked collaboratively to provide healthier school start times, address heating and ventilation issues in our school buildings and ensure our schools provide a safe and secure environment for students and staff. When elected to represent Newtown in Hartford, she will fight for the needs of our school community including better air quality in our schools, special education funding and ensuring learning pathways that lead to opportunities for our graduates. For more information, visit her website michelleku4newtown.net/.

Jahana Hayes was a public-school teacher in Waterbury and was named the national Teacher of the Year before being elected to congress. As our representative, she has fought for public education including introducing bills to strengthen the teacher workforce, expand access to mental health services in schools, and expand access to free school lunch (just to name a few). Details can be found on her website: hayes.house.gov/education?page=1.

As George H.W. Bush said, “Think about every problem, every challenge, we face. The solution to each starts with education.”

With that belief clearly demonstrated by Michelle and Jahana, we can be confident they are ready to face any challenge and represent Newtown well in Hartford and Washington D.C.

Please join me in voting for Michelle and Jahana on November 5.

Cheryl Hartgraves

Newtown