When school funding debates have reached the floor of the Board of Aldermen, I have always advocated devoting as much of our resources as possible to classroom instruction, making sure that each student gets individual attention when needed.

But I have a bolder vision for how we should fund public education. I believe that reliance on the property tax as the main funding mechanism for Massachusetts public schools creates unnecessary and unhealthy divisions in Newton and in other communities. I believe that school funding should come from a dedicated revenue stream such as the income tax, allowing us to lower property taxes and to eliminate user fees for buses and school sports.