Speaking as a staunch and active public and rural schools advocate, Lora Wondolowski has my enthusiastic vote to be our next state representative for the 1st Franklin District.
Equitable state funding for rural schools is one of the most urgent issues facing our towns as education costs and health insurance premiums skyrocket, but state foundation aid to rural districts remains flat. Local taxpayers are left to fill the gap by passing overrides or cutting other town services, even as cash-strapped schools still have to cut staff and programs in order to meet our most basic legal and moral obligations to students.
The truth is that while every town in the 1st Franklin District has been aching for financial relief, the Massachusetts House of Representatives has been our single biggest obstacle for years. In each of the last three budget cycles, the governor recommended level or increased funding for rural schools, and the House responded by cutting those figures by 50 percent or more. For those of us dedicated to this issue, experiencing those setbacks — and the resulting reduced bottom line after reconciliation with the Senate – is a gut punch every time.
Our House representation has simply shrugged for years and told us, “Rural school aid is a Senate thing.”
It doesn’t have to be this way. I have been extremely active in rural schools advocacy with the state Legislature since I was elected to the Sunderland School Committee in 2019. I now serve on the Frontier School Committee and co-chair a statewide committee focused exclusively on rural schools issues. I have met with legislators from across the state, addressed multiple legislative committees, and I was invited to publicly present evidence at the State House about the dire need for increased rural school aid.
It is time for the 1st Franklin District to elect a fighter who will make the support of students and towns her true top priority. Lora Wondolowski has the experience, wisdom and collaborative skills to finally make long-overdue progress on rural school funding and other areas that are critical to our communities, such as developing housing that working people can afford, and promoting climate resiliency and environmental efforts that have been her professional bread and butter for years.
Lora has decades of experience working outside the Legislature to shape and pass public policy initiatives, serving in leadership roles with organizations including the National Audubon Society and League of Conservation Voters. As founding executive director of the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, Lora worked with and applied pressure to House and Senate legislators to secure passage of important laws such as the Global Warming Solutions Act, which is now the foundation of all state climate policy.
Lora is passionate about the right to a quality public education and proud that her two daughters have been educated in public schools. She entered municipal government three years ago after rallying neighbors to prevent major school budget cuts that threatened arts, music and other programs. As president of the Greenfield City Council the past two years, she’s seen firsthand how state funding formulas fail to meet the unique needs of our sparsely populated rural communities.
Through her work as a public advocate, she knows how Beacon Hill operates — and through her Leadership Pioneer Valley program, she has mentored students who are now state senators and representatives. Lora is a battle-tested leader who is ready to get to work on critical issues including securing equitable state funding for rural school districts and passing a much-needed Farm Bill in the House, something the House failed to achieve this year.
We deserve a representative who will focus on teamwork to pass legislation and deliver the meaningful results we have missed out on for years. Lora’s life experience as a mother, municipal leader and tested public policy advocate will bring a much-needed fresh perspective to the job each day.
Lora’s listening skills and respect for others will allow her to build trust with colleagues across the state to achieve shared goals, proving it’s possible to be a fighter while doing so with kindness. I urge everyone to join me on Sept. 1 in voting for Lora Wondolowski to be our representative for the 1st Franklin District.
Jessica Corwin lives in Sunderland.