The silence between the notes

 As a career educator, and a 1st gen college student who once had very little confidence in my financial literacy or business skills, I'd never have guessed that I'd become a person who studies state budgets, or sends bill commentary to my legislators, or attends meetings in Olympia. But sure enough, that's now my reality. And I'm starting to enjoy it. Why? Because as an educator, I'd experienced so many situations which showed me that school funding and budgeting are at the root of equity--or inequity-- in our education system. And it was disheartening to repeatedly have meaningful conversations with my colleagues then feel like we weren't being heard by the many many people guiding that education system. As an educator, I was often unsure of which decision makers to reach, or how to get our point across. Education might be a bipartisan topic overall, but in order to effect change, we have to learn how to navigate the political landscape, and the field of educ