Students need a safe, modern learning environment in order to succeed. At my Town Hall meeting this month, I had the pleasure of announcing that I helped secure $4 million in state funding for A.P. Giannini, the city's most populous public middle school. The funds will be used for much needed work to replace the uneven pavement in the play yard, update the electrical wiring in the gym, fix the leaky roof and more. San Francisco's 2016 modernization bond doesn't cover these improvements.

There is similarly exciting news for K-12 education across the board. Schools began the academic year with record funding from the state. As chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, one of my biggest priorities is improving education outcomes for our students. We're now investing $11,639 per student - an increase of nearly $4,000 compared to seven years ago - and funding levels at every school district have been, at minimum, restored to pre-recession levels with adjustments for inflation.

This year's state budget also bolsters educational opportunities, including $300 million to help close the achievement gap among low-performing students; $150 million for Career Technical Education programs; $125 million for grants to address the shortage of special educational teachers; and $15 million for after-school programs in computer coding.

While there's still more work to do, California is in a much better place when it comes to empowering our children with the knowledge and skills to succeed. I'll be looking to make even more investments in our youth when budget talks start again in the new year.

Sincerely,