Friends of Laura Sturgeon for Delaware State Senate

I’m Delaware's 4th District Senator Laura Sturgeon, and I’m running for re-election to continue serving as your voice in Dover. I was raised right here in Delaware after my parents emigrated from Argentina seeking educational and economic opportunity. I’m the product of Delaware schools, graduating from Brandywine High School and the University of Delaware for my BA and MA degrees. I know this state and this district, and as your state senator I will always represent the values and interests of the people that live here.

In 2020, I retired after a 25 year career as a Delaware public school teacher, so that I could serve my constituents full time in the State Senate. My experiences as a classroom teacher at Delcastle, Hodgson, and Concord High Schools gave me insight into the challenges Delaware families face every day, and the hopes and aspirations we all share for ourselves and our children. As Chair of the Senate Education Commitee, I have brought my experience as an educator to bear on the legislation I have led, co-sponsored, and vetted.

SENATOR

In addition to chairing the Senate Education Committee, I am a member of the bipartisan, bicameral Joint Finance Committee as well as the following additional Senate Committees: Energy, Environment &Transportation, Corrections & Public Safety,

and Health.

While much of my policy work is in the Education space, I have led key legislation to address opioid addiction, youth criminal justice reform, gun safety, and workplace protections.

As Education Chair, I have worked on education funding, including weighted funding for low-income students and English learners, streamlining services for students with disabilities, early literacy, recruitment and retention of our most talented teachers, and student engagement.

I co-sponsored the expansion of our SEEDs program, offering two years of free community college to all qualified Delawareans, and I am a champion of addressing student mental health concerns and trauma through increased mental health resources in our schools.

As a member of the Joint Finance Committee I helped secure a historic increase in funds for Direct Support Professionals who work with adults with intelllectual disabilities (The McNesby Act) and a very significant increase in the Medicaid Reimbursement Rate for Private Duty Nurses who care for our most vulnerable citizens who need round-the-clock homecare.

As a member of the Energy and Environment Committee, I co-sponsored bills to increase our renewable portfolio standards, to establish community solar programs, to eradicate invasive non-native plant species that harm our native plants and insects, and to eliminate plastic pollution.

In the workforce arena, I supported bills to strengthen apprenticeship programs, increase the State minimum wage, and eliminate the sub-minimum wage for youth and persons with disabilities. I

led bills to increase caps on discrimination settlements, to protect workers from retaliation when seeking justice for workplace wrongdoing, and to make it easier to successfully file a claim with the Department of Labor.

I believe our state government can and should play a positive role in our community. We can adequately and equitably fund our public schools. We can better prepare our students for college and careers. We can protect our environment. We can provide health, safety, and opportunity to all Delawareans. With your help, I will be able to build upon the good work we have done so far, and do more to make our State THE State to live, work, and play.