By Christina Hines | Mom, Former Prosecutor & Candidate for Congress (MI-10)
When I think about the America I want my kids to grow up in, I picture a classroom. The floor is a little scuffed and the pencil sharpener is like the same ones that my we and our parents all grew up using. It smells like school too, you know? Inside the classroom, every child is welcomed, safe, and supported. The teachers are respected, trusted, and well-paid. Kids have the tools they need to dream big while having the time in the classroom to focus on making those dreams a reality.
I know this kind of classroom exists because I sat in one. But here’s the truth: right now, too many schools are falling short of that vision. Our children are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, and they are not learning what they need to learn to succeed in the workplace or even at home. This isn’t because our teachers aren’t working hard enough; I’m fully on team “teachers are heroes.”
Our schools are falling short because we’ve allowed state and federal politics, underfunding, and misplaced priorities to hold us back. That has to change. And many of the Republican strategies - defunding public education, cutting back on school lunches, special education, and Head Start - are NOT how we are going to improve our educational system.
Still, I know a lot of people who are also frustrated with Democrats. They feel we need a better vision for helping everyday families. So as we enjoy our kiddos fall projects and halloween events every other day that drive us parents a little crazy, I wanted to provide more substance to my vision for education as a candidate running for Congress. Education has the potential to change lives and create opportunities. My long-term goal is to provide the best education in the world right here in Michigan. Because - whatever you want to do in your life - whether it is becoming a doctor, starting a business, installing electrical lines or being president - it starts with a great education.
Let’s go to school!
1. Protect Inclusive Education for All Students
We have a responsibility to ensure that EVERY student can succeed. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - which was passed back in 1975 and then renamed to IDEA in 1990 - promises that every child can receive a free and appropriate public education.
The Trump administration repeatedly proposed slashing IDEA funding, in some cases by hundreds of millions of dollars, ignoring the reality that schools are already stretched too thin to meet students’ needs. As a result, as of today, less than 15-18% of IDEA costs are covered by Congress, according to the National Education Association, Education Commission of the States, and National Council on Disability. This is a broken promise to our kids.
I will fight to make good on our commitment:
Fully fund IDEA by ramping up the federal share to the full 40% on a fixed schedule (modeled on the bipartisan IDEA Full Funding Act), with automatic inflation indexing so that local school districts can plan multi-year staffing and service levels.
Increase early intervention (Part C) to cut costs down the road. By ensuring that toddlers get timely speech and OT/PT, we can improve outcomes and reduce the intensity and costs of later services
Increase Part D Personnel preparation to help grow special educators, bilingual support educators, school psychologists, etc.
I will work with anyone who wants to help protect our children with disabilities and I will fight against anyone who thinks that some children are not worthy of our care and attention.
2. Protect Kids and Prioritize Mental Health and Safety
We all know that we need to do a better job of preventing violence in our schools. Our schools must be places where students are free from fear, harassment, and distraction. That means investing in safe buildings, clear anti-bullying measures, and mental health staff who can intervene before problems escalate.
We are also in the middle of a youth mental health crisis. We are seeing that the fastest growing crimes are online crimes - particularly crimes against children. Predators are coming into our homes - right on our children’s smartphones.
Kids need more face-to-face time, less screen time, and more support in school. I support:
Phone-free schools - Kids deserve 6–7 hours of uninterrupted learning and socializing, without TikTok in their back pocket.
More counselors, nurses, and social workers.
The cell phones we have these days are smarter computers than the ones that got man to the moon. We would never just hand car keys or a power tool to our children before teaching them to use them properly - and that is exactly what we need to model with cell phones. Smartphones before high school are often more dangerous than they are helpful - kiddos are safer with old school flip phones or watches, and no social media before age 16. Let’s give our kids the best shot at living healthy, productive lives by giving them a real childhood.
As a caveat, for schools that lack the funds to provide universal 1:1 tech adoption, our government should help provide those products so that every child - rural, urban and in between - can be efficient in tech when they leave high school.
3. Nutrition and Health in Schools
A child can’t learn if they’re hungry or struggling with preventable health issues. For far too many families, healthy meals and physical activity are not guaranteed — but they should be.
I support universal free school meals, so no child is singled out in the cafeteria line because their parents can’t afford lunch. I will push for strong nutrition standards, better access to fresh foods, and the expansion of programs like farm-to-school. Every school should have time built in for physical activity and health education, because we know exercise and good nutrition improve both academic performance and mental health.
Feeding kids isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a moral one. Healthy kids learn better, live better, and grow into strong adults.
4. Invest in Teachers and Support Staff
Teachers are the backbone of our education system, yet many are underpaid, overworked, and feel a lack of belonging. As a result, they are leaving the profession in record numbers. As EdTrust recently reported, Michigan’s teacher shortage is creating the most issues for students who are already underserved - while economically disadvantaged school districts only employ around 14% of educators state-wide, over 38% of all classroom instructors with emergency certifications, work in such schools.
Furthermore, even if we retain every great teacher we have, we still won’t meet the need in areas like STEM, special education, and rural schools without building a stronger pipeline.
Throughout Michigan, educators have come together through the MEA and AFT to uplift their work and safeguard student success. They have been fighting to make evaluation systems fairer, cancel overreliance on standardized testing, and put bargaining power back in the hands of professionals.
I stand proudly beside our teachers and their unions. My goal is not just to increase funding — it’s to restore teaching in Michigan to a sustainable, respected, and evolving profession. When educators can innovate and learn together, our students win. And when our students win, Michigan grows stronger.
When I’m in Congress, I will:
Push for federal grants to raise teacher and paraprofessional salaries in partnership with states.
Expand loan forgiveness for educators in high-need areas.
Restore funds for professional development so teachers can meet both academic and emotional needs.
Champion “grow your own” programs that help paraprofessionals and high school students earn their teaching credentials affordably while staying in their own communities.
Push for federal incentives — scholarships, residency programs, and loan forgiveness — to recruit educators into shortage areas.
I will also work every day as a parent to be a role model here. I have personally witnessed what great schools and teachers can do - as have many others in our community. We need rally around our teachers and schools to let them know that they are appreciated and that we are on the same team!
5. Increase Funding for Public Schools that Need it Most and Infrastructure Funding For Safety
No child should learn in a crumbling building or from a decades-old textbook. My plan would increase Title I funding to close the gap between low-income and wealthier districts. We have to make sure money gets to the schools that need it most, with transparency and accountability to measure what works. We also have to make sure that the accountability measures aren’t so intense that school districts choose not to apply for that designation.
Furthermore, we should encourage local school districts to collaborate where they can to save costs - whether that is through textbook orders, transportation, or sharing professionals in their districts. This would save school districts significant costs and would provide more equity in education, but many districts are currently fearful of collaboration as they believe it may lead to forced consolidation.
We have also seen the incredible tragedies across the country where shooters have taken the lives of innocent children. Ensuring physical and emergency safety in schools is more than a policy promise to me - it is an absolute necessity. No parent should have to wonder whether their child is safe from gun violence at school.
Here are two bills in the House that I’m interested in:
The SAFER Schools Act of 2024, led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), directs CISA to form a bipartisan expert panel to develop performance standards for reinforced interior and exterior school doors, with $100 million annually authorized over a decade to support implementation. Congress.gov patimes.media
The Measures for Safer School Districts (MSD) Act of 2025 builds on that foundation by requiring school districts receiving federal funding to establish robust emergency response procedures and ensure immediate communication with parents and guardians. It also incorporates door reinforcement guidance and grant funding to help schools meet these standards. Congress.gov Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick
I appreciate these bipartisan efforts that show that protecting our schools is possible — and that our children’s safety can be addressed thoughtfully, responsibly, and pragmatically.
I’ll also fight to:
Expand broadband access to every classroom;
Increase school mental health resources; and
Bring trade education, and valuable classes like home economics and life skills back into schools.
Not every child needs to go to college, but every child does need to be prepared for life!
6. Support for English Learners (ELL/ESL)
Nearly 1 in 10 students in America is learning English as a second language, and that percentage is even higher in many Michigan districts - including in diverse District 10! These students bring incredible resilience, cultural diversity, and perspectives that enrich every classroom — but too often they are left without the resources they need to thrive.
I will fight to expand bilingual education programs and recruit multilingual educators so that our schools reflect and respect the students they serve - which is especially important here in Michigan 10! We must also give teachers the training and support to integrate language development into every subject.
When we support English learners, we don’t just help them succeed, we also strengthen our whole community by building a future workforce fluent in more than one language, ready to lead in a global economy.
7. Keep Politics Out of the Classroom
Our classrooms should be places where students can ask big questions, explore new ideas, and learn how to think for themselves, not places where political agendas are imposed on them. Ever since the first Trump administration, politics has invaded the classroom like never before. Instances of partisan attacks on educators, reckless pushes for reopening without safety plans, and censorship undermined trust in schools.
I will protect our classrooms. I will stand against book bans that remove literature simply because it challenges us to think more deeply or tells the story of someone whose life is different from our own. I will defend a teachers’ right to teach honest history and science by championing legislation that requires state level curriculum councils of education that will use research-based approaches to vet proposed changes to curriculum.
I will also repel efforts to force religion into public schools — because while faith is deeply important to me personally, our Constitution makes it clear that church and state must remain separate.
I will trust our educators to do their jobs - and I will also trust parents to engage with their children. Because I believe the best way to prepare our kids is to give them the full picture — not a sanitized version that fits a political narrative.
8. Parental and Family Engagement
Parents are a child’s first and most important teacher. Schools work best when they are true partners with families — not only in affluent districts, but everywhere.
I will support federal funding for community school models that bring parents, educators, and local organizations together under one roof to provide wraparound services, from after-school programs to health clinics. I will fight for expanded family literacy programs, translation services, and engagement opportunities that make sure parents in every community — urban, rural, immigrant, and working-class — have a seat at the table.
When families feel connected to their child’s school, students do better.
9. Expand Access to Early Childhood Education
Our children’s earliest years are some of the most important for brain development, language acquisition, and social skills. When families can find reliable, affordable early education, parents can work, children thrive, and our economy grows stronger. It’s an investment that pays off for a lifetime.
I will fight for universal pre-K across the country, as well as universal adoption of HiScope practices so that every child, regardless of family income, walks into kindergarten ready to learn through play. I’ll push for childcare subsidies that make quality care affordable for working parents and ensure that early childhood educators are paid fairly and supported with training and resources.
I also believe in early screening for developmental delays and other learning needs — and giving parents the tools to act immediately to give every student their best opportunities.
10. Testing and Accountability Reform
We all want our schools to be held accountable for student success. But for too long, “accountability” has meant endless hours of high-stakes testing that reduce kids to data points and rob teachers of precious instructional time. It has meant an increasingly academic focus even for young children in early elementary instead of play-based learning. It makes our kids ‘memorizers’ instead of ‘learners’
I believe in a better balance. That means:
Using assessments to guide learning, not punish schools.
Measuring school quality with broader indicators access to advanced coursework, arts programs, and post-secondary/job readiness.
Protecting instructional time so students spend more hours learning and fewer hours filling in bubbles.
Parents don’t want their kids stressed out by tests — they want them prepared for life. Accountability should mean schools are truly educating students, not teaching to a test.
Let’s Make It Real!
If we’re going to fix what’s wrong in our schools and in D.C., it starts by standing up for our kids and their teachers. From fighting for fully funded public schools to protecting our kids’ mental health and access to safe, inclusive classrooms. I’m asking you to help build this movement with me.
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As a working mom, Christina understands the challenges families face every day. Christina wants to fight to protect our children and serve our community - and she’s sick of the extremists in Washington creating dysfunction and sowing chaos, like threatening to tear away at education, Social Security, and Medicare.
Christina will be a leader in Washington who will protect and serve our community’s interests, approaching each issue with strength, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to fight for America and Freedom for future generations. That’s why she’s running for Congress.
PAID FOR BY CHRISTINA HINES FOR CONGRESS