Michelle Badger

PreK-12

Ensuring high-quality public education for K-12 students in Plymouth is a true passion.  The Plymouth Public Schools helped to make me who I am, and afforded me opportunities to learn and grow.  I will work to secure the funding necessary to provide students opportunities to find their passion and become informed citizens who are full participants in society and active members in the workforce.  It is important that we fund our schools to ensure that all students are met where they are, are included, and can excel and gain the skills needed for the future.  By doing this we are investing in the long-term success of our community. I will ask the questions and work to make sure that legislation that affects our schools is supported with the resources necessary to appropriately execute all mandates.  We cannot add to the ever-growing list of unfunded mandates facing the Plymouth Public Schools and all public schools in Massachusetts.  These unfunded mandates take away necessary funds from our students, teachers, and staff.

In Plymouth we have invested in our partnership with the police and fire departments to ensure that our schools are as safe as they can be.  With the safety issues facing our schools I will work on Beacon Hill to secure funding to ensure that our schools remain safe and our public safety partners have what they need to keep our schools and community safe.  We need to broaden this work so that every school district can afford to have school resource officers to create relationships with students and keep us safe. 

On Beacon Hill I will work to look beyond our traditional K-12 model and invest in early childhood education. By educating the youngest children it has been proven to save $4-10 dollars for every $1 spent (difference depends on the program and the socioeconomic background of the student).  Spending when the students are younger reduces the long term cost to taxpayers for government funded programs supporting these students as adults.

Higher Education

 As someone who has worked at private and public higher education institutions, I know it is crucial that we make college more affordable and accessible.  We are fortunate to live in Massachusetts with a variety of educational opportunities, but even with so many choices and opportunities it is not accessible for all students.  

It is important to think creatively when working on legislation for higher education but also not add to the administrative burden for the staff who are executing the programs.  With the addition of the MassReconnect program in fall of 2023 opportunities for higher education have become more of a possibility for those over the age of 25 who qualify.  We need to expand this program  to provide opportunities for sectors of the economy that struggle to fill their vacant positions in order to create opportunities that afford generational change.

As someone who grew up in Plymouth to middle class parents and who also understands the struggle of being able to afford to live in Plymouth while paying off student and other loans, I know how important affordability is.  It is important that Plymouth is affordable for all our residents. I will work for and advocate for legislation that creates more housing opportunities in our neighborhoods to allow people who grew up in this community to stay and thrive, attract new people to Plymouth, and allows retirees to be able to stay in their homes. Thinking creatively to solve our problems is imperative, the allowance of Accessory Dwelling Units and other creative approaches to the housing crisis, can make the difference in allowing people to afford a place to live and help our older adult residents be able to live in their homes for as long as they want

The COVID-19 pandemic certainly brought mental health to the forefront of many of our lives.  We see, daily, the impact and level of the crisis on loved ones and community, at work, and in our schools.  The mental health crisis facing Plymouth and the rest of the state needs to be addressed with the necessary resources for people of all ages and needs.  To do this work correctly, it is important that we work to end the stigma with education in our schools and through community programming and education.  

We need to work with those in the profession and higher education partners to increase the number of available practitioners and access to those practitioners to better help our families and communities struggling with mental health issues. 

Plymouth has seen the benefit of the inclusion of mental health clinicians in our police department.  I will work to expand this program on the state level.

This is something that affects everyone. It would be hard to find someone who does not know someone who struggles or who lost their battle with drugs.  We need to work hard to create a comprehensive approach to this crisis.  

As with mental health, we need to work to educate our students and community about the long term consequences of getting involved with substances.  We also need to ensure our schools and other community organizations have the means to implement the first update to the Health Curriculum since 1999 and make sure we do not go another 20 plus years without investing in the education of our students.

Climate change is a threat to Plymouth and all across our state.  Weather is changing and becoming more severe at times, sea levels are rising, erosion is evident across the town and our oceans’ levels of acidification continue to rise.  As we begin to realize these issues, the state has put into place incentives for homeowners and businesses. During my time at Massachusetts Maritime Academy I learned a great deal about the offshore wind industry and other alternative energy sources.  

Our environment is an important part of what makes Plymouth great.  Over 28% of Plymouth is protected open space and we have countless miles of trails where we have the opportunity to explore and experience the natural beauty of our community. 

Thinking creatively to make sure we can continue to improve the long term outcomes for generations to come I will work on behalf of all of you to ensure our beloved environment is at the forefront of all that we do in order to preserve the community we love.

It is essential that we make sure that our community is safe in many different ways: safe roads to drive on or ride a bike, available funding for necessary upgrades to make it safe to drive, and necessary funding for police and fire to ensure response times.  We also want to ensure that our students are safe everyday when they go to school and that our schools have the resources to maintain/continue to build out the School Resource Officer program in Plymouth.  I will advocate to make sure that these are issues on the forefront to ensure Plymouth continues to be a desirable place to live. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging are at the core of who I am.  I have always believed that we need to celebrate our differences and work together to truly understand each other to make our society better.  This is why I got involved in Plymouth No Place For Hate when I finished graduate school. I wanted to continue to learn and to help others learn.  It has been very rewarding to share with and create programming for the community to educate and celebrate.  With the changing demographics of Plymouth we need to ensure that our community has the tools needed to support our aging community (40% of Plymouth is over the age of 50) and our migrant, immigrant, and English language learners of all ages have access to the resources they need to participate in our community.  I am committed to working hard on behalf of all of you to continue this work.  As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

We are lucky to live in Massachusetts and have access to the high quality health care we do, but the costs are very high.  People struggle to pay medical bills even with coverage, it is hard to find a doctor (It took me weeks recently to find a doctor that was accepting new patients), and paying for coverage is hard for small businesses and those whose companies do not provide healthcare.  I will work hard to find solutions to our healthcare dilemmas such as access to physicians and lowering costs to take that stressor off the residents of Plymouth. 

Supporting our veterans is crucial, we need to provide them the resources they need to live their most fulfilling life honoring their sacrifices made to allow all of us to enjoy the life we do.  I will work to support legislation such as Governor Healey’s proposed HERO act which is designed to expand benefits, and the general modernization of veteran services.

Plymouth’s population is 40% over the age of 50 and is expected to grow in the years to come.  Our seniors need transportation, healthcare, and the opportunity to stay in their home for as long as they want.  I will commit to ensuring that our seniors have access to all the services and benefits that they need. 

It is important that we are fiscally responsible in all that we do while also continuing to provide the highest quality of life to the residents of the 1st Plymouth District.  I will work on these and other issues with the same  solution-oriented approach that I have used as a school committee member.  Making sure that as new programs are implemented we look at how the change impacts other existing programs and try to think of any unintended consequences and cost saving measures that could happen.