Eileen Hartnett Albillar comes at education from a few different directions, and she thinks that's actually useful.

Her undergraduate degree was in Elementary Education. Albillar trained to be a teacher. She understands what happens in a classroom and what teachers need to do their jobs well. She is also a parent of two school-age kids, so this isn't abstract for her — it's every school day.

And in her social work career, Albillar learned something that has shaped how she thinks about education: you cannot separate what's happening in a child's life outside of school from what happens inside of it. When a family is on the cusp of losing their home, or struggling to afford food, or dealing with a parent who lost their job — that comes to school with the child.

Here's what Albillar will fight for:

• A fair school funding formula: Pennsylvania's system has been among the most inequitable in the country, relying too heavily on local property taxes that create massive disparities between wealthier and working-class communities. Every Bucks County child deserves a quality education, regardless of their zip code.

• Fully funding public schools: Not just technically meeting a baseline, but giving schools the resources to hire enough teachers, support students with special needs, and provide the programs that help kids thrive.

• Early childhood education: The research is unambiguous that what happens in the first years of a child's life shapes everything that follows. Right now, the cost of childcare and early childhood education is a barrier that forces parents — especially mothers — out of the workforce.

Education is one of the great equalizers and one of the greatest investments a community can make. Harrisburg hasn't been treating it that way, and Albillar intends to change that.