India Walton: My five-point plan will build a healthier city for all | Opinion

We must fully fund high-quality, trauma-informed, culturally and linguistically responsive public education, both universal pre-K and K-12.

My administration will establish a dedicated line of funding to Buffalo Public Schools, separate from the general fund, to enable them to begin to make necessary investments.

We will establish partnerships between BPS and community organizations, which will include paid internships for students. And we will improve communication and transparency between the city and the Board of Education.

As long as we breathe dirty air, drink contaminated water and eat food from poisoned soil, we will continue to be a city plagued by illness. The amount of lead flowing through the blood of our babies is an utter disgrace and a profound stain on the current administration. Needless to say, the impact of lead poisoning has been disparate by race, class and neighborhood, with the most marginalized, impoverished and historically oppressed communities suffering the worst.

For the health of our children, families and communities, it is imperative that we invest in lead abatement, environmental protection and energy conservation, and implement a robust “Re-Tree” initiative in my native East Buffalo.