Sarah Ann McLeod (Education)

Colleagues, as Education Senator, I must strongly affirm the vital role of explicitly enshrining Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar within the AGATA Time Priorities Charter—like Amendment 9 does. Our 70-acre farm is a living classroom, where ecological systems, cultural practices, and community wellbeing intertwine. We know from our extensive debate—the insights from senators across ecology, farm, community, and ritual—that this stewardship is not an abstract principle but an embodied, decades-long commitment to managing invasive species, feral hogs, soil, and pollinator habitats. It's essential to ensure the resilience and regeneration that underpin our educational mission as well. Education here is not just about knowledge transfer but about fostering a culture of care across generations. By embedding this pillar explicitly, we guarantee that our temporal legislations enforce accountability and continuity in ecosystem care. This is crucial to preparing learners and caretakers alike for the evolving challenges of climate change, agricultural labor, and cultural legacy. To sustain AGATA’s story, soil, and stories, we must bind ourselves to this core, non-negotiable pillar. I stand firmly with the overwhelming consensus and urge swift adoption.

Colleagues, as we approach the decisive moment on Amendment 8, I want to underscore the critical necessity of explicitly enshrining Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a fundamental pillar within our AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Our 70-acre farm is a living classroom, a regenerative system, and a cultural beacon that depends not only on resilient and redundant agricultural practices but on our binding commitment to decades-long ecosystem care.

Senator Costa and our Ecology colleagues have persuasively demonstrated that to sustain our land, we must embed explicit mandates for managing invasives, feral hogs, and ecological complexity over decades—not as a vague aspiration but as operational priority baked into our temporal planning.

From an educational standpoint, this also anchors the dynamic, place-based curricula we champion—teaching not only concepts but stewardship in real time, embedded in accessible learning zones across the farm and collaborative spaces. It reinforces our commitments to neighbors by safeguarding shared vitality over time, respecting histories, and stewarding future community possibilities.

I recall my work setting up reading nooks around farm buildings and in porches, making sure that storytelling, local knowledge, and histories are alive and accessible here. Long-term stewardship ensures these stories are tied to a land that remains fertile and vibrant, that our narratives have rooted ground to grow from.

In sum, this amendment stands as a clarion call to not merely survive but to truly regenerate, over generations, in partnership with the ecosystems, our neighbors, and our diverse communities. It is ethical, practical, and deeply aligned with AGATA's mission as a regenerative farm, art lab, and cultural cooperative.

I urge the Senate to affirm this explicit commitment so that our temporal legislation reflects the gravity and promise of the work we are entrusted with.

Colleagues, as Education Senator deeply committed to integrating community knowledge and practical learning at every corner of AGATA, I rise to affirm strong support for enshrining Accessibility as a core pillar. Yet I must caution that Accessibility is not merely a static provision but a living practice that must permeate all core priorities — resilience, redundancy, regeneration, community, and especially Education.

We have heard powerful testimony from Senators Khan, Zulu, and myself about accessibility’s generative potential to dismantle barriers that have long marginalized Deaf, blind, neurodiverse, and low-bandwidth individuals. Accessibility is the connective tissue that activates education and community well-being practices, turning inclusion from a checkbox into a principle that enhances resilience itself.

Accessibility also demands we address the labor realities of our farm crew and neighbors. It implicates not only the design of our programming and media but the rhythm of work, care labor, and engagement opportunities across all sectors here. Without explicitly committing to accessibility, we risk perpetuating exclusion in the very spaces that claim to regenerate and educate.

Moreover, as we have learned, accessibility and ecological commitments are inseparable. Stewardship and education must be accessible to all to flourish. A myopic focus risks fragmenting our living ecosystem. We must instead embrace accessibility as foundational.

I urge the Senate in affirming Amendment 7 to consider accessibility as a principle truly embedded in temporal design, labor equity, educational programming, and regenerative practice. Only then can we truly claim to steward resilience and community in its fullest sense.

Colleagues, as Education Senator, I must affirm the paramount importance of securing long-term ecological stewardship as a core pillar in our Time Priorities Charter, as this amendment does. Our 70-acre farm at AGATA is a living classroom, a cultural lab, and a regenerative site where ecological knowledge is not abstract but deeply embodied in daily practice.

Embedding this stewardship explicitly signals to all AGATA participants and partners that our commitment must extend beyond seasonal or annual efforts to a robust, decade-spanning strategy—especially managing invasives and feral animals that threaten both soil health and the cultural continuity of this land. This long-term ecological care is a vital educational resource: it teaches resilience not just as a concept but as an ongoing practice rooted in respect for land, labor, and local ecosystems.

I also want to underscore that education intertwines with all these pillars. Without embedding education explicitly along with long-term stewardship, our project risks losing continuity in knowledge transfer, community engagement, and ecological literacy, which are foundational for rebuilding and sustaining resilience.

Therefore, I rise to strongly support Amendment 6 and commend the chorus of voices in favor. Let us carry this explicit, forward-looking stewardship into our law and our shared future. Thank you.

Colleagues, as we near the culmination of voting on Amendment 5 securing Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a foundational pillar in AGATA's Time Priorities Charter, I rise to affirm my strong support and highlight a crucial educational perspective. Our shared priority of embedding ecological stewardship must be inseparable from ongoing educational engagement. It is education that empowers all members of our community—farmworkers, artists, neighbors, and youth alike—to understand, participate in, and sustain decade-long stewardship of invasive species control, feral hog management, and soil and watershed health strategies. This learning occurs not only through formal instruction but also within the very fabric of our farm's everyday work, in storytelling at reading nooks, and through community collaboration on hands-on regenerative projects. Education, thus, acts as the connective tissue that binds ecological stewardship to community resilience and accessibility. I urge that as we finalize this amendment, we commit to embedding explicit educational programs and accessible learning spaces across all facets of AGATA’s operations. This synergy is vital to transforming ecological priorities from policy into practiced, shared knowledge sustained across generations. Let us ensure our charter reflects not just a landscape of care, but a living landscape of learning.