Questions & Answers

I am a mother to 3 children in CCPS. I’ve been actively involved in advocating for change in our school system for the last several years starting with COVID re-opening, masks, behaviors and school safety, bus drivers, sexually explicit books, curriculum, and more.  I understand COMAR Law and State Regulations, Policy, and Budget.

Absolutely! Our school policy and code of conduct need to be enforced. School staff and bus drivers need support when enforcing school policy and the code of conduct. The enforcement of the policy and code of conduct need to be consistent district wide. If a child gets caught with drugs for the first time X happens, every time.

It’s hard to suggest where specific cuts should come from with such little transparency on where the money is going. If elected, I will require thorough analysis be completed in many areas to find cost improvements. For example, transportation, school programs, and staffing models. The last place to ever look at cuts is in school building staff.

We need to invest more in closing the achievement gap caused by COVID learning loss.  We need an SRO dedicated to each school building. We need additional classroom staff to be able to better support student academic achievement and behaviors. It's also imperative to update outdated curriculum, ensure consistency across classrooms, and provide challenging opportunities for our highest achievers.

The Board of Education establishes policies guiding the school system's operations. Elected to represent Calvert residents, board members must ensure policies create an excellent academic environment. I believe this includes ensuring books are age-appropriate, support the curriculum, and encourage a love for reading.

We need to start with enforcing the current policies and code of conduct. For example, schools are drug free zones, Policy 1540 and Procedure 1540.2 says students found in possession may be: arrested and charged, barred from attending extracurricular activities, and/or suspended for up to 10 days. That is not happening today. Additionally, we need to ensure ALL school building staff are trained in the methods the school system has decided to implement. Lastly, explicit direction may need to be included in school policy or the supporting procedure to ensure disciplinary cohesion across all of CCPS school buildings.

The success or failure of a school system does not fall on one person alone.  Dr. Townsel, our current CCPS Superintendent, has been here for about two years.  He inherited a lot of complex issues from his predecessor.  Dr. Townsel has made some obvious mistakes, such as the “Super Bowl” trip, however he has also learned from mistakes like that, and not repeated them. That being said, I am extremely frustrated by the escalation of negative behaviors in our school system, something his multi-tiered system of support is supposed to address.  Contract negotiations and budget delays are inexcusable. I appreciate his desire to be out in the community and believe his positivity is refreshing, but it’s time to get to work!

As a leader at my company and seasoned career consultant, I have dedicated my life to solving complex problems in a variety of industries. Managing a school system entails navigating a myriad of complexities, particularly since it’s taxpayer funded. Our Board of Ed needs someone with fiscal acumen, great communication skills, and a desire for transparency – all of which I have. As a mother, I am able to keep focus on the primary beneficiary of the system we hope to improve— the children!

My three priorities are excellence in education, safety for staff and students, and transparency in all parts of the school system (budget, curriculum, policy and operations, etc).

I am extremely concerned about the Blueprint as a taxpayer and as a Board Member. I believe the Blueprint is well intended however not fully funded by the state which will cause hardship on Calvert families with inevitable tax increases. We are already seeing unfunded expenses from the Blueprint. Other concerns are physical space limitations for pre-k, and classroom time limitations for teachers which will lead to increase staffing by over 50% or double student to teacher ratios, to name a few

We need to begin by enforcing the current code of conduct. We need an SRO assigned to every school in the county, ensuring a dedicated presence for maintaining discipline and safety. Additionally, we need to include families significantly more in the behaviors of their children and its consequences within the school environment.

In order to retain our dedicated staff the school board needs to establish policies that prioritizes a safe, respectful, and productive environment. Our budget needs to ensure our staff are compensated appropriately and every dollar spent fosters an environment of educational excellence. Lastly the Board needs to ensure staff are included in the feedback loop and decision making processes when it comes school operations, ensuring their valuable insights are considered.

The school board must prioritize transparent and comprehensive communication strategies within its policies and management practices. It is imperative to engage families more intimately in educational decision-making processes while eliminating any barriers to access. We need to reconsider when and how we communicate and the feedback mechanisms being used. 3:30 meetings are inconvenient, board docs isn't the best way to share information, and public comment isn't alway effective.

As a school system, our primary goal should be to achieve educational excellence. This entails recruiting and retaining the most qualified staff members for CCPS and ensuring that every student is challenged to reach their individual peak of excellence. Moreover, we must prioritize equality of access, striving to eliminate any obstacles that hinder students from realizing their full potential and succeeding academically.

I firmly oppose the practice of book banning in libraries. My commitment lies in ensuring educational materials have high age-appropriate literary value. I advocate for recognizing the family as the primary authority in determining what is suitable for their child. I will advocate for policies that uphold parental rights to protect their childs innocence by ensuring sexually explicit materials are not available to minor children without parental consent.

As a board, our foremost priority must be the well-being and success of each child. My perspective centers on fostering educational excellence within a safe environment, while promoting active parental engagement. As a candidate, I am committed to serving our diverse community with fairness, emphasizing the importance of adopting a nonpartisan approach to policy-making. Just as classrooms should remain politically neutral, school board races should ensure that the focus remains on the students.