Issues

Teachers…

The job of a classroom teacher is one of the most challenging there is. One of the keys for a good educational experience for a student is having a great teacher. As many studies show there is a shortage of teachers in not only Montgomery County, but in Maryland as a whole. In fact, nearly half of all new teachers hired in Montgomery County will be gone within five to seven years. MCPS has to find a way to keep these great instructors once they have gained experience. Pay raises for the teachers is only part of the solution. Their workload has to be put in check. Every year more and more responsibilities fall on the teachers. Time to do their job well is essential. As a board of education member it will be my number one priority to enable teachers to devote more of their workday to planning and teaching and less to the monotonous piles of paperwork and non-essential duties they are now required to perform. This will ensure that the educators of Montgomery County will be able to focus on the most important stake holder of all, the student.

Special Education

When one looks at schools that are having trouble with making AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress), they all seem to fail in the area around their students that fall into the category of special education. One might think that MCPS does have all the tools, procedures, and programs in place to help our students with special difficulties. However, when you look at the achievement gap you will recognize that something needs to be done or changed. Principals and teachers are working very hard to see to it that their students pass the annual rounds of testing. Special Ed continues to be an area of need. In my personal experiences I have found that staffing is an issue. There is a great need for more teachers and para-educators.

Stake holders

Every year many difficult decisions need to be made by the Board. These decisions may be made about changing boundaries, administrative changes in local schools, school closings etc. etc. All stake holders should have an opportunity to have their voices heard. Many times the BOE members already have their minds made up on certain issues. Meetings will be held just to make it seem like everyone gets to weigh in. That needs to stop. As a Board member I plan to listen to and weigh everyone’s point of view before I decide on such issues.

Student Expectations

School systems that institute goals with high expectations for all students must provide the support necessary to achieve those expectations. If they do both then they will have high rates of academic success. Currently MCPS seems to have both high expectations and great student academic success. My goal as a Board member will be to provide even more support so there will be more parity between all races and less of a gap.