ISSUES

Our students, teachers, and staff deserve a safe learning environment. It is unfair and unsafe for students that repeatedly put students and staff at risk of injury to be returned to the classroom after a brief suspension period. That's why I support an alternative school program for students that repeatedly engage in violent fights. As a board member, I'll work hand in hand with our sheriff's office to build on and expand our school resource officer program and the adopt a school program. In addition, I support joint emergency preparedness training between our security teams and the sheriff's office to insure we know how to respond to an incident of concern.

 Parents are crucial to our schools' success. That's why I support having regular meetings with our Parent-Teacher Associations, Band Boosters, and Athletic Boosters, so the board can hear directly from parents. When reaching out to parents for feedback, the school system should use social media to reach a larger audience. In addition, when an incident happens at school, parents should know about it first. We need to ensure that when a parent brings an issue to the board's attention, they receive a timely response. As a board member, I'll be listening to parents. 

 When deciding how and where to spend money, it's important to keep the taxpayer in mind. The state's Blueprint for Education has put St. Mary's County in a tough fiscal position. In order to save money and reduce spending, I would look at cutting administrative spending and plant operational costs (maintenance). When the board looks to sign a contracted services agreement, we need to make certain that it is cost-effective and efficient.   

 St. Mary's County is struggling to recruit new teachers and retain existing ones. Many teachers have left the profession because of higher-paying jobs on base, a lack of respect from students, and lack of administrative support. My plan for attracting educators to St. Mary's County includes attending job/college fairs in central Maryland and the northern neck of Virginia, advertising extensively in college publications with a high number of graduates in teaching programs, advertising in college publications throughout the state, and offering competitive benefits compared to neighboring counties. My plan for retaining educators includes insuring administrators follow up on referrals, having feedback meetings with teachers in each of our schools, and insuring teachers feel their classroom is safe and secure. 

 Our students in special education programs deserve the best support services in St. Mary's County. As a board member, I would advocate for more special educators in each of our schools. I will fight to ensure IEP compliance, more one on one instruction time, and more individualized care. 

 The tech center is a great asset to St. Mary's County Public Schools. I strongly believe that the tech center prepares students for jobs that are in demand. The largest problem with the tech center is class offerings fill up quickly, leaving some students unable to take the course that interests them. I would support offering some tech center courses at each of the high schools, such as criminal justice, manufacturing engineering technology, and computer-aided design.  

 Many of our public school structures are suffering from age-related wear. As a board member, I would support the modernization of HVAC systems, enhanced security technology, and the expansion of current facilities. Prioritizing long term solutions to aging infrastructure will help save money instead of relying on temporary solutions. 

The state's funding formula for the Blueprint for Education relies heavily on student enrollment numbers. St. Mary's County Public Schools enrollment numbers are down, which means we're receiving less state funding and relying more on county funding. Our high schools remain crowded, but many of our elementary schools are below capacity. In order to attract more parents to enroll their children in St. Mary's County Public Schools, we need to focus on safety and security, parental involvement, and recruiting great educators for our schools.

 Our high schools are suffering from overcrowding. Students are finding it hard to focus in class and teachers are struggling to teach. In order to help alleviate this problem, we need to focus on paraeducator recruitment and retainment, improvements to existing facilities, and long term capital facilities planning. Having paraeducators to help teachers facilitate one on one learning time can help students who may fall behind. In the short term, we need to focus on utilizing existing classroom space and expanding building space when feasible. When planning new school facilities, we need to consider areas of the county that have a high number of large class sizes and an increased population.