Skip to content

Building on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future

 

Charles County needs a board member who can build on the success of the state’s Kirwan Commission and the legislature’s recent commitment through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future to historic investment in public education. As an education professional, I know how important it will be for the Blueprint to be properly implemented and funded, and for educators to have a seat at the table to help guide the process.The Blueprint has added important improvements, like higher salaries for K-12 teachers, grants for higher education aimed towards increasing diversity in teacher training and preparation, increased funding for pre-K3 and pre-K4, greater support for the early childhood workforce and programs, and improves the quality of early intervention programs for children with disabilities. I am passionately committed to fully and properly implementing the Blueprint, but I understand more still needs to be done to help all Charles County children and families – like ensuring that the county’s most vulnerable children reach Kindergarten ready to succeed, students receiving a world-class education, and preparation for success beyond high school.

My Focus:

  • Keep 9th grade students on track for success by ensuring the statewide 9th-grade on-track data required by Blueprint is actually used to build plans to support every student.
  • Expand access to meaningful, relevant college and career opportunities in all county high schools, ensuring they have advanced coursework opportunities like dual enrollment, early college, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses and Career and Technical Education programs aligned to well-paid 21st century jobs. 
  • Ensure high-quality Career and Technical Education is available to all, aligned to county and the nation’s future job markets including training for green jobs in agriculture, wind, solar, and more.
  • Renew and continue to grow CCPS’ commitment to genuine family and community engagement that utilizes a variety of diverse engagement strategies, builds relationships and trust, and supports a shared responsibility toward the learning and development of children.
  • Invest in a countywide literacy initiative, developed with educators, to close the equity gap in reading and support all students to be proficient readers by 3rd grade. 
  • Work with educators to select and invest in reading curricula that are evidence-based and culturally responsive.
  • Provide educators with aligned, high-quality professional development.
  • Hire accomplished educators as reading teachers in high-need schools, to work with educators in refining their craft to teach in an evidence-based way.
  • Grow and sustain young children’s love of reading and ensure all students see themselves in their books, through ensuring all school libraries in the county have engaging and culturally relevant texts that reflect the county’s students and history, and expanding on existing state and local initiatives to ensure all of our youngest learners statewide have access to books in their homes
  • Pay Charles County Public School (CCPS) teachers at best-in-the-nation levels, phasing in a minimum starting salary of $60,000 by 2024.
  • Increase the amount of loan forgiveness to teachers working in high-need schools and who serve communities with families from low-income backgrounds. 
  • Address the county’s chronic teacher shortage by establishing incentives that would attract more educators and those preparing to graduate from an in-state college or university.
  • Improve the diversity of the county’s educator workforce, starting with enhanced recruitment of teachers of color in subject areas where they are particularly underrepresented. 
  • Innovate to make teaching an attractive and manageable career while supporting opportunities for teacher-leadership, co-planning, mentoring, job-shadowing and creating a clear pathway for CCPS educators to grow professionally and to be compensated.
  • Continue the commitment to small group tutoring, ensuring students with the greatest needs get more individualized support.
  • Grow your own – build a stable talent pipeline of diverse educators from our high school and CSM students by offering well-paid positions that will draw diverse and talented individuals interested in education.
  • Provide all students with additional learning and enrichment activities, during the school year and over the summer.
    • Work with teachers, school system leaders and community members to provide additional learning opportunities for CCPS students, that include both academic and enrichment activities, and keep teachers and school staff involved in designing the program. 
    • Provide generous compensation to teachers and education support professionals for their time and valuable input in creating the process. 
    • Provide summer Acceleration and Enrichment Camps every year for students to enroll in, which will be voluntary summer educational programs that provide academic support in math and reading along with elective subjects like theater, sports and technology, all staffed by professional educators.
  • Support and improve the mental and physical health of Charles County students, their families and educators.
    • Expand access to school-based health services, particularly in the highest need communities.
    • Support the county in continuing to benefit from state/ federal pandemic food assistance programs as it has done during the pandemic so that every child who needs a meal gets one, no matter where they live in the county. 
    • Ramp up physical education programs, support extracurricular programs that enhance student health, and support schools as they implement the healthy eating components of the state’s standards for health education.
  • Expand CCPS’ Virtual Academy and ensure greater enrollment flexibility
  • Institute universal, high-quality PreK for all 3- and 4-year-olds. 
    • Build upon the bold promise of the Blueprint and expand PreK access. 
    • Provide support for and expand inclusive and linguistically appropriate classrooms. 
    • Improve program quality by incentivizing participation in Maryland EXCELS. 
    • Invest in construction of high-quality facilities for early education. 
  • Improve compensation, training, and working conditions for early educators, particularly the childcare workforce. 
    • Provide additional pathways for existing early educators to earn their teaching certification so they may fully participate in the expansion of PreK.
  • Establish a plan to achieve 100% clean energy use in all CCPS. 
    • Increase energy-efficiency and adopt renewable energy like solar and geothermal at all public schools and campuses. 
    • Use state school infrastructure funds to ensure all repairs, renovations, and new buildings meet clean energy standards. 
    • Increase investment in facilities including improvements to air conditioning, HVAC/ventilation, and ensuring lead-free drinking water.
  • Incentive CCPS’ transportation contractors to establish a plan to achieve 100% clean transportation.
    • Transition school buses from diesel to electric. 
    • Cut exposure to harmful pollutants. 
  • Invest in education to ensure today’s students are equipped to understand climate change, advance bold climate solutions, and succeed in the green economy. 
    • Increase funding for STEM, climate change, environmental sustainability, to include opportunities for career and technical education programming for the high-skill and high-wage green careers of the future.
    • Work with CCPS educators, students, and parents to integrate cross-curricular climate change standards
  • Build on CCPS’ existing efforts and increase farm-to-school programs, school gardens, and food education to ensure students have access to healthy locally-grown food. 
  • Increase awareness and access to share tables, food donation, and composting to reduce food waste in schools