It’s back to school today in Calvert County. My three children graduated from Calvert County Schools. The youngest left two weeks ago for her sophomore year of college. I miss her and I am glad that she and her brother and sister got a good education here in Calvert, an education that provides them with the tools that they need for success.
Our children are our future. I support schools that nurture and inspire them. Small class size contributes to student success. We must grow responsibly and schools must be taken into consideration when making decisions about expanding our town centers and increasing density.
I support restoring teacher pay steps that were lost during the last recession. We must pay our educators the kind of salaries that professionals with similar education and experience receive, to recruit and retain the best for our children.
School safety is an issue on everyone’s minds now. Children need to feel safe to learn. Parents need to know that their children are safe at school. Preventing violence and bullying must be our priority.
As commissioner, I will work with the school board to make sure that teachers and schools have what they need to offer a good education for every child; where children, teachers, and staff are safe from violence.
We must provide resources for counseling and training. Reacting to a disaster after it occurs is not enough. We must reach out to parents and young students to prevent problems before they happen. This will improve school safety as well as discipline problems and the opioid epidemic.
