Last year, in an election that saw unprecedented amounts of voter involvement, you sent me to the Board table to represent every one of Montgomery County’s 156,000 students and their voices.
The context of that election was not optimistic. The implementation of PARCC saw widespread dissent, our schools lacked a permanent superintendent, testing was abundant and a budgetary crisis that threatened the funding of our schools loomed over us.
When I was sworn in in July, the path ahead was unclear. The challenges may have seemed unsurmountable; but, together we have tackled every issue and fought for our voices every step of the way.
The truth is that we have a lot to be proud of this year. With your help, we have addressed over testing by cutting down on the PARCC and reimagining semester exams. With your input, we’ve appointed a superintendent that has promised to work for us. And with your advocacy, we’ve formed a broad coalition of students to tirelessly lobby for the full funding of our schools and our staff.
My promise to dramatically increase communication was not just rhetoric; we turned it into a reality. I fought through resistance to multiply the amount of town halls because the students deserve to talk directly to those who shape educational policy. Hearing your feedback face to face is a priority of mine, which is why I visited an unprecedented amount of schools this year. I created the SMOB minute because all of us have the right to know be in tune with what is happening at the Board table. And through all of this, we’ve gathered thousands of your responses through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and my website. Today, I’m proud to say that my term as SMOB has seen the largest amount of student outreach in the history of the position.
With your support, the promises I made during my 2015 campaign have become realities. We’ve continued the chromebook rollout and made computer science a technology credit because it’s about time we create a 21st century education. We’ve set a homework committee in motion that will examine student stress levels and overwork. We’ve prioritized improved air conditioning and heating systems in the budget because every student deserves to be comfortable in the classroom.
But let me clear: our work is not yet finished, and our fight is not yet over.
The issues that face us in this election are too important to leave to chance. Millions of dollars of athletics, arts, and extracurricular funding is still at stake. Mental health policy is as pressing as ever and a new superintendent will soon be leading our County. You deserve a SMOB with the passion and experience of serving you at the Board table to keep us moving forward; serving as the SMOB is just not an entry level position, and our record of real results can only grow stronger as we move into the future.
Next year, I want to work together to continue the progress we’ve made. We need to reexamine the way we look at dress codes, expand cellphone rights to middle schoolers, break down institutional barriers and make sure every student is defined beyond mere numbers. The opportunity gap needs to be aggressively closed by addressing the root of the problem, expanding Pre-K and breaking down other institutional barriers.
When you vote on April 27th, you will face the clearest choice in our school careers. In the next year, big decisions will be made on millions of dollars, programs that we hold dear, policy, and testing. Decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives, and the lives of our little brothers and sisters for decades to come. And on every issue, the choice you face won’t just be between two candidates; it’s about two different visions for our student body. Ours is a fight to empower the student body, work together, and keep moving forward. I know that this election can seem small at times, but this year, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
