Responses are due March 15. The first email address you enter must match the address at which you received the questionnaire invite. A copy of your responses will be emailed to this address. Each answer is limited to 1,000 characters.
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Email*. - trentkittleman@verizon.net
Candidate's name* - Trent KITTLEMAN
Office sought*. - HOWARD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT 5
City or town of residence*. - WEST FRIENDSHIP
Occupation. - LAWYER/LEGISLATOR
Education (list degree[s] and institution[s])
- VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, BS
- UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLLINA, CHAPEL HILL, MA
- UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND LAW SCHOOL, JD
Previous political experience - SERVED IN MARYLAND LEGISLATURE FROM 2015-2023
Why are you running for office?
Because I am passionate about education. Because 8 years in the Legislature brought me face to face with the depth and breadth of problems inherent in the current state of public education. Howard County needs a knowledgeable, experienced, leader who knows how to read a contract and what questions to ask of staff. Too many avoidable problems are happening. Students should be transported to school on time, in buses–not have to walk two miles—and should feel safe once in school. Deferring maintenance is unacceptable; our students should never have to endure schools with mold, mildew, bad air quality, & too few bathrooms! And the persistent failure to meet the needs of our special education students must come to an end. While Howard County still stands as a premier public school system, our academic scores are falling behind those of other counties. I want to see that this stops, and that our schools - just like our students -- are once again the best and the brightest.
What changes are needed with regard to transportation policies in the school system?
Revoke the policy of requiring young students, particularly preschoolers, to walk up to a mile to school, and revoke the policy of requiring any student to have to walk more than a mile; one mile is consistent with best practices. Adopt a policy to favor local bus contractors whenever possible and offer them the same higher wages HCPSS reserved for the California contractor, Zum. Carefully study the option of owning our own school buses, taking into consideration the costs involved in housing, maintaining, and servicing them to see if it is materially more cost-effective than outsourcing.
How should the school system approach hiring a new superintendent of schools?
Strongly consider local candidates as well as national applicants. Look for a leader who can communicate with stakeholders; Howard County will not tolerate a superintendent who does not do this, as we have proven in the past. We need someone who listens more to the voices of principals and teachers and resists the inclination to rely primarily on central office resource specialists. The successful candidate must also have the fortitude and strength of character to pursue some decisions that may not be popular if they are the right ones. Perhaps most importantly, the next Superintendent must have a proven ability to implement policies they say they support. Thoroughly investigate their actual performance in their last job, and don’t allow the search for a ‘good communicator’ to outweigh the search for someone with a solid record of performance.
How would you assess the board and superintendent’s approach to the current budget challenges? How would your approach differ?
There are no easy answers to the current budget challenge, but there are some ways to address it. HCPSS must pursue a serious look at Public Private Partnership (P-3) to address our capital needs. Although P-3s aren’t always the answer, they enabled Prince Georges county to build six new schools in three years. The speed with which P-3s can operate is something we cannot match, and the need is great. Another way my approach would differ is in the “process” followed. The job of the BOE to approve a budget is incredibly difficult, and each BOE member needs to understand and approve the process. What I saw watching this year’s budget deliberations was confusion, uncertainty, and disagreement with the process they were told to follow. I’ve had a great deal of experience in leading large and varied groups in achieving specific goals. I know how to create a process that works, well in advance, that would give the Board more time and ability to consider substance.
How would you approach working with the changes brought about by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education policy?
I served in the Legislature during passage of the blueprint. Then, as now, cost was the primary concern. Local school systems across the state are finding it difficult to meet the matching funds required by the Blueprint. In Howard the Blueprint has added, significantly, to our current budget needs at a time when our revenues have fallen. Financing is an issue the counties must address, together, with the state to determine how to implement the plan without creating financial crises. For example, does it make sense to add new programs, such as expanding half-day preschool to full days in this year’s budget when we are cutting existing programs? One other area for discussion with the state is the requirement that local systems implement Blueprint programs exactly as set forth, when counties may already have similar, successful programs. An alternative approach would be for the state to “certify” a county program that is an adequate alternative for meeting the Blueprint plan.
How would you approach ensuring the school system is an equitable place for students and staff?
There is no education “equity” as long as higher-income families can take their children OUT OF FAILING SCHOOLS, while families with lower income DO NOT HAVE THAT OPTION! There is no choice for such students to escape an environment in which they cannot learn, because Maryland opposes helping lower income families afford an alternative. An equitable “place” for students is a school that creates such an environment without focusing on group identity. Bullying and hostility against any student because of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or political views are met with clear, simple, escalating consequences that actually stop such behavior. The current system provides preferential treatment for certain groups based on the belief that by doing so, it will make other groups more aware of and accepting of their differences. But children realize the unfairness inherent in “picking favorites.” Rather than promoting acceptance, this practice often produces the opposite result.
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