ETHICS BALLOT QUESTIONNAIRE
Howard County Board of Education Primary 2024
Congratulations on your decision to run for the Howard County Board of Education. The People’s Voice is a civic/political organization in Howard and Montgomery Counties. We have over 4,800 members in Howard County and sponsor the non-partisan Ethics Ballot. If you would like to seek endorsement to The Ethics Ballot please return this Questionnaire to EthicsBallot@Gmail.com by midnight Tuesday March 26. Please note that all questionnaires are published on the website, www.EthicsBallot.com. We will be in touch regarding endorsement dates soon after getting the questionnaires back. We pride ourselves in working hard for our endorsed candidates, and look forward to hearing your positions on important County issues. THANK YOU so very much for your time!
Be sure to address all aspects of each question. Feel free to add additional pages with question numbers noted to provide more information on each question as needed, or fill in more space herein. Be sure to return via email in Word or text format.
Name/District: Trent Kittleman. District 5
Campaign Address/Phone/Email/Social Media/Website
Friends of Trent Kittleman, 300 Kittleman Lane, West Friendship, MD 21794, trentkittleman@verizon.net
Website: TrentKittleman.com
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/trent.kittleman.1
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/trentkittleman
X: x.com/kittlemantrent
Campaign manager: NA
Educational & Employment History
RECENT PROFESSIONAL CAREER:
- Maryland State Delegate 2014-2023
- Entrepreneur & Partner in GenderStrategy, LLC 2007-2012
- Author, Why Must There Be Dragons? Empowering Women to Master Their Careers Without Changing Men, 2008
- Consultant, New York taxi & Limousine Commission 2008-2010
- President & CEO, Maryland Transportation Authority 2006-2007
- Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Transportation 2004-2005
- Minority Counsel, U.S. Senate Gov. Affairs Committee for Sen. Fred Thompson 2001-2002
- Senior Counsel & Vice President, Legislative Affairs, Marriott International 1996-2001
- Attorney, Arent Fox (Now Arent Fox Schiff) law firm 1991 - 1996
Education
- Kennedy School of Government, Crisis Leadership Course
- Georgetown University, Executive Leadership Coaching Certification
- University of Maryland School of Law, Juris Doctor (JD) Order of the Coif
- University of North Carolina, Master of Arts (MA)
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Relevant Experience (including fiscal and budget management)
- FINANCIAL: As CEO of the Maryland Transportation Authority, I was responsible for the $3.4 million operating budget and the over $6 billion six-year capital budget. As a Delegate, I was there through the three-year process that resulted in the “Blueprint” that will be of great help to the BOE over the next few years. I was also a partner and co-owner of a small business for seven years, and responsible for its finances. During my time as Deputy Secretary of Transportation, we employed a Public Private Partnership to construct the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. P-3s will be an important option to allow us to build more schools.
- CONCENSUS BUILDER: As a Maryland State Delegate, I spent eight years successfully working with legislators across the aisle to make bills better. I also served for 18 months on the “Montgomery County Transportation Task Force II” on which there were 34 members ranging from the most liberal tree-hugger to the most ardent road advocate where we had to reach consensus; I actually served on a committee of 7 that was formed for the express purpose of coming to consensus as to what would constitute “consensus.”
- LEADERSHIP: As both Deputy Secretary of Transportation & CEO of the MdTA, I created and guided two major projects to conclusion through the use of a committee of stakeholders, and participated in the small “Principles plus one” group that successfully negotiated approval the Intercounty Connector, now known as Rt. 200.
Causes financially supported, fund raising work promoted
- Former Board Member, Columbia Foundation (currently, the Community Foundation of Howard County)
- Former Member Women’s Giving Circle Advisory Committee (acted as Board of Directors)
- Current Member of Columbia-Patuxent Rotary
- Monthly financial contributor, Make-a-Wish Foundation
- Financially supported other organizations too numerous to mention (the advantage of having lived a long time.)
1. Why are you running for this 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. And because I have five grandchildren in Howard County public Schools. The Board of Education 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 qualifications do you uniquely bring to hold this office?
I have a lengthy career and educational background in law, leadership, and finance and have worked in the federal and state governments, as well as in the private sector (see above). I have led unique and successful group efforts to achieve major accomplishments (see below)…
Describe why you feel you have a viable campaign.
I’ve been through a number of campaigns, one of which I won by 65 votes, and one of which I lost by 113 votes. I have “won” my elections in the Howard County District 5 portion of 9A in the past three elections. I filed for this office on June 27th, 2023, and have been preparing for my campaign over the last eight months (including watching every meeting of the current Board of Education), and have been actively campaigning since February 9th, 2024. I have many supporters and volunteers helping me, and the support of my family. And finally, since I am retired, I can and have been, devoting all of my time to the campaign, just as I will to the duties of the Board if I am elected.
2. What experience do you have with the HCPSS?
I have been a judge for the 5th grade Simulated Congressional Hearing (SCH) program for the last 13 years, judging at an average of six schools a year. [I also have five grandchildren in Howard County public schools. I write a well-researched monthly Newsletter titled “A Voice for Parents.” As a Delegate, almost every day of session, every year, I talked to Howard County residents and organizations. The most compelling conversations were with the representatives of the different groups advocating for children with disabilities. That includes Special Ed teachers who came down every year hoping for some relief from the overburdensome paperwork requirements of the job that diverts their time from teaching. I am a current member HCPSS Resource Reevaluation committee.
Have you ever testified before the Board of Education? What positions did you take? (Those with vast experience, pick most important to you.)
Since filing to run for office back in June/July, I have chosen not to testify before the Board to avoid my comments being viewed as political rather than heartfelt. However, I have testified and opined on many Board of Ed issues (see answer to question number 7).
3. Funding all the needs of the HCPSS community is harder than ever, given added mandated funding of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future program, and the past use of one-time Covid funds for recurring costs. How do you believe funding shortfalls should be addressed?
In general, because of the added demands and mandates being applied to the schools I think that the entire budget structure needs to be thoroughly examined to determine if there is a more efficient, effective way to allocate the resources that we have.
What areas of the HCPSS budget do you believe are the best areas to cut in order to meet funding needs?
There is almost nothing that the Superintendent’s budget proposed cutting that did not have at least one advocate begging for its restoration. Howard Countians are passionate about our schools, and many of us moved here because of the superior schools. So once a program comes into existence, it becomes indispensable to someone. The one area of general agreement is that this year’s bus fiasco has resulted in an excessive increase in our costs for transportation. This will be an important issue to examine in the overview and analysis of the budget structure. However, while out at schools during the parent drop-off morning rush hour, I noticed the number of students on each bus was far below capacity. If there is a way to use vans or smaller vehicles to make these trips, it should be explored. I am still adamant, however, that the new rules requiring walkers to walk up to two miles, and preschoolers up to one mile, must be reversed, which will require funding.
Are there areas that you believe should be the last to ever have funding cut?
It is clear to me from everything I’ve encountered and everyone I’ve heard from that we are failing our Special Education students. The budget for Special Education is quite large partly because of the numerous health workers whom we employee and who are necessary to provide these students with the assistance they need to learn. Even so, we are not doing a good job. One thing I would suggest is to talk with the County government about taking on some of the health care expenses that are currently borne by HCPSS. Health care is the primary responsibility of the state and secondly of the local governments. Another thing I agree with is the need to convene a group representing all of the stakeholders (particularly parents) to make an effort to overhaul the whole system so that it: (1) effectively educates our special ed students, and (2) costs less, if at all possible.
4. Where do you think school construction should be prioritized? How would you address getting schools built faster where they are most needed? Include your thoughts about how to juggle maintenance needs as well.
This is one problem that I believe has a ready solution. Prince Georges County recently used a Public Private Partnership to build six brand new schools in just three years. Although P-3s do not come without concerns, they address the one thing that we most desperately need: building schools quickly. Where existing schools are slated for complete renovation, it may be more cost-effective to raze them and build anew, all of which should leave more funds for maintenance.
5. How do you think overcapacity school concerns should be addressed?
Howard County’s overcapacity problem has developed over a long period where we avoided building new schools—which is the obvious answer to congenital overcrowding. If allowed by regulations, new school buildings should be designed to accommodate expansion in the future, either outward or upward.
Do you believe current enrollment projection methods need to be changed? If so, how?
The current method used by HCPSS to predict future enrollment uses updated data, from state and local sources for projected housing starts, birth rates, housing resales, apartment turnover rates, and a few others including local knowledge, development and planning trends, and historical accuracy. The method used by HCPSS has been reviewed & approved by experts in the field. At this point, I don’t believe the method needs to be changed, but I am open to other points of view.
What, if anything, should be done when enrollment ends up significantly higher than projected project estimates?
This potential problem could be minimized if we can build enough new schools to (1) eliminate overcrowding, (2) get rid of all of our 200+ trailers, and (3) build in the capacity to increase school size if needed in the future.
6. Do you believe the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) should be strengthened, weakened or left the same regarding school capacity? Why? Note any desired changes. Note how you feel the Board of Education can or should be involved in APFO.
Approximately 20 years ago, the adequate public facilities ordinance restricted residential development in an area where schools were overcrowded. Seven years ago, the County Council inserted an exception into the law allowing developers to request a waiver for construction of “affordable housing.” While only two such waivers have been requested (and granted), historical data indicates that affordable housing tends to house a higher number of school-age children than the County average. I would prefer to see the County seek to achieve its goal of affordable in some way other than allowing developers to ignore overcrowded schools.
Note how you feel the Board of Education can or should be involved in APFO.
The Board of Education clearly has a significant role in preparing the school capacity chart that sets the capacity rates for each school. The Board should also be part of any APFO discussions pertaining to regulating the allowed development in areas where schools are overcrowded, since the outcome of these determination directly affects the HCPSS budget that ultimately becomes the County’s responsibility to fund.
7. Describe positions you have taken, votes you have made, or testimony you have given that you feel is the most important regarding HCPSS issues. Describe how you championed causes, include at least one example of any of your positions or votes that you regret, or about which you feel differently.
I have expressed my views on most of the major topics the Board has considered this year in my Newsletter, A Voice for Parents . During my eight years in the Legislature, I spoke on the floor and in committee on a number of education bills. One bill in particular that I spoke on was the Protect our Schools Act. I was heartbroken that the committee not only to allow for school choice options, but actively prohibited any of these options from being used to remedy failing schools. Part of my speech noted: “What’s happening in Baltimore City Schools is a criminal failure to educate its students; they’ve wasted fifty years of children!” I continue to ask the legislature why it fails to address the greatest education inequity in the state. How is it fair that families with higher incomes can take their students out of failing schools, or schools that closed during COVID, while families with lower incomes have no options. Their children are destined to remain in schools that fail year after year! Thus far, I have never gotten an answer.
8. How do you feel altercations should be handled in schools? Include any staffing changes you believe should occur.
Restorative Justice is an important first step in addressing bad behavior. Often, serious communication among students is limited, at best, and straight talk can often do wonders to help them understand the impact of their behavior on others However, when students continue to act out even after going through the restorative justice process, students must be held accountable and teachers and administrators must use creative efforts to construct consequences that students will respect enough to change their behavior.
9. What HCPSS policies do you believe should be changed regarding protections of marginalized groups?
The current system of providing preferential treatment for marginalized groups is based on the belief that by doing so, it will make other groups more aware of and accepting of their differences. But children almost always realize the unfairness inherent in “picking favorites.” Rather than promoting acceptance, this practice often produces the opposite result. And there is an inherent linguistic illogic in an effort to close “achievement gaps.” The ultimate result of so doing would mean lowering upper achievement levels, which is not, I would hope, the intent. The goas is to raise lower achievement levels and I believe HCPSS does a good job in this effort.
Include in your answer your views on how to address achievement gaps.
By stating the goal as “closing the achievement gap,” We are using words that guarantee failure. Human history abounds with evidence of group differences, caused by an assortment of factors. Suppose we focused on closing the achievement gap between white students and Asian-American students. The likelihood of this happening is minimal, at best. The major difference causing Asian students to scholastically outperform every other group is being raised in a culture that highly values education and raises its children to work harder in school on a level not seen in other cultures. What assistance could the schools provide to help white students achieve at the level of their Asian classmates? Can the school override a child’s lifetime of embracing parental culture, character, religion, and morality? Ultimately, regardless of how much effort and expense went to raising the achievement level of whites, the simple truth is that closing the achievement gap would have to include lowering the achievement level of Asians. To achieve the same outcomes, no one can excel.
10. What criteria should be prioritized in redistricting?
The only purpose of redistricting school districts is to relieve overcrowding by balancing over capacity with under capacity schools. The criteria for making these decisions that should be prioritized are community integrity and moving the fewest number of students.
11. Special education funding has increased over the last several years, but special education student outcomes have not improved. How would you address the legal requirements for students with disabilities to ensure positive outcomes?
- Shift the “Burden of Proof.” For several years, our formerly bipartisan Howard County delegation unanimously approved, and the BOE has supported, a bill to shift the burden of proof from the parents to the school system in cases where the parents feel they must take HCPSS to court to get satisfaction. These cases are almost unique to decisions involving IEP (Individual Education Plans). When parents know they can afford to challenge such decisions, the issues tend to get resolved without legal recourse, saving both the parents and the school a good deal of money.
- Undertake Strategic Planning. Another crucial step, which our Interim Superintendent has recommended, is to involve all stakeholders in a genuine effort to devise a strategic plan that will examine all facets of our special education efforts including looking for answers that have worked in other counties or states.
- Share Health Costs with the County. A significant part of the special education budget goes to employing health care professionals. Health care is the responsibility of the state and county governments. It is time to talk with the County Council about assuming certain of the special education health care expenses that are currently funded in the education budget. It is possible that there may be economies of scale found in combining these services.
12. What research, contract accountability and financial data would you require before supporting a procurement contract? Include in your answer what changes you would recommend to avoid service failures like we experienced recently with the bus system.
The following is from my article in the September 8th Issue of A Voice for Parents that speaks directly to that issue in analyzing problems with the Zum contract.
“A PIA request for the HCPSS contract with Zum is answered by sending a 12-page document, with one and a half pages redacted. The school system claims the 'proprietary information' exclusion, which is claimed, apparently, on behalf of Zum.
This excuse won't wash. First of all, the guts of the contract are contained in those redacted pages and are exactly the information we have a right to see. (continued in table below).
But there is an even stronger argument as to why HCPSS's excuse is invalid. The contract that Zum recently signed with the San Francisco Unified School District is online -- all of it. It seems that HCPSS believes Zum is perfectly fine with San Franciscans seeing the proprietary secrets it puts into such contracts -- but NOT Howard Countians.
There is another serious issue I want to highlight, with the caveat that you probably won't have much interest in the issue unless you're a lawyer (which I am, for better or worse).
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I have no love for lengthy contracts that are designed to obscure rather than enlighten, but any good contract needs to cover certain basic issues. The San Francisco contract does so. The Howard County contract does not.
The first 16 pages of the SF contract set out the terms of the contract; the remaining 28 are APPENDICES containing the details. The HC contract is a total of 12 pages. In order to see what the SF contract covered that the HC contract did not, here is a comparison of the topic headers in each contract.
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SAN FRANCISCO/ZUM CONTRACT
1. Services
2. Term and Termination
3. Implementation
4. Budget and Fiscal Provisions
5. Indefinite Quantity Contract
6. Contract Pricing
7. Computation of Charges for Services Rendered; Payment
8. District Utilization of Vehicles During non-School Days
9. Change Orders
10. Taxes; Payment of Taxes
11. Payment does not Imply Acceptance of Work
12. Failure to Provide Service/Time is of the Essence/Assessment of Damages
13. Termination
14. Option to purchase or lease contractor's vehicles
15. Performance Bond
16. Compliance
17. Audit and Inspection of records
18. Submitting false claims; monetary penalties
19. Accident & Operational Reports
20. Complaints
21. Criminal Background Check; Subsequent Arrest Notification
22. Tuberculosis Screening Requirements
23. Compliance with Laws and Regulations
24. Subcontracting & Assignment of Contractor's rights
25. Consultation services; ownership of results
26. Permits and Licenses
27. Indemnification
28. Insurance
29. Default; Remedies
30. Liability of District
31. Independent Contractor
32. Conflict of Interest
33. Proprietary and Confidential Information of the District
34. Assignment
35. Modification of Agreement
36. Incidental and Consequential Damages
37. Non-Discrimination; compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act
38. Non-Waiver of Rights
39. Qualified Personnel
40. Fully Staffed
41. Collective Bargaining
42. Responsibility for Equipment
43. Relations with the public; Professional Standards of Conduct
44. Monitors
45. Graphics; Advertisements
46. Commercial-Free, Tobacco-support-free school
47. Drug Free Workplace Policy
48. Waiver
49. Dispute Resolution
50. Governing Law; Venue
51. Force Majeure; Emergency Contingency Plan
52. Unscheduled Closing of Schools
53. Emergency Operations
54. Vehicle Transfers
55. Section Headings
56. Execution of the Agreement, Execution in Counterparts.
57. Voluntary Act; Entire Agreement; Severability
58. Appendices
APPENDIX A - Scope of Work or Services
APPENDIX B - Schedule of Fees and Charges
APPENDIX C - Insurance Requirements
APPENDIX D - Performance Bond
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HOWARD COUNTY/ZUM CONTRACT
1. Scope
2. Duration of contract
3. REDACTED
4. Termination
5. 5. Assignment
6. Indemnification
7. Intellectual Property
8. Student Data Privacy (this section takes over 3 pages, clearly an important issue for a school system)
9. Insurance Requirements
10. Board's Insurance for Contractor
11. Contractor's Insurance
12. Wavier of Subrogation
13. Acknowledgment of Contractor's Independent Contractor Status and No Coverage for Contractor under Board's Workers Compensation Insurance
14. Damage to Propter of the Contractor and its Invitees
15. Compliance with Laws
16. Sex Offender Notification and Background Checks
17. Tobacco Products Drug-,alcohol-, and Tobacco-Free Work Environments
18. Non-Discrimination Clause
19. Representatives
20. Governing law and venue
21. Entire Agreement
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By Authority: The People’s Voice, Lisa Markovitz Treasurer
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