Candidate name: Robin Barnes Shell

Place of residence: Prince George’s County

Date of birth: 1962

Place of birth: Baltimore

Current occupation: Ombudsman

Education: Howard University, BA Economics; Georgetown Law Center, J.D.; Capital Bible Seminary, MA, Christian Counseling

Community associations, involvement: Board member, Prince George’s Volunteer Center; Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism; Member, Good Samaritan Mission Church; District Court, Volunteer Mediator

Professional associations: Prince George’s Bar Association; Maryland State Bar Association

Family: Married; Five children

Campaign office address and telephone number:

P.O. Box 742, Lanham, MD 20706

240-472-9919

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

My top three priorities for the next four years are as follows: (1) Implement policies and procedures to assist families, employees and citizens to expediently resolve conflict with the school system. These may include working with the Superintendent to create an ombudsman position to ensure the fair facilitation of concerns with the School System, implementing programs to decrease truancy and discipline issues to create a safe and nurturing environment in our schools. (2) Work with administration to ensure programs are implemented that will close the achievement gap, will assist students with career development, will recruit, retain and develop teachers who will stay with the School System long-term. (3) Make the Excellence in Education Foundation more visible in the community and build more educational partnerships throughout the County to continue to raise funds and build relationships for students’ success.

How would you rate the performance of the current school board: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

I believe the current school board’s performance has been good. The current appointed school board has worked diligently with administration to build new schools, improve some existing schools and create some systems of accountability. Because of the lack of consistency with maintaining a superintendent, I am sure it has been difficult to achieve specific goals. It takes a collaborative effort between the School Board and the Superintendent to accomplish the educational goals for our children.

Is the county funding for schools too much, about right or too little? If too little, where would you find additional funds?

This year the School System received full funding of its budget by the County Council. I would like to continue along this path of funding but also ensure the funding is channeled to programs that will have the most positive impact on our schools, staff and students.

What should the school system do to raise student achievement?

Student achievement requires a holistic approach: academic, physical, creative, and character development. While we need to continue to evaluate student achievement issues to rectify the problems, such as the high retention rate of 9th graders, we also need to implement programs that have worked in other school systems that are similar to Prince George’s County. We can also continue to offer after school as well as more summer programs, such as the QUEST programs that are more proactive rather than reactive. We must be ready to help those students who do not perform well on the HSA exams.

What would you do to recruit and retain quality teachers?

Recruitment of teachers is a national issue. Recruitment begins in our own schools as we nurture the students we are teaching. Teacher pay is of course an issue as the cost of living continues to soar and housing costs become exuberant. Working with more agencies and businesses to create affordable housing and other subsidies is crucial. Many new teachers take on additional employment to supplement their income. Better salaries and⁄or subsidies would enable new teachers to live on one salary and be available for professional development training, after school programs and other activities that need their input to help the school achieve.

What would you do to reduce student truancy?

While some cases may require referral to the State’s Attorney due to the number of days absent in accordance with the Code of Maryland Regulations, some students can be helped at the school level. Students are truant for a variety of reasons, such as lack of involvement in extracurricular programs or athletics, feeling disconnected from staff and teachers, peer pressure and family issues. Dealing with truancy at the early stages of the problem is crucial, which may entail more pupil personnel workers and more joint efforts with County agencies and programs.

Would you support having more charter schools in Prince George’s County?

Charter schools can have an important role in educating students in the County; however, each proposal must be carefully evaluated to ensure funding as well as administration is in order to provide a stable and consistent program.

Do you think the current system for renovating and building schools is adequate or does it need changing?

Any system is always changing, dynamic and evolving, which means the Board and administration must work constantly to improve and project the need for change. The Capital Improvement Program Committee has initiated a review process to determine the priority and sequence of repair and renovation projects even though the Committee acknowledges there is not enough funding to renovate all schools and facilities. The disparity among the schools that require substantial repairs needs to be addressed by the Committee as well.

Should the school system’s health curriculum include discussions of homosexuality and demonstrations of contraception use?

As the school system continues to ask for more family involvement, the school system needs to be sensitive to the family’s authority to decide what their children should learn in school. There should be a partnership with families in teaching children. I believe the school system should focus on educating students without sexualizing or politicizing the curriculum. Parents should continue to have the right to review curriculum and opt out of discussions, demonstrations, readings, exercises, etc. that are not in agreement with their family beliefs and desires for their children’s education. Families should be informed well in advance of any of these discussions so that they may make informed decisions.

What do you think about the board’s relationship to the community?

The board should have an open door policy with the community. Parents should be able to speak with board members in other forums other than a scheduled board meeting.

Does the County Council have too much, too little or not enough oversight of the school system?

Current oversight by the County Council is appropriate. The County Council and the Board should work together to ensure funding of the school system. The School Board is elected to make policy and ensure accountability of the school system. Working together, the School Board can keep the County Council informed of school issues and be responsive to jurisdictional concerns.

Do you think the school system is doing enough to meet the needs of special education students?

The needs of special education students require additional attention. It appears the school system is in the process of hiring a position that would provide more oversight of this area. There is a pilot program sponsored by MSDE that provides community-based mediators to facilitate special education meetings between families and the school system. I would like to see the outcome of this pilot to determine its effectiveness and the need to implement more alternative dispute resolution processes in the school system to help resolve special education issues.

Are the schools safe for students and school personnel? If not, what should be done?

This is a question that further shows the disparity of issues within the school system. Some schools are very safe while others are not. We cannot turn our schools into detention centers and high security institutions as such. Yet, we need to address the discipline concerns: Informed, Consistent, and Fair. Families need to be informed of the discipline code and consequences and its implementation must be consistent and fair. It is difficult to recruit and retain personnel if the work environment is unsafe. It is difficult for students to learn when the educational environment is unsafe.

Do you think the school system is doing enough to meet the needs of students and parents whom English is not their primary language?

Prince George’s County continues to grow with families who do not speak English as their primary language. Offering more professional development in international languages would be helpful for personnel to at least be able to have some exchange of information with families. Likewise, offering English classes to families would be beneficial.

With uniforms becoming the norm at many county schools, would you want a countywide policy established?

Eventually, I believe this issue will become a countywide issue as uniformity on this issue is imperative. Personally, I support uniforms in all schools, but I am open to hearing the public’s views on this issue.

What qualifications do you possess that make you a worthy candidate?

I have experience working in a school system as an ombudsman, resolving system-wide conflicts and concerns. I have worked with parents, personnel, administrators, and the board to resolve conflict in the school system. I have also worked on policy committees in an advisory capacity to help develop and revise school system policies. As an attorney, I have represented families with special education needs on a pro bono basis. My mediation and facilitation skills gained as a volunteer mediator in the District Court gives me a desire to empower people to resolve conflict. I have great listening skills gained through providing counseling to individuals and families. Having taught in various venues, community college and law school, I love to teach and to learn. I am committed to serving my community. Children matter! Education makes the difference!