Candidate name: Ken E. Johnson

Place of Residence: Mitchellville

Date of birth: June 26, 1954

Place of birth: Eastover, SC

Current occupation: Senior Federal Manager

Education: No answer

Community associations, involvement: No answer

Professional associations: No answer

Family: Wife, Ellen; Three daughters; Three grandaughters

Campaign Office Address and Telephone: 11200 Lake Vista Lane, Mitchellvile, MD 20721; (301) 350-3838

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

When I am re-elected, my three priorities over the next four years will be to work:

· with my fellow board members and the superintendent to improve the academic performance of every Prince George’s County Maryland student;

· to make the salaries and benefits of Prince George’s School System employees the leaders in our region; and

· with fellow board of education members to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of board operations.

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

I rate the performance of the current appointed board somewhere between fair and poor, but not poor for the following reasons:

· They did not manage the superintendent, subsequently running up a budget deficit in excess of $100 million dollars. The effects of the deficit spending are still being felt by the school system.

· They did not provide a good system of checks and balances to the actions of the superintendent, the Oracle, automated bus rotating system and Leap Frog contracts were not properly managed.

· They had a continual problem in the timely completion and submission of audit reports.

· They are not connected to the community. They are almost absent from community meetings and events and not very accessible.

What should the system do to raise student achievement?

This is a complex question. The keys to raising student achievement are consistent leadership (board of education, superintendent, principals, and teachers); the delivery of academically sound instruction that addresses the needs of every student; adequate funding, good physical facilities and a safe school environment. Of the five keys, none are totally in the controlled of the school system.

All of the keys mentioned above are controlled by the tax payers and voters of Prince George’s County.

The two lowest performing school systems in Maryland are Baltimore City and Prince George’s County. They share three thins, 1) they are majority African-American; 2) they have the largest numbers of students in poverty as measured by students on free and reduced lunch and 3) they have experienced more leadership turnover than any other Maryland school system.

Prince George’s County, no school system for that matter, can deliver academically sound instruction without skilled teachers and administrators who must be adequately compensated. Adequate compensation requires increased funding.

Good physical facilities cannot exist without adequate funding.

A safe school environment cannot exist without good physical facilities. Studies suggest that without the delivery of academically sound instruction that addresses the needs of every student, students lose interest in school becoming discipline problems. Once students become consistent discipline problems, we expel them or they drop out of our schools without the skills to become productive citizens. Some of these students in an effort to survive become involved in illegal activities which contribute to unsafe schools and neighborhoods.

We the voters, vote politicians into office each election year that tell us that education is their number one priority, yet they have not fully funded the Thornton Commission’s recommendations. Every Prince George’s County politician has said they support and would fully fund the Thornton Commission recommendation. We need to hold them accountable for their promise to our children.

What would you do to recruit and retain quality teachers?

In order to recruit and retain quality teachers, I would work to make them the pay leaders in this region; continually provide them with best practices training; and work to create an educational environment where they feel valued.

What would you do to reduce student truancy?

In order to reduce student truancy, I would work with the superintendent and fellow board members to:

· create a community advisory group on student truancy to help the school system find ways to address the problem;

· improve the delivery of academically sound instruction that meets the needs of every student;

· create a support system for students who are achieving that will help them achieve; and

· create school system positions to manage the problem.

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

I will do what the law requires. However, I do not support charter schools as long as they are not required to meet the same Maryland education standards as public schools; they are required to accept everyone who wants to attend; and their funding does not negatively impact public schools.

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

No, I do not think the current system for renovating buildings and schools is adequate. I think the system needs to be changed to give the school board more control over the process. A taskforce should be formed to study the issue ands recommend changes.

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

Yes, I think the school system’s health curriculum should include a discussion of homosexuality. I think demonstrations of contraception use should only be done after parental permission has been obtained.

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

The Board’s relationship to the community is critical. A strong board⁄community relationship is necessary to educate the community about the needs and progress of the school system. The community elects politicians (state senators and delegates; a county executive and county council members) who decide school system funding levels.

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

I think the County Council’s role in the operating and capital improvement budgets is sufficient. It provides the necessary system of checks and balances.

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

No. I think the system could provide greater assistance to parents to help them develop Individual Development Plans and do a better job of monitoring progress and taking corrective actions when deficiencies are found.

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

Schools are not as safe as I would like them. They are only as safe as our neighborhoods. I think the school system is doing a fair to good job in this area. To improve safety, students and communities must be more involved. There should be a security advisory board at each school composed of students, teachers, administrators, school security personnel, parents, and law enforcement. The Board should be charged with reviewing the local school’s security plan and recommending changes and updates. The ultimate decision on the plan should rest with the local principal and school security personnel,

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

No. The Prince George’s School system is doing a good job, but there is always room for improvement. The system can improve its current program by supporting and helping to organize support groups for students. More funding and personnel are also needed.

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

A countywide policy already exists. Uniforms help improve security at our schools by making it easier to recognize students and building intruders, thereby, improving security at schools. I support uniforms at all levels of our school system. However, the implementation of uniforms can only be successful with the support of parents. As the Largo High School PTA President back in 1987, I held the first hearing on uniforms for a high school. Parents and students overwhelmingly rejected their implementation.

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

I have a record demonstrating leadership. During my previous tenure on the Prince George’s County Board of Education, I sponsored resolutions leading to:

· parental involvement in the selection of principals;

· establishing the first process to involve the community in the selection of the superintendent;

· making cheerleading a sport;

· mandatory involvement of parents in school based management; and

· greater school board planning through facilitated planning retreats.

The voters of Prince George’s County said that I was accountable to them by twice electing me to the Board of Education. My board colleagues three-times elected me Chairman of the Board of Education expressing their support and confidence in my qualifications and experience to lead.