District, Race and Party Affiliation: At-Large, Board of Education, Non-Partisan

Candidate name: Nate Thomas

Place of residence: Suitland

Date of birth: April 1, 1981

Place of birth: Washington, D.C.

Current occupation: Director of Planning, Community Teachers Institute, Inc.

Education: University High Program, Suitland High School; Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Hampton University; Master of Science, Educational Administration, Trinity University

Community associations, involvement: Member, Reid Temple AME Church; Suitland Elementary School Parent Teacher Association; Suitland Citizen Association; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated; HEADS UP Mentoring Program; Route 202 Coalition; Greater Business Roundtable Education Committee; Chamber of Commerce Education Committee; NAACP Member

Professional associations: Former Government Relations Chairman, Prince George’s Educators Association; Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers Advisory Board; Maryland Leadership Workshops, Discussion Unit Leader; Maryland Parent Advisory Council, Non-Traditional Communication Sub-committee ; Maryland K-12 Academic Intervention Task Force; Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Family: Single

Campaign office address and telephone: Committee to Elect Nate Thomas, PO Box 138, Suitland, Maryland 20752

301-735-715

Link to candidate's Web site: www.natethomas2006.com

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

· Rigorous Instructional Programs

o Recruit and retain the highest quality teachers

o Expand International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement courses

o Expand vocation and career preparation programs

· Parent Engagement

o Establish Parent Liaisons in each school

o Use technology to communicate with parents

o Communicate with families in a variety of languages

o Encourage community events and resources to take place at the school

· Safe and Orderly Schools

o Promote and enforce effective school wide discipline programs

o Establish a Truancy Prevention Office

o Promote Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution Programs

o Increase the number of security personnel

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

I believe the appointed school board accomplished the task they were assigned. They have erased a budget deficit and created a surplus as well as ensured the stability of the school system through a tumultuous leadership period. There are always mistakes made and areas for improvement and I believe the new school board can learn from these circumstances to improve the oversight and policies of the school system. Overall I believe that the appointed school board was a good steward of our schools these past four years.

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 budget will be fully funded. I believe this is a goal that we must aim for each year. But it will also be the responsibility of the school board to ensure all the money that we receive should show how it supports instruction and the majority of resources go into the classroom and school. We must find ways to reduce the administrative expenditures so that we can provide more instructional resources and support. More funds is needed to meet the growing demands of increasing salaries, rising healthcare costs, and replacing outdated materials and we should look at all potential revenue sources including private funding. Parents and communities should also be encouraged to establish foundations and alumni associations to support improvements at each school site. Private revenue is a great resource that is underutilized at this time.

What should the school system do to raise student achievement?

Student achievement starts and ends in the classroom. The resources and support that the school system provides needs to be directed towards classroom instruction. We need to continue to hire and keep our best teachers who have proven records in high quality teaching. We need to improve professional development to more adequately assist educators with their teaching and professional growth. We also need to provide more access to afterschool tutoring and enrichment programs which help students improve their skills. In some cases extended school days and year round schools may be options we have to consider to ensure that every child is on grade level in Reading and Mathematics. I also believe that students learn best when they are engaged and are taught based on their strengths. I would like to see each child have their own Individualized Education Plan so that teachers can set goals for each student and provide them with personalized instruction. This can be accomplished by reducing class sizes, providing adequate planning time for teachers, and giving teachers strong professional development.

What would you do to recruit and retain quality teachers?

As a former teacher and as a recruiter for the Howard University Transition to Teaching Program, I am personally aware of what attracts teachers to our schools and also what makes them leave. First, we need to continue to make the compensation for our teachers attractive and make salaries more competitive with neighboring counties, especially once teachers have at least five years of experience. This is where the salary gap grows to as much as $10,000 with Montgomery County. Secondly, I believe we should continue to reduce class sizes and I would like for the district to cap class sizes for beginning teachers and provide them with a mentor or and teacher assistant. We lose most teachers within the first three years of service because of burnout due to lack of support, classroom management challenges, and burnout. These efforts of providing more support should help retain those teachers. Finally, I believe we should provide quality professional development programs which assist teachers to grow professionally and provide leadership opportunities to classroom teachers who desire that experience. I believe that once we retain the highest quality teachers we will be able to be more selective in the recruitment process of new teachers entering the system.

What would you do to reduce student truancy?

I will encourage the Superintendent to establish a Truancy Prevention Office for the schools. This office can assist in identifying truant students; working with parents, the business community, and police to get truants back in school; and tracking truant students’ progress in improving their attendance. When social services and other services may be needed this office can also assist in the referral process. Most importantly we must communicate to our youth, parents, and businesses how important it is for students to be in school everyday and that it is against the law to keep your child from attending school and for a business to serve a school age child during school hours.

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

I believe that charter schools have a great potential for innovative in our education system. Many of the best charter schools are community based and supported by private foundations. These schools are still apart of the public school system and provide unique programs without many restraints that traditional schools may have. I support charter schools that serve a need in our community and believe the school system should fund them fairly and assist them in remaining viable educational options in our school system.

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

I believe we need to work more closely with communities and the County Council when beginning to develop the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Many changes are made to the CIP towards the end of the approval process. I believe that we should evaluate the greatest renovation and building needs in the school system and schedule projects for completion based on need and the benefit to our educational program and not due to politics.

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

The curriculum for our schools is developed by classroom teachers who teach in that discipline. I believe that these types of curriculum issues should first be discussed by these experts in the field and based on best practices in teaching. After their development of curriculum changes we should hold public hearings for community input. Then, after this review and consultation the best decision can then be made on this issue.

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

I believe that the Board of Education should be an extension of the community itself. Citizens of Prince George’s County should know who the Board members are and be comfortable communicating their priorities and needs to them. Board members should continue to be active participants in community activities and at our schools. Yet, the Board should not be seen as administrators of our schools. It is not the role of Board members to run the day to day operations of our schools. These issues should be referred and addressed by the Superintendent.

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

I believe that the County Council is a partner in providing a quality education system. The Council reviews the school system budget and provides the resources for our schools along with our County Executive. I believe that this has been a productive relationship and that the Board of Education should continue to be as transparent as possible about how money is being spent and how it is impacting classroom instruction. I am committed to this transparency and believe that it will strengthen our partnership with the Council.

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

Providing Special Education services to all the students who need this assistance is one of the most challenging tasks the school system faces. A large portion of the money in our Special Education budget is spent on private education for special needs students because the school system does not provide the services to meet their needs. I believe we should continue to expand our Special Education services in order to bring these students back to public schools. This could potentially be done by creating partnerships with other counties and establishing a bi-county public school which serves particular special needs students in both partnering counties. Sharing resources and teachers will reduce costs and will still provide the best educational environment possible for these students. We also must continue to actively recruit Special Education teachers. If we are to improve Special Education services we can not allow for over hundred vacant teacher positions to exist.

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

There are always ways that we can make our schools safer. As a former teacher, I believe our schools are safe for students and personnel, but I also feel that we need to take measures to ensure that they continue to be safe in the future. As a Board member I will promote increasing the number of security personnel, Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution Programs, alternative school programs, as well as in-school suspension. If we are to improve safety within the school building we must modify the behavior of disruptive students. Suspending a child does not necessarily modify their behavior; therefore I support intervention programs that can accomplish this goal. We must also work with the community to ensure that our children are safe coming to and from school. This may include walker assistants stationed in the community with walkie talkies and by encouraging the police department to patrol around school communities where we have safety concerns. School bus safety is another concern of mine. I support a zero tolerance policy for school bus disruption. Students and parents must realize that riding our school bus is a privilege and we will not tolerate anyone disrupting the operation of our buses, because it endangers the lives of our children, bus drivers, and commuters.

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?

I believe that we must find ways to communicate with all students and their parents, no matter if there is a language barrier. We should continue to recruit bilingual teachers to teach our students who are English Language Learners and provide translators at schools which have a large number of families who do not speak English. I would like for the school system to establish a Spanish Immersion Program which can assist students learning English while also teaching English speaking students Spanish. As well the school system should publish materials in a variety of languages to be made available for these immigrant families and encourage them to take adult English courses and become proficient speakers.

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

I support the current school system policy which allows for parents and teachers to decide if uniforms are best for their school. I believe that a countywide mandate will cause problems with enforcement and resistance at schools that do not want uniforms. I believe an effective uniform policy which helps the learning environment is when the community makes that decision.

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

As a proud graduate from Prince George’s County Public Schools and a teacher in our school system, I have over ten years of experience and commitment to the education of our children. Every since high school I have attended Board of Education meetings and served on numerous task forces and policy boards on the county and state level. Furthermore, as a former teacher in our schools I understand how the policies that the Board of Education makes impacts teaching in the classroom. I believe that this knowledge, exposure, and experience will be an asset to our Board of Education and to the challenges we will face in the next four years to provide the highest quality of education for all children.