Community associations, involvement: Frederick County Commission for Women, commissioner; Linganore Community Action School Services, parent member; Women in Need Mentoring committee, member; Frederick County Commission for Women Legislative Committee, member; Oakdale Elementary School PTA, member, Advocacy chairwoman (2006); Oakdale Elementary Literacy Committee, co-chairwoman (2006); Oakdale Middle School PTSA, member; Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, member; Frederick County Public Schools Technology Team, parent member (2006).

Professional associations: National Education Association (1995-2007); Maryland State Teachers Association (1995-2007); Montgomery County Education Association, (1995-2007)

Family: Married; four children

Campaign office address and telephone: 5917 Jug Bridge Hill Rd., Frederick, MD 21704

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

Frederick Board of Education

Angie L. Fish

What are your top three priorities for the next four years, if elected?

Quality education for all students; recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff; and safe and adequate facilities.

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

I would rate the performance of our current board as good. While I may not agree with all of the decisions our board has made, I do believe the board works diligently to ensure a quality education for the children of Frederick County. I do believe that there is always room for improvement and new ideas. As a board member, I would want to continually look to improve our curriculum and overall spending to ensure the county is providing the best educational opportunities for the children.

How would you rate the job performance of Superintendent Linda Burgee,excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

I would rate Dr. Burgee’s performance as excellent. I believe she always has the best interest of the children at hand in all of her decision-making. I believe she is a strong advocate for the children of the county.

Are charter schools a good idea? Why or why not?

I believe public charter schools are a good idea. They provide an alternative means of education within the public school framework. This helps the school system meet the needs of children who may not find success in another public school setting. It also allows for the inclusion of new ideas into the current system. With that said, I believe this is new territory. Frederick County is realizing that this is a learning process that still needs further development and careful oversight to best meet the needs of the children.

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

While the school system could always use additional funding, the county provides as much as possible given the demands of maintaining not only the public schools, but also Frederick County’s additional operational expenses. To meet the financial needs of the county school system, we need to take a closer look at our current budget to see where possible adjustments can be made, and we must continue to advocate for improved funding at the state and federal levels.

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

No, this is an area that needs improvement. We have new schools that are already overcrowded, old schools that are in need of renovations and additional space, and several schools with portable classrooms. It is becoming the norm to accept portables as a solution to our problem of overcrowding. We must continue to review and update our master facility plan to make sure we are addressing these issues.

We also need to make sure we have open lines of communication with the county planning commission and local developers to ensure the new facilities that are being constructed are capable of handling the growing population. Finally, we cannot forget our aging schools. We must make sure we are maintaining and improving existing facilities in a timely fashion.

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

I think we need to continue to work on this. The board does allow for public comment at their meetings and input regarding agenda items, but we need to reach out to the community even more. Somehow, we need to make the board seem more approachable. Given the board’s time is already heavily accounted for, it is difficult to figure out how to successfully accomplish this.

I do feel there needs to be more of a presence of the board members at our schools. It would be helpful if board members would schedule regular visits to schools to listen to the concerns of the families and staff. Given that there are eight board members, this task could be divided among the members so as not to add an exorbitant amount of time to any one board member’s schedule.

This would allow parents to feel more comfortable approaching board members as well as keep board members apprised of what is actually occurring on a daily basis at our schools and how certain board initiatives and policies are directly impacting the children.

Do the commissioners have too much, too little or not enough oversight of the school system?

I believe the oversight of the commissioners is a necessity, a checks and balances to ensure the budget is aligned appropriately with the county’s budget. I do not, however, believe the commissioners should be a part of the educational program decisions. It seems Frederick County is handling this delicate relationship fairly well. I am hopeful both boards will continue to work together to provide a quality education for the students of Frederick County.

What should the school system do to improve performance by minority students?

When looking at state testing results, it is difficult to see the progress students are making on an individual basis from year to year. Often times, it is just seen as being proficient or not.

It would be helpful to take a closer look at the results to see where we are failing these students. We need to make sure students who are not achieving receive direct instruction of basic skills and sufficient time to master those skills prior to moving on to other higher level skills.

If we skip proper instruction of basic skills, we will continue to see an achievement gap. Another possibility is to form a type of support group for students who are struggling and their families. These groups could focus on strategies that could be reinforced at home to help master the content.

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

This is not my area of expertise, but I have talked to several parents who have mixed opinions regarding this topic. We need to keep an open line of communication with the parents of children with special needs to determine what improvements need to be made. We also need to make sure we provide our schools with an adequate number of specialists to meet the needs of students who require additional instruction and resources.

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

There is always room for improvement. While safety is paramount, I believe the schools have proven safe for the majority of the students and staff. Unfortunately, no system is infallible and cracks, as small as they may be, can always be exposed and taken advantage of. Constant review and updating is necessary in light of ever-changing threats to the children and staff. We must do everything we can to keep the children and staff safe.

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