Schools are the Foundation

Sharing more of my comments from the Baltimore Sun Candidate Questionnaire:

Question: A CCPS enrollment count from fall 2025 showed a 1.7% drop — from 25,636 students in fall 2024 to 25,199. Recently, Board of Education members have contended with the potentially dire financial consequences posed by enrollment decline, recalling the dark period of cuts from 2009 to 2019. Should enrollment issues persist, where do you think CCPS should make cuts?

Answer: CCPS already operates arguably the leanest school system in the state, and further reductions would directly impact classrooms, educators, programs, and student outcomes. A decrease in enrollment would certainly present challenges, but we must work to change the conversation to what we want our schools to look like. Schools are the foundation of the community and if we let them suffer because of inadequate resources, the community as a whole suffers. We need to rethink of the situation as not what can we cut, but what resources are needed to invest in our young people so that Carroll County can keep its reputation of excellent schools. The quality of our work force, earning potential of our residents, and the property values of our homes are tied to the success of our public school system.