As a service to our readers, The Business Monthly asked Howard County Board of Education candidates running in the 2020 Primary Election to provide responses to a short questionnaire. Their unedited responses follow. This Voters’ Guide includes only the candidates running in the primary election.

District 1

Christina Delmont-Small (Incumbent)

What will be your number one priority as a member of the Board of Education?

To reinforce the BOE as a check and balance on the superintendent/school system by providing clear expectations and guidance and holding the superintendent accountable to those expectations.

What budget experience do you have that will help the Howard County Public School System?

As sitting BOE member, and Operating Budget Review Committee member for 3 years before being elected to the BOE, I have a very good understanding of the budget. We must institute responsible budgeting and spending of tax dollars that takes into account current and future needs, and link funding decisions to data-driven student outcomes. My experience investigating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal agencies as a congressional investigator will continue to assist me in asking the right questions to get information and make informed decisions in how to best allocate tax dollars to educate HCPSS students.

What changes will you offer to how Title 1 funding is being used?

Before suggesting any changes, we must measure what we’re doing now, analyze the data, and determine if the current Title 1 allocation model is working. We need to identify the supports/programs that best serve our students and determine which Title I funding model would reinforce them. We should conduct a thorough review of what we do now and make decisions based on data, not on anecdotal information.

Matthew Molyett

No response.