Howard Travers
Running for school board in Wicomico County District 3
Email: howardtravers@yahoo.com
Website: howardtravers.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583679150324
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 3)?
62
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Lead pastor at Nu-Lyfe Church
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Master of Arts, Nelson University Master of Divinity, Nelson University Honorary Doctorate Degree, North Central Theological Seminary
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running for the Wicomico County school board in order to help improve student achievement, to help ensure fiscal responsibility and accountability in the utilization of school funds in ways and means that make a real difference, to help eliminate learning barriers in the classroom and to help create rigorous learning environments with high expectations of excellence.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I am the best candidate for this position based upon having been educated in the Wicomico County Public School System and Wor-Wic Community College, along with my many years of vast leadership experience on the Lower Eastern Shore, my knowledge of the people and culture that make our county great and my experience working in several child-education environments.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
The most important issue facing the Wicomico County school board is its lack of true knowledge and awareness of the key issues facing public school staff, students, and school personnel. Direct feedback from these sources as well as personal unannounced tours of these learning environments will yield tremendous feedback on what the real issues and challenges are and how to sufficiently address them.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy is a plain-spoken, no-nonsense, get-it-done type of leader who is unafraid to say what others are thinking in order to get to the core of the issue and address it accordingly. I have to admire him for his approach as well as his "Kennedyisms."
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the General Assembly in 2021, is a 10-year plan that includes increased funding to support early childhood education, higher teacher starting pay, college/career-readiness standards for high school graduates, and expanded services to multilingual and impoverished families, among other goals. Since the Blueprint's implementation, test scores have increased modestly in many parts of the state, but some school officials complain about the costs and administrative burdens placed on them by the Blueprint. Please tell us your views on the Blueprint and how it is affecting your school district.
The Blueprint For Maryland’s Future is a model that can and will work if implemented in a systematic way that doesn't burden the other aspects of what is already expected. The Blueprint is intended to be the imputess upon which other school programs arrive at their goals. In Wicomico County, the course has been charted and there is already traction in helping move the public education system in the right direction with oversight and accountability. Certainly, more buy-in, endorsement and support is needed. However, I am confident and optimistic that this will come.
Chronic absenteeism has been a problem in many schools since the Covid-19 pandemic. How big of a problem is absenteeism in your school district, and what if anything can the Board of Education do about it?
Chronic absenteeism is a problem in nearly every public education system in Maryland. There are measures in place, however, to address the issue in Wicomico County. Yet, more joint concerted efforts can be made by our local law enforcement, schools and teachers to address the problem with inclusion of parents/guardians. The entire reporting process of absenteeism in Wicomico County needs review and examination with clear expectations and to build from there.
Are you satisfied with your school district's policy on AI use by students? If so, why? If not, what would you suggest to improve the AI policy?
The use of AI in our public schools has great potential, if like anything else, the tool is utilized properly. With its use should come strong parameters and governance utilizing the Artificial Intelligence Ready Schools Act. Wicomico County has offered summer training sessions for administrators and plans to expand professional development for educators to help them leverage AI for rigorous learning rather than shortcuts.
Youth mental health has been a growing concern for years now. Do you think your school district has the resources and personnel in place to deal with this issue adequately? If not, what would you suggest to improve the situation?
Mental health has been a growing concern among Wicomico County Public School leaders, teachers and school administrators for several years now, and the problem extends far beyond the apprehension of illegal immigrants. There are resources and personnel in positions to handle initial concerns, but not enough is being done to coordinate these efforts in partnership with parents and community resources, especially licensed mental health professionals who have the education, training, licensing and experience to adequately address the concerns.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries? If so, what kind of books should be removed, and who should make those decisions?
There are circumstances in which some printed materials are completely inappropriate for certain age groups. A careful review of the materials by a committee appointed for such purposes, consisting of a fair representation of parents, teachers and community leaders with a litmus test for all printed materials makes the process fair. Then appropriating these books to sections of the library designed for specific age readers is one solution.
