David Plotts
Running for school board in Wicomico County District 7
Email: david@davidplotts.com
Website: davidplotts.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DavidPlottsWicomico
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 3)?
43
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore as the vice president of finance and administration, where I oversee the organization’s financial, administrative, technology and human resources functions.
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Master of science in management with a finance specialization, University of Maryland, University College.
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running for reelection because I believe every student deserves access to a safe, supportive and high-quality education that prepares them for college, a career and responsible citizenship.
Serving on the Board of Education has reinforced my belief that effective school governance requires experience, preparation, fiscal responsibility and a willingness to listen. School board members must balance the needs of students and employees with the responsibility to use taxpayer dollars wisely. They must also be willing to ask difficult questions, evaluate results, and make decisions publicly and transparently.
I want to continue working to improve student achievement, recruit and retain outstanding educators, strengthen school safety, expand career and technical education and ensure students receive the academic and behavioral support needed. I also want families, employees and community members to feel their concerns are heard and treated respectfully.
As both a board member and the parent of four children attending Wicomico County Public Schools, I understand firsthand the importance of strong schools and responsive leadership. I have worked to promote transparency, support thoughtful policy development and focus on the outcomes that matter most for students.
Our district has made progress, but significant challenges remain. Today's decisions will shape student opportunities for years to come. I am running to provide experienced leadership focused on academic excellence, safe schools, responsible stewardship of public resources,and engagement with families and staff. Together, we can continue building a school system that prepares students to succeed in college, careers and life while maintaining community trust.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I bring a combination of school board experience, financial expertise, nonprofit leadership and deep community involvement. As vice chair of the Board of Education, I understand the board’s responsibility to establish policy, oversee the budget, evaluate results and hold the school system accountable without attempting to manage its daily operations. In my professional role as vice president of finance and administration at the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, I oversee complex financial and administrative responsibilities. That experience helps me evaluate budgets, internal controls, long-term obligations, technology investments and the financial effects of policy decisions. With limited resources and growing mandates, board members must understand both educational priorities and fiscal realities. I also bring the perspective of a parent with four children in Wicomico County Public Schools and serve as an officer of an elementary school PTA, giving me firsthand insight into the experiences of students, families and school staff.
I also believe good board members listen before reaching conclusions. I seek input from parents, educators, students, administrators and community members, including those with whom I may disagree. My work on behalf of students and families has earned the support of educators, community leaders and organizations throughout Wicomico County.
Most importantly, I am prepared to continue doing the work. I read the materials, ask questions, research topics, consider the long-term consequences and explain my decisions. I bring experience, independence and a commitment to transparency, fiscal responsibility, community engagement and better outcomes for every student.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
The most important issue is improving student achievement while addressing the barriers that prevent students from succeeding. Those barriers include chronic absenteeism, learning gaps, behavioral and mental health needs, a high mobility rate and economic challenges affecting many families.
There is no single program that will solve these interconnected problems. The board must establish measurable priorities, direct resources toward strategies supported by evidence and regularly evaluate whether those investments are producing results. We should expand early intervention, strengthen foundational reading and mathematics instruction and provide meaningful academic support before students fall significantly behind.
We must also recruit and retain excellent teachers, support staff and administrators. Competitive compensation is important, but employees also need safe workplaces, effective leadership, manageable administrative requirements and opportunities for professional growth.
As a board member, I would continue asking for clear data on student outcomes, attendance, discipline, staffing and program effectiveness. Information should be reviewed by school, student population and grade level so that disparities are identified and addressed. Programs that are working should be strengthened. Those that are not producing results should be improved or reconsidered.
Every budget and policy decision should ultimately answer one question: Will this help more students attend school, learn and graduate prepared for what comes next?
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I admire Colin Powell because he exemplified servant leadership, a philosophy that views leadership as a responsibility to serve rather than an opportunity to wield authority. Throughout his career, he emphasized integrity, accountability and the importance of helping others succeed. Powell believed that leadership is not about being in charge, but about taking care of those in your charge. He encouraged leaders to listen, build trust, develop future leaders and accept responsibility for difficult decisions.
These principles are especially relevant to serving on a Board of Education. Effective school board members must put students first, work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders and make decisions that benefit the entire community. Like Powell, I believe leaders should listen carefully, build consensus where possible and make decisions that help others succeed. His example reminds me that public service is ultimately about stewardship, service and doing what is best for future generations.
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 contains important goals that I support, including expanding early childhood education, improving teacher compensation, strengthening college and career readiness and providing additional resources for students facing poverty, language barriers or other challenges.
The challenge is translating those statewide goals into sustainable and effective local programs. The Blueprint requires substantial financial commitments, detailed reporting, staffing changes and new administrative processes. Some requirements limit local flexibility even though Maryland’s school systems vary considerably in enrollment, geography, workforce availability and student needs. For Wicomico County, recruiting qualified employees and meeting local funding obligations can be especially difficult.
We should judge the Blueprint not simply by how much money is spent or how many requirements are completed, but by whether students are attending regularly, reading and performing mathematics at grade level, graduating and leaving school prepared for employment, higher education or technical training.
The state should provide reliable funding--both capital and operating--reasonable timelines, clearer guidance and greater flexibility for local implementation. At the local level, the board must monitor both results and costs, ensure that new positions and programs are sustainable and communicate honestly with taxpayers about mandates and tradeoffs.
The Blueprint represents a major opportunity, but funding increases alone will not guarantee better outcomes. Successful implementation requires accountability, effective leadership, careful financial planning and a continued focus on measurable student progress.
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 remains a concern because students cannot benefit fully from instruction when they are not consistently in school. Absenteeism also increases the likelihood that students will fall behind academically, become disconnected from school or fail to graduate on time.
Wicomico County Public Schools implemented the Arrive to Thrive attendance campaign in 2024 to reduce chronic absenteeism and improve student attendance. And it’s working. We’ve seen our attendance rate increase over the past few years from 89% to 93%. This didn’t come easily. Staff work to identify trends and barriers preventing attendance, such as transportation, health concerns, family responsibilities, housing instability, disengagement, bullying or unmet academic and mental health needs.
To see continued improvement, schools must continue to communicate clearly with families, consistently enforce attendance expectations, connect families with community resources and recognize improved attendance.
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?
Yes. The board recently adopted an AI governance policy that provides a thoughtful framework for the responsible, ethical and secure use of artificial intelligence in our schools. The policy recognizes that AI is a tool that can support teaching, learning and operational efficiency while emphasizing human oversight, data privacy, academic integrity, transparency and accountability.
Simply prohibiting AI would be unrealistic and would leave students unprepared for technologies they will encounter in college and the workplace. Instead, we should teach students how to use AI responsibly, including how to verify information, recognize bias, protect personal data, cite appropriate use and understand AI's limitations. AI should enhance learning and creativity, not replace critical thinking, writing, reasoning or problem solving. As the technology continues to evolve, the policy should be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect emerging opportunities, risks and best practices.
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?
Wicomico County Public Schools has made student mental health a priority and has invested significant resources to support students, but the level of need continues to challenge available personnel and services. The district provides school counselors, school psychologists, pupil personnel workers, nurses, mentoring programs, behavioral health resources and a student and family services division focused on supporting students' academic, social and emotional well-being.
The district has also strengthened partnerships with community providers. Through its partnership with Chesapeake Health Care, Wicomico County Public Schools offers school-based health and wellness centers and school-based mental health services, including telehealth and therapy services with licensed mental health professionals.
While these investments are important, demand continues to grow. We should continue evaluating staffing levels, while expanding community partnerships that allow schools to connect families with services beyond what a school system can provide alone. Schools play a critical role, but they cannot address every mental health challenge independently.
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?
Books may be removed when they are inconsistent with legitimate educational objectives or fail to meet established selection standards. However, a book should not be removed simply because it presents an unfamiliar idea, discusses a difficult historical event or expresses a viewpoint with which someone disagrees.
As a member of the Board of Education, I led the development of our current policy to ensure these decisions are made through a fair, transparent and consistent process rather than through politics or public pressure. The policy establishes criteria for selecting and reviewing materials, requires evaluation of the work as a whole and provides opportunities for parent/guardian appeal.
Decisions should follow a structured review process involving educators, librarians and parents/guardians. The committee should consider the resource's educational value, age appropriateness, relevance to the curriculum and the context in which it is available. The Board serves as the final local level of appeal.
