Denise M. Joseph
Running for school board in Charles County District 4
Email: vote4denisetheadvocate@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/denise.m.joseph.991592
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 3)?
56
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Yes, University of Maryland Extension, faculty, agent associate
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running for school board because I have a passion for education policy and my exchange student had an incident and I didn't like the response of the school system. No one had filed for the seat and since I ran for school board in Prince George's County District 9 and put in my name for the previous appointment, I thought this was divine timing.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I am a great candidate for school board because I have been in education for over 25 years. My goal was to learn about different aspect of education and do policy work at the U.S. Department of Education. I helped with grants management and strategic planning. My versatile skills will be great for the board especially my nonprofit board, teaching and education programming experience.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
The safety concern for my exchange student is what propelled me and hearing from parents, that is an issue too. With weapons, vaping and other safety concerns, this issue is prevalent in Charles County. I already contacted the school board, I talked to the safety person at the school and I will follow and advocate for policy for safe and healthy schools.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I like leaders who are humble, inspiring, empathetic, and get things done. As an ENFJ on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator assessment, an empath and a value driven person, I admire leaders like Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Mother Teresa, Jimmy Carter and Mahatma Gandhi. All people who want to make the world a better place.
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.
I think the concept of the Blueprint is a great idea to help pay teachers more, invest in students and provide much needed services to students. I am happy that there is an intentional plan to make students and schools better. The only concern I have is that these mandated programs need funding which has been cut over the years, and I see schools and students not having the teachers they need or the program they need because there were cuts and these programs need to be put in place. I wish there was a way to pay for the items in the Blueprint without cutting Charles County Public School funding.
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, tied with parents to choosing to homeschool their children as well as parents taking their children out of public schools and putting them in private schools, is worrisome because we haven't gotten to the root of the issues or tried to fix what is causing parents to choose to leave. I'd suggest local and national conversations about these issues as well as guidance from the U.S. Department of Education to help identify, discuss and solve some of these issues using evidence-based strategies and communities of practices.
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?
Our district policy is still evolving so I can't evaluate the AI policy yet, but I do think AI can be an accelerator for learning if used correctly and with guidance.
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?
I think Charles County Public Schools and Charles County have resources and personnel in place to deal with mental health. However, I believe that a number of parents don't know about these resources. In addition, I think that there should be a concerted effort to make these resources more accessible so people that need it can use it and more youth can be their best selves.
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?
I am a reader and I love books and libraries. I spent a great deal of time in the library as a high school student, my first job was at a library and I also worked in a library during college. I believe books expand our minds, introduce us to different experiences and help young people learn and grow.
I also believe school library materials should be age-appropriate and educationally appropriate. If a book is challenged, I would want to understand the specific content, context, age group and reason for the concern rather than make a blanket judgment based on a title or someone else's characterization. Decisions should follow established policy and include the professional expertise of educators and library/media specialists, with meaningful opportunities for parents and community members to raise concerns. Each challenged book deserves a fair, consistent and transparent review.
