April A. Zentmeyer
Running for school board in Washington County
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 5)?
72
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Board member, Washington County Board of Education.
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Doctorate, University of Maryland.
Why are you running for the school board?
To assure that all of our students attend a safe and civil school where highly qualified teachers and staff strategically meet their needs with a sound program of studies and effective parental partnerships. On a personal level, my grandchildren attend Washington County Public Schools.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
As an incumbent and a former teacher and administrator for Washington County Public Schools, I am committed to our students, teachers, staff and parents. I also have experience as a CEO of an electronics company and small airline, and served our community as a registered nurse. I love to learn and want to foster that joy in our students. As chairperson of the Curriculum and Instruction Committee, I have had the pleasure to advance our Career and Technical Education and Apprenticeship Program.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
School safety is the top priority. We will continue to address this through an expanded school resource officer and safety officers in each school as we curb bullying and address mental health issues. A student must feel safe to learn and feel a part of our school system. Having 119 dual completers from building an airplane to Middle College offers options and also meets the needs of students to function in a cohort and be prepared for life after high school.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
Washington County Commissioner Col. Derek Harvey (retired) worked tirelessly to defend our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. When he returned to the United States, he became a presidential intelligence adviser on the China and Russia Desk. He moved to Washington County and was elected to serve us with the same wisdom and zeal and continues to work for every citizen. I asked him if he would return to Washington. His answer was classic and selfless: I have more to offer the citizens of this county. He still works tirelessly, is well researched on all topics, asks the hard questions, and does not back down from doing the next right thing.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the General Assembly in 2021, is a 10-year plan that includes increased education funding to support early childhood education, increased teacher starting pay, college/career-readiness standards for high school graduates, and expanded services to multilingual and impoverished families, among other goals. Please tell us your views on the Blueprint and how it will affect your school district.
Fortunately, we were already in compliance with most of the Blueprint mandates including universal pre-kindergarten, college and career readiness, school safety, support for multilingual and free and reduced-price meal students, and teacher salaries-including support and a stipend for national board certified teachers, prior to its passage. We have led the state in these goals. However, promised funding is drying up at the state level and the county level. Going forward, we will be challenged to continue to fund an unfunded mandate.
Some school districts nationwide are placing new limits on the use of cellphones in middle and high schools. What do you think should be the policy on student use of cellphones in your district, and why do you support that policy?
This year, I championed the enforcement of our policy: no cellphones during instruction. Each student has a school issued Chromebook for use in classes, so cellphones are not needed for instruction. Cellphones have become a distraction and in some cases an addiction, as well as a means to organize inappropriate behaviors. It is a safety measure.
Are you satisfied with your school district's efforts to ensure the safety of its students? What, if anything, should be done to improve school safety in your district?
School safety is a priority, as well as a work in progress. We have built kiosks that require an ID to enter the building, staffed schools with school resource officers and additional security officers, built fences, and educated our school community.
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?
Parental partnerships foster student success. We have in place a policy that allows parents to challenge the inclusion of any books in our libraries. Books that would rob students of their innocence, introducing mature topics, should not be available without parental awareness in schools. We have a robust public library system where all books can be accessed.
Some school districts enact policies allowing transgender and gender nonconforming students to use their preferred pronouns while at the same time not informing those students' parents about that decision. What is your opinion of such policies?
Parents must always be a part of the student's team. Their input is essential.
