Dorothy Shelton Leslie
Running for school board in Worcester County District 5
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 5)?
77
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Professional singer (part-time), retired educator.
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Master's degree.
Why are you running for the school board?
I have been an educator all of my life, and several people asked me to run to help our board become more focused on our children. I feel I can do that well, so I agreed to run. I am excited to work with Worcester County schools and move us forward.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
Over 40 years in education as teacher, administrator and running my own educational consulting service. I am a conservative, common-sense candidate, which appears to be badly needed. I love my county and want our children to have the best education they can possibly have.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
We have great students, but our achievement is mediocre. I would hope to move the board toward providing more staff development for teachers on instructional strategies and more work with administrators on being in schools and classrooms more. As a board member, I would want to also be in the schools regularly, so I know what is happening first-hand. After observing, I would hope there would be a discussion on how we can improve achievement and a plan to do so.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I admire Katie Addis, school board member in Worcester, because she has worked so hard to bring conservative common-sense actions to the board and has stood alone on so many issues but kept on fighting for what was best for our children regarding safety, education, morality, budget, etc. She comes prepared to every meeting, unlike others, and she has never given up fighting for our schools, our teachers and especially our children.
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.
The goals are admirable. It is what successful schools should do and what many schools are doing. I think it could be simplified and more cost effective, however.
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?
Cellphones have become a real distraction for student learning. I believe in limiting their use during class time. However, exactly how this should work should be a decision involving teachers and parents as well as the school board. If we want learning to improve, we must do something about cellphones during class.
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?
We need to have more consistent student consequences for all students as a result of similar behaviors. We also need to work better with our local support services such as our sheriff’s office and our school safety officers.
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?
If books are not age-appropriate, they should not be in that grade level’s library. This should be decided by a committee of a cross-section of the community, including parents. Inappropriate, sexually explicit books have no reason to be in libraries. Books should be connected to the curriculum and instruction of the students and support what is being taught.
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 should be informed about all aspects of their child’s school activities. Nothing should be kept from parents about their child.
