Francoise Sullivan

Running for school board in Kent County

How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 5)?

52

Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?

Yes, sole proprietor of a web design company.

What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?

Some college.

Why are you running for the school board?

I believe in public education. I want all students to thrive and be successful. School should be a safe place for students and teachers.

What makes you a good candidate for the board?

I believe that I am fair, a hard worker, I keep an open mind and I am ready to do the research needed to make the best decisions for students.

What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?

Improving academic outcomes for all students. We need to make sure our teachers have the resources and training needed to reach all students.

Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Malala Yousafzai is a public leader I admire. She is a courageous advocate for girls' education.

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.

I believe that the Blueprint builds on best practices and will benefit Maryland students and educators. I am concerned about the difficulty in funding the Blueprint, especially for small, rural school districts like mine.

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?

Our middle school recently updated the cellphone policy to have cellphones kept in wall "pockets" during class time. I think this is a good policy for both middle and high school because the phones are readily accessible in case of an emergency but unable to cause a distraction during class time.

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?

Just before the pandemic, we did construction to add security vestibules to all school buildings. Visitors can enter a 'holding area' but must be buzzed into the school itself. We also have a school resource officer in our middle and high schools. I think educating parents about home gun safety would help to protect our students and 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?

Absolutely not.

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?

I believe that schools need to be a safe space for students. If a student indicates that they would prefer their parent not be notified, for whatever reason, I think that the school must respect their wishes.

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