Cathy Allen
Running for school board in St. Mary's County District 2
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 5)?
68
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Vice chair, St. Mary's County Board of Education.
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Virginia.
Why are you running for the school board?
I want to continue my work on behalf of our students, staff, parents and community to provide a world-class education in our schools. My work at the state level ensures that our conservative, rural voice is heard when legislation impacting education is considered. I have a strong network of contacts across the state that aid in those efforts. It is important that we maintain local control over education policy to the greatest extent possible and I have been very successful in those efforts.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
My experience as a former critical care nurse has been extremely helpful in my ability to review large amounts of information, understand connections, ask critical questions, and formulate responses. My experience as a board member allows me to bring institutional knowledge to situations and continuity to the work. We operate under a myriad of laws and regulations that must be followed and cannot be learned overnight. I'm able to listen, consider various viewpoints. and understand that we have a diverse enrollment for which one size does not fit all.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
Implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland's Future is our most important issue. It impacts instruction, budget,and staffing, among other areas. As Maryland faces a significant budget shortfall, I believe there may be consideration to make changes to the Blueprint regarding timelines and areas of implementation. It is imperative that we stay plugged in to the conversations in order to provide appropriate feedback to those conversations.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I admire the late former senator from Virginia, Sen. John Warner. Sen. Warner was a true statesman and gentleman. The Board of Education is nonpartisan, which I wholeheartedly support. The late senator responded to a question as to why he didn't support something his party was pushing; he noted that, in his view, he put country first, state second, and party third. He understood how to make his points well and compromise for the good of the country. I put my country and county first in true nonpartisan work.
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.
While the Blueprint was touted as significantly increasing education funding, the reality is that the funding is not distributed equitably, and rural counties have been left out, by and large. We did not receive increased funding from the state to cover mandates within the Blueprint. The funding is also wealth equalized, and the state views St. Mary's County as capable of providing the funding for the Blueprint. We are expected to reallocate funding from successful programs without regard to the needs of our students to fund what the Kirwan Commission believes is needed. We have been able to increase starting teacher pay and to offer full day pre-K to eligible students only due to the support of our commissioners. The belief of the Kirwan Commission that following the Blueprint will, in subsequent years, significantly decrease our special education population. I am doubtful.
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?
As of this school year students must have cellphones off and away all day at the elementary and middle school levels. High school students may only have them before and after school and during their “One Lunch” period. Implementation has gone extremely well. Teachers are seeing a positive difference in student attention and behavior. I support the policy.
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 have implemented controlled access to buildings and have safety and security assistants in all our schools. We take the issue of safety of our students very seriously at all times.
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?
We have a process in place for parents to limit access for certain books for their children, either within the media center or selecting a different option for assigned reading selections. I believe parents are the appropriate decision makers for their own children, and we ensure that these options are well communicated to parents. All books that are purchased for school libraries go through a process in which grade-level teachers review books to ensure they are aligned with curriculum and are age-appropriate. We serve a diverse student population, and reading materials reflect that diversity. Books that are considered sensitive in nature are held in a separate area and students must have permission to access them.
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?
Our district does not have a policy regarding use of preferred pronouns and believes that handling situations such as this in a sensitive way with a student’s and parents. It is handled on a case-by-case basis, which I support.
