ACT NOW! Your voice matters, 5 minutes of your time can make the difference in getting Baltimore City an elected school board!

CONTEXT: Medium Article to Save Charm City Virtual https://medium.com/@espositoforboard/save-charm-city-virtual-bf67484ed587

Hello, My name is Ashley Esposito. I’m a mom and a resident of Southwest Baltimore. I am one of two elected members of the Board of School Commissioners at Baltimore City Public Schools. I have been a long-time advocate for a fully elected school board.

In 2021, I applied for one of the appointed seats. I wanted to represent the voice of former students who did not excel in the traditional school model due to life challenges (foster care, learning differences, anxiety, etc.), and I wanted to represent community concerns. I was denied the opportunity to interview with the community panel, as were other applicants. As a result, I decided to run for one of the two elected seats. With the support of my family, I ran for public office for the first time. I was one of eight candidates running for two elected seats. Thankfully, I won one of the seats. www.ashleyesposito.com I was sworn in for the Board of School Commissioners on January 27th, 2023.

Most of the Baltimore City House Delegation favors an elected school board. To get more elected seats, we need constituents across Baltimore City to contact their Senators in the 40th, 41st, 43rd, 45th, and 46th districts and urge them to pass legislation for an elected school board.

  • Baltimore City is the ONLY jurisdiction without a fully elected school board.
  • The Mayor appoints 9 Commissioners. The appointment process has been consistently inefficient. Some appointed members stayed on for years after their terms were over. Currently, we have two seats that have been vacant for SEVEN months.
  • Two members are not enough. We are At Large members who are not paid to do this role, and it is very difficult to keep the entire city up to date and get their feedback.
  • The elected members need urgent support. We have tried to push for structural changes and improve community engagement but have faced obstacles getting the board to change “the way they’ve always done things”.
  • We need more elected seats to represent different community needs.
  • Running for an elected seat requires broad outreach and engagement in the community and helps educate people on the importance of our school board.
  • Elected members know how to do community engagement, talk to the press, be responsive, are accessible to the community (not just our networks), and
  • There is value in having all members join the board and be sworn in simultaneously for continuity, which will foster better relationships among board members.
  • The treatment of the current elected members is concerning.