Campaign email: espositoforboard@gmail.com
Website: www.ashleyesposito.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/espositoforbaltimore
Age: 38
Employment: Front end developer for a consulting company.
Education: Bachelor of Science, Software Development & Security, University of Maryland Global Campus.
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running because my son is a future Baltimore City Public School student. I have been actively involved in advocating against permanent school closures, democratizing our school board and ending the school-to-prison pipeline. I am a former foster care youth and someone with learning differences. I felt a sense of urgency to bring my lived experience and parent voice to the school board. I believe we can have healthy communities if we strengthen our public school system. I know the community school model can work and believe our school system should move from a “whole child approach” to a “whole family approach”.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I would be a great school board member because of my lived experience and experience serving on other boards and councils. In council and board work, I have worked very hard to democratize decision-making processes, improving community engagement, and focusing on mental health policy in education. I am someone who doesn’t shy away from tough conversations. I think that when you focus on the biggest issues being raised by the community you improve morale and create better policies.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I cannot pick just one leader. The leaders I admire are the grassroots community leaders. Sometimes they do not have a title, are unpaid and do not get recognition. I truly admire these leaders because they see an issue and take on doing the thankless work to improve conditions for everyone.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
I believe the biggest issue facing our school board is morale. I think the public is losing faith in the direction of our school system. I have seen parents, students, and teachers raise valid issues. I think the public is coming to the table with good faith and sometimes there is a disconnect in leadership to lean into those uncomfortable conversations. I see people who are unwilling to admit there is a problem publicly and meet with the public. I believe the best way to improve this is to include stakeholders in decision-making processes. I know these issues are tough but if we work together we can fix them.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
I am very concerned about school safety! Our schools are not immune to issues that affect our communities. Whether it is mental health, substance use, gun violence, poverty, or other trauma, we have to have the resources to address all of these issues in the school system. We know these are issues impacting students outside of the school building so we need to be equipped to address them in the school building. I think we need to give every student access to resources. We need to train our staff and have our school system commit to trauma-informed care initiatives. All of these are barriers to our students’ participation in the classroom.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
I think we are headed in the right direction for history curriculum. Over the years we have become more inclusive. My concerns are the efforts to make our history curriculum less inclusive and less historically accurate. I would like to see more local history in our school curriculum. I know there are so many contributions of local artists and dance in our city’s history that should be included.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries, and if so, what kind of books should be removed?
I do not believe in banning books. I believe censorship is a slippery slope and I have seen efforts to ban books actually lead to students seeking out those banned books. I think we should be encouraging literacy and critical thinking. I know for myself, books have sparked tough and healing conversations. Getting uncomfortable and challenging yourself and your perception of the world is a healthy process.
