Campaign email: arianeforboe@gmail.com
Age: 42
Employment: Director of Academic Support, Johns Hopkins University
Education: Master of Arts in Teaching & Learning – National University
Why are you running for the school board?
I was appointed to the Board of Education in May 2021 by a unanimous vote by the County Council. In the past year and a half, I have taken a deep dive into HCPS and worked hard to advocate for my community. I am running for the board because I would like to continue the work that I have started. I have enjoyed getting to know the staff at the schools in my district and taking the time to stop in to meet with administrators. I feel as though my job is to listen to our community and school members and to provide support in a transparent way. I am also a parent of two children in the school system and I want to continue to make HCPS a better place for my children to learn and grow.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I believe that I am a great candidate for the board because I have worked in various levels of education for the past 20 years. I have taught K-12 students, developed curriculum, trained teachers and currently direct all academic support programs at Johns Hopkins. I have 1 1/2 years under my belt as a board member and know the importance of listening to our community. I listen, do my own research and work with the system to find solutions to issues and concerns that are brought up. I was also raised by educators and have deep roots in our community. I attended North Harford Elementary, MIddle and High and graduated a proud Hawk in 1998. I am also a parent of two elementary school students.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I really admire anyone who puts others before themselves. One public leader who has made this her life’s work is Dolly Parton. Aside from her career as an artist, she has impacted millions of lives with various programs like The Dollywood Foundation and Imagination Library. Dolly is a servant leader and everything she does has a great impact. I admire her creativity, work ethic and need to help others.
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
There are a lot of issues facing our school board. I think one of the biggest issues is bullying in schools. I was bullied in middle school and have great empathy for anyone going through a similar situation. I will continue to work with our safety and security team to strengthen our school-based trainings and implement scenario-based training for both school staff and students. One idea that is being implemented is a bystander training for staff and students to learn what you can and cannot do if you witness a situation. Students and staff learn how they can step in to help the situation instead of watching it happen.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
As a parent I am very concerned about school safety. As a board member, I have been involved in many safety and security meetings and keep up to date on issues happening in our county. I believe HCPS is doing a good job and as a board we approved funding to expand our safety and security team. At the end of our last school year, I attended a meeting and suggested looking into a bystander training program for both school staff and students. In this type of training, students and staff would learn how they can step in to diffuse a situation happening such as a fight or bullying. I was delighted to hear that HCPS has moved forward with developing this training.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
I have kept a close eye on what my children are learning in elementary school and wish they had more history (and science) in their curriculum. My father was a social studies teacher and was passionate about what he taught. The only concern that I have is making sure we have enough educators who are qualified to teach history and have a well developed understanding of both American and World History in order to be an engaging teacher that will excite their students.
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 think it depends on the type of book and age of students and I am sure there are circumstances when a book should be removed. It is important for our school libraries to offer a variety of books to engage different students and important for our children to be able to see themselves in characters. We often have parents read excerpts of books during our board meetings and as a board we look into these books and read them for ourselves to understand the whole context of the book. I am not for or against removing books but I support having the conversation and making a decision on a case-by-case basis.
