Campaign email: david@davidplotts.com
Website: www.davidplotts.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DavidPlottsWicomico
Age: 39
Employment: Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Financial controller.
Education: Master of Science in Management with a Finance Specialization, University of Maryland University College.
Why are you running for the school board?
I’m running to bring the voice of a parent fully enmeshed in the day-to-day processes of public school. Having four children enrolled in Wicomico County Public Schools, I can see aspects such as teacher retention, mental health support, parental involvement, and inclusiveness that need additional efforts to reach our goals. Having these issues at the forefront of my life right now makes my passion for progress an asset to the Board of Education.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I am a product of Wicomico County Public Schools and am involved in the community. I’ve been the chairman of Salisbury’s Parks and Recreation Committee since 2014 and served on Salisbury’s Environmental Policy Task Force and the Wicomico County Charter Review Committee. In 2019 and 2020, I was appointed by WCBOE as the parent liaison to the Board’s Parent Advisory Committee from Pinehurst Elementary. Currently, I am a nonprofit leader responsible for finances, information systems, human resources, and facilities management, allowing me to bring a wide variety of knowledge to the board. I’ve been recommended by the Wicomico Education Association and the Maryland Education Association.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I don’t admire any one particular leader. However, there are many features in a leader that are admirable, including integrity, respect and compassion for others, responsibility, resilience, inspiring others, and humility.
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
The most important issue is the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The legislation contains many of my priorities such as increased staff retention and salaries, expanded pre-kindergarten, mental health support, and college and career readiness pathways (including career and technology education). Our board will need to properly implement Blueprint or risk reduced state funding in subsequent years. However, there are other equally important issues such as addressing discipline, safety, and educator retention and attraction. There are a multitude of volunteer opportunities in every school that I’d like to see fulfilled by our community members.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
As a parent of current students, and a friend of teachers, I have firsthand experience in the concern for all students’ and staff safety, which ranges from discipline to active shooters. In my conversations with stakeholders, I have found that the county’s code of conduct is either not being enforced or not being enforced equitably. We need to reevaluate our code of conduct and (take) progressive discipline steps to ensure it fits the needs of our students and educators and can be enforced. At the same time, we also need to keep our schools safe from mass shootings and other threats of violence using evidence-based and expert-endorsed actions.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
I believe that teaching complete and accurate history is necessary. Doing so can help students develop empathy for other people and find commonality with them. Additionally, I believe we need to ensure our history textbooks and classroom materials are accurate and not whitewashed.
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 believe that books in school libraries should offer a broad background of information, including opposing sides of controversial issues and a global perspective, to foster critical thinking by students along with promoting diversity and inclusion. School libraries are an important resource for those who lack access to county libraries. As long as books are age-appropriate and meet all policy requirements, they should not be removed from any school library.
