Campaign email: emnu2005@gmail.com
Website: www.emilyfortalbot.com
Age: 40
Employment: Owner of a commercial photography studio
Education: B.A., Northeastern University
Why are you running for the school board?
I have four children who attend Talbot County Public Schools and personal experience with three different school buildings, and programs ranging from Gifted and Talented, to Special Education, to honors level courses, to early intervention, to P3 and PreK. I bring a background of public service and arts to the table, and I believe deeply in giving back to my community through my service and leadership. I say without a hesitation that I am an excellent board member. It is an honor to serve in this role; my presence has made a positive impact in our district. I humbly ask the voters of Talbot County for another four years to continue the important work I have started.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
For the past four years I have consistently received feedback from the community about the excellent work that I do as a BOE member. I lead with integrity and fairness, ask the challenging questions no one else wants to, keep student success at the forefront, make sure parents’ and educators’ interests are well represented, and always push for greater transparency. I have gained much acclaim for being the most engaged and responsive board member, and for demanding positive data-backed results for our community. In addition, I am well versed in the rules and guidelines of being a BOE member, the regulations set forth for schools by the State of Maryland, and, as such, am ready to hit the ground running.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I have a great level of admiration for strong women who make huge impacts in their community, and inspire other women and girls to step up and serve – such as Jacinda Ardern, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Malala (Yousafzai). But at the end of the day I truly believe that we should not focus on admiring public leaders. They aren’t celebrities. They are public servants and need to be appreciated and held accountable as such. A great public leader will inspire you to act to make your community better, not be someone who wants to be held on a pedestal. Some of our strongest leaders have been the most humble, and I will always admire service for the act of service – not for accolades.
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
The greatest indicator for student success is the presence of a quality teacher in the classroom – this is the greatest challenge facing us in Talbot County. With the nationwide mass exodus from education, we must retain our excellent educators and also recruit their equally excellent peers. We can address this by being the most competitive in terms of pay and benefits, providing our teachers support in the classroom (including increasing instructional assistants), and empowering our teachers with more time to plan, prep and collaborate. We need to take an out-of-the-box look at how to creatively support our teachers and ensure every student in TCPS has a quality teacher leading their class.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
As a parent of four TCPS students I am, and will always be, concerned about school safety. I am proud of our partnership with local law enforcement to bring more SROs into our schools over the past four years. Reaching each student and giving them connections to the school, a feeling of ownership, and a sense of belonging goes far to create a more connected and safe school community. In order for students to feel and be safe at school we need to attend to all potential safety risks – from physical security of the buildings, to mental health and wellness, to appropriately addressing bullying, to effective discipline measures.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
History needs to be taught accurately and dispassionately. We cannot take sides with history, we just have to be honest about it. We have to acknowledge events that happened and how they shaped what came after. Then that information needs to lead our students to critical thinking, high-level classroom discussions, and greater knowledge. My time in our history classrooms tells me our teachers are doing that, and our AP history scores bear that out. We need more rigorous and engaging material and class options to continue that. What there is no room for in our schools is turning our classrooms into political battlefields to advance or demonize our neighbors.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries, and if so, what kind of books should be removed?
No. First, our librarians are professionals who curate their libraries to reflect age, curriculum, cultural, and content-appropriate books for the students at their schools. Second, books are keys that open minds and need to be accessible to do their job. No education has ever been furthered due to the banning of a book. That said, some students do need guidance to select books that reflect the values and beliefs of their own home, and it falls on parents to help their children understand what their family considers acceptable when it comes to library choices. Not everyone’s choices will be the same, and in removing a book as an option for all, it limits the choice of other students and families.
