Campaign email: jenni@jennipompi.com
Website: www.jennipompi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennipompiPGCPS.D2
Age: 44
Employment: I am a senior editor for the periodicals division of a nonprofit in Annapolis.
Education: Bachelor’s degrees in journalism and women’s studies, both from the University of Maryland College Park.
Why are you running for the school board?
I’m the proud mom of two PGCPS students and I’m running for the Board of Education because District 2 deserves a school board member who will put our kids over politics and prioritize educational policies that will have a real impact on our schools and our communities.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
As a PGCPS parent and a 25-year-long resident of Prince George’s County, I understand the unique challenges our children, schools and teachers face, and will listen to constituent concerns and use that feedback to inform policies to make our school system stronger. My deep knowledge of our school system as a parent and former PTO president and the strong relationships I’ve built throughout District 2 make me a strong candidate and uniquely suited to represent this community. I have broad community support and a reputation for working hard and achieving results as a parent advocate and community member.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I admire the tenacity, strength and spirit of Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. I love how she saw a system that wasn’t working and decided to work to fix it, resulting in the enfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of voters. Ms. Abrams dedication to civic engagement is clear in the ways she engages voters in her own campaign, and it is wonderful to see how she inspires people to want to change the status quo, and to believe they can.
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
The most important issue facing our school board is student recovery from the pandemic learning gap. I will support Blueprint (for Maryland’s future) community schools engaging students and families through wraparound services such as additional counselors and enhanced learning opportunities through field trips during school and after school hours and through partnerships with organizations; and focusing on improving student attendance and parent engagement. I also will work to ensure each school has a fully funded mental health services coordinator position, and support teacher and staff professional development around recognizing symptoms of mental health problems.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
As a parent to two PGCPS students, I’m very concerned about school safety, both for our kids and our teachers and staff. I support enhancing external safety features already in place and being constructed in new PGCPS buildings, such as security vestibules and secure entrances. Just as important is building a strong sense of community through restorative practices and wraparound services that enhance the safety and security of our students.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
I don’t have any issues with our history as taught in our schools. The truth about U.S. history is very clear throughout PGCPS curriculum, particularly as it relates to slavery and the disenfranchisement and marginalization of Black, brown and indigenous people, though I would always support expanding our history content to be more thorough and inclusive. We do well, but we can always do better.
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 don’t think there are any circumstances in which books of any kind should be removed from school libraries, though I do think it may be appropriate to review books to ensure they do not contain harmful racist/cultural stereotypes. Restricting access to or censoring books inhibits the ability of kids to learn to think for themselves, and free-thinking is important to our democracy.
