Campaign email: thepeopleforkatieaddis@gmail.com
Website: www.thepeopleforkatieaddis.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peopleforkatieaddis
Age: 36
Employment: Stay-at-home mother
Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Iowa
Why are you running for the school board?
The last two years have turned our children’s world upside down, as well as ours as parents! Between COVID-19 measures being the forefront of our worries, we are also battling the public schools teaching Critical Race Theory practices, gender identity and other social justice programs to create a divisive divide in our schools. We need to get back to basics by focusing on quality education of reading, writing, arithmetic, science and true and accurate history, taught without viewing through a certain “lens.” Transparency with the public and families must be held to a high standard. Parents deserve better. I believe in a quality public education for all current and future students.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I am a strong candidate who is unapologetic in my beliefs for the future of our children. I will be objective in decisions and will not be swayed by temptation or fear from the teacher’s union or administration. I am running for this position with the purest of intentions of fixing our school system so the next generation of leaders can be brought up in a safe and effective learning environment in which they will succeed and prosper in adulthood.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
A public leader who does not hold office yet, but is the nominee for lieutenant governor of Maryland is Gordana Schifanelli. Even though she is not a current public leader, I have been inspired by her story and continue to be inspired by her true grit of a candidate. She is unapologetic in her views and stands up for what she believes in. She ran one of the most successful write-in campaigns for her husband to get on their local Kent County school board, and she continues to be a champion for children’s education.
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 not being honest and transparent with what is being taught in our schools. Social Emotional Learning, a damaging health framework and constant political agendas are being pushed. We are not spending enough time on the core, classical subjects: reading, writing, arithmetic, science and history, an, unfortunately, it shows. Our school board needs to do what is best for the children of the county, not what is best for the teachers unions.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
I am extremely concerned with school safety. The tag line “Gun Free Zones” does not help our schools. We need to focus on making sure our school safety system is checked on a regular basis and staff and students need to be held accountable when rules are broken in regards to safety measures. We need to make sure children and staff feel safe and secure. If new safety measures are found to be needed, we must work together as a community to make sure those measures are met.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
Yes, I am very concerned with the way history is being taught. When looking at the curriculum, our history classes are always being taught through a “lens.” Students don’t always need to be taught through the “lens” of a minority to understand their struggles. History is exciting because we get to learn from those who came before us that have made us who we are today. Historical events are not always meant to have a happy ending. Much of our U.S. and world history is ugly and gruesome, but if we don’t learn about these events in their entirety, we are doomed to repeat them. We need to stop “dumbing down” our history education. Our students deserve better, because our future deserves 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?
A book removed from a curriculum is not a banned book. A book removed from a school library is not a banned book. A book that is illegal to own, possess or distribute IS a banned book. Most of these books in question are meant for “Young Adults.” I believe a young adult is someone 18-22 years old, no longer enrolled in high school. There are no “Young Adults” enrolled at school, only minors. This is a family decision, and if a family deems these books appropriate for their child, then they are able to access them at the public library or bookstore. Protecting our children from sexually explicit books is not bad parenting, it is the opposite.
