Meet Howard County Education Board Candidate: Jen Mallo

COLUMBIA, MD — When voters cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 elections, they will be asked to select individuals to serve on the Howard County's board of education.

Patch asked each candidate to answer questions to help provide voters with information about who they are and their stances on various issues. We are printing their responses in full, unedited except for spelling or punctuation. Below are the responses from candidate Jen Mallo.

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Town/City of Residence

Columbia

Office Sought

County School Board

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Husband, 3 children who graduated from Wilde Lake HS

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

MA, George Washington University, East Asian Studies
BA, Wittenberg University, Economics, East Asian Studies

Occupation

Board of Education member (2 years), Education Advocate/Activist (25 years), Blessings in Backpack Coordinator (2+ years), University Administration (2 years)

Campaign website

votejenmallo.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Current member of the Howard County Board of Education
Policy Chair, Howard County Board of Education
Director, Legal Services Administration of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education
Howard County Executive Spending Affordability Committee Member

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our school board is the coronavirus pandemic and how we continue to educate our students amidst it. I voted in favor of a virtual model along with 6 other of my colleagues because it was the right thing to do for the health and safety of our students and staff. The school system was unprepared with the protections and protocols that are necessary to have face to face instruction. Efforts needed to be focused on developing a robust virtual model, as well as for providing stability and consistency for our families and teachers. Our teachers worked hand in hand with the administration to learn how to deliver effective instruction, to use new tools, to help make sure all of our students had access to technology.

By focusing on science and safety concerns of the pandemic, we worked in the best interests of our students and staff. We know that virtual schooling is challenging for many of our students and families—which is why the administration is working to bring in small groups for in-person instruction as well as developing a hybrid model for presentation to the Board on Oct. 22, 2020.
I will do my homework, do the research, follow the public health guidance, and make decisions that are based on science. I will not capitulate to loud, angry voices. As leaders, we must put the needs of our students and staff ahead of the politics that disregards the science and puts our community’s health at risk.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

Yes, I support Black Lives Matter.

The demonstrations in Howard County have been peaceful, respectful, and motivating. I have used this time to listen and learn, to work on my personal efforts toward anti-racism. Given that my colleague and chairwoman of the BOE, Mavis Blake Ellis is a relative of Jacob Blake and has spoken out about the anguish that accompanied her cousin’s shooting, I am compelled to affirm the racism that many in our community have experienced. It is my hope that we as a community can do better and be better at supporting our Black and Brown students, our Black and Brown educators, and removing systemic racism that exists in our schools.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have 25 years’ worth of experience in education. Whether it was my involvement in special education, being a classroom volunteer, running a PTA, growing a science fair from 30 to 300 students, working on multiple policy review committees, or being the chairperson of the system-wide Community Advisory Council to provide public input to the board of education, I am uniquely qualified.

I have successfully passed two nearly billion-dollar Board of Education budgets which began to address historical deficiencies in special education funding, teacher pay, and a deficit in our health care fund. My education in economics, my professional training in data analytics, and my extensive knowledge in school system policy are critical to being able to get the job done on day one. I have demonstrated the ability to work with local community groups and other local elected officials to make sure our schools are funded and our students are learning. This has earned me numerous endorsements from current and former elected leaders and community organizations.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I am a current officeholder and I believe that while we are not perfect, we are operating with the best interests of the students and staff in mind.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I believe that the school system must address issues around equity, aligning our budget with our values, and empowering our educators. We have seen attacks on public education coming from national leaders as well as local extreme voices that are out of sync with the values of Howard County. Our community has shown our deep and abiding commitment to provide excellent educational opportunities and access for all children. My values, experience, background and backbone make me the leader Howard County schools need today.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am a highly effective sitting member of the board of education. I chair the policy committee of the board of education. I am a director to the Maryland Association of Boards of Education Legal Services Administration. I worked with my colleagues to ensure a unanimous passage of the school system’s first ever equity policy. This critical new framework will shape the work and mission of the school system for years to come and hopefully will begin address the achievement gap with accountability, transparency, and adequate funding.

I have successfully passed two nearly billion-dollar budgets of the school system in the two years I have sat on the Board. I have been part of the efforts to reduce the school system’s deficit in the health and dental fund to put us back on firm financial footing. In my two years on the board, I have supported increased funding to special education by 11 percent annually and 10 percent annually despite overall budget growth being under 5 percent.
I have been a chairperson of the Community Advisory Council of the board education, the liaison organization between the board of education and the community at large. During my chairmanship, we were the only community organization to provide representation to every HCPSS policy review committee and to provide consistent, critically important feedback to the board of education.

I have run multiple organizations, with hundreds of participants and volunteers that served the community to include PTAs, Blessings in a Backpack, Parents AT Home in Howard County, and East Columbia Preschool.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

The accomplishment that would make my term in office a success is to provide every child in the Howard County Public School System with access to a high-quality education. I will help develop policies and procedures that contribute to all children receiving a quality education. Specifically, I will work towards:
• Policies and practices that overcome educator and administrator bias
• Reductions of disproportionate suspensions and discipline for Black, Male and Special
Education Students
• Reduce the achievement gap, not by pushing the ceiling down, but by bringing up the
floor. This must include:
--Additional Achievement Liaisons (BSAP, HSAP, International)
--Increased diversified hiring and retention
--Anti-bias training
• Support and fund the acquisition of educational technology so that when we are faced
with a national emergency (like we are experiencing currently with the coronavirus pandemic), we can have viable distance learning options.
• Continue to support our provision of food and mental health services in an emergency,
like we are experiencing now.
• Eliminate the deficit in the health and dental fund that was legacy of previous boards and the former administration that continues to hamstring our innovation and progress to implement effective, new educational programs.

Why should voters trust you?

I do not hide from my values and positions. I work with my colleagues to develop solutions that improve the status quo rather than grandstand. If you watch the board meetings, you will quickly see that I do my homework, I research, I study, I come prepared to discuss and deliberate. I listen to and regularly meet with community groups to hear their concerns and their feedback. I listen to teachers and students. I listen to education experts. I take the time to learn in order to do my job better.

Other elected officials that the board of education works with day in and day out have determined who they trust to work with on the board of education. They trust me and for that reason, I am endorsed by many of these local elected officials and community groups, like Sen. Clarence Lam, MD, Delegate Terri Hill, MD, Delegate Eric Ebersole, Delegate Jessica Feldmark, Africans Americans in Howard County, former County Executive Liz Bobo, and others.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

The school system needs to have a balanced budget and the current deficit in the health and dental fund needs to be eliminated. The county and state should be fully fund the school system to meet the needs of our students and staff.

Taxpayer dollars should be used with accountability and transparency. Taxpayer dollars should be used to fund public schools and public school students, not charter schools or private school vouchers.

A budget is a moral document that should align our values with our funding priorities.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No.