Rebecca Smondrowski

        I believe that every student deserves a positive school experience, and that means different things for different kids. It’s not just about getting A’s and B’s, but also about being engaged, feeling safe, valued and included. We are a county of great diversity of cultures, interests and learning styles, and we need to utilize our resources to ensure that all of our schools, staff and students have what they need to be successful. 

        In addition to my partnerships with local organizations, such as the Black and Brown Coalition and Women Who Care Ministry, I am devoted to pushing for equal opportunity acts such as expanded access opportunity, recovery school, expanding CTE, and paid for SAT/ACT. I was a vocal advocate of creating an Upcounty college and career center at Seneca Valley, in addition to The Edison High School of Technology, but we need to scale up even more to make a career pathway a viable option for our students. Also in my time serving on the BOE, I have worked directly with police, firefighters, and MCPS to develop a cadet program that will enable us to enhance our own first responders work force. It is imperative that we recognize that college may not be the best next step for every student in our system, and that we support the success of those on alternative paths by making alternative programming easily accessible. 

        With our creation of the Evidence of Learning database, we now have the detailed insight to identify where every student in every classroom is, and where they need to go. But data is just the start. I will use my next term to leverage this data to close gaps and provide programs and opportunities that let all of MCPS reach its fullest potential.