Juwan Blocker (seen above) is scheduled to run for PGCPS School Board in District 3 in the 2018 election!
Former student Board Mr. Juwan Blocker who helped bring accountability measures in Prince George’s county Public schools, will be running for the PGCPS School Board in District 3 in the 2018 election! The incumbent is Ms. Dinora A. Hernandez, Esq. an attorney who served as Mr. Baker’s Latino liaison before assuming the current role.
Mr. Juwan Blocker announced his decision to run for the school board in a facebook post seen by Reform Sasscer Movement earlier this afternoon from Collington Maryland. He stated that, ” It is time for major reform in our county and I will continue working to be apart of the solution. However, I can’t do it without your help. He requested members of the public to consider donating to our campaign here: https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/379954/juwan-blocker
Former student Board Mr. Juwan Blocker center with his colleagues in a past photo.
- District 3 Schools
- Adelphi Elementary
- Carole Highlands Elementary
- César Chávez Dual Spanish Immersion
- Chillum Elementary
- Cool Spring Elementary
- Crossland Evening High
- Edward M. Felegy Elementary
- Hyattsville Elementary
- Hyattsville Middle
- International High School at Langley Park
- Langley Park-McCormick Elementary
- Lewisdale Elementary
- Mary Harris Mother Jones Elementary
- Mount Rainier Elementary
- Nicholas Orem Middle
- Northwestern Evening High
- Northwestern High
- Ridgecrest Elementary
- Rosa L. Parks Elementary
- Thomas S. Stone Elementary
- University Park Elementary
Commitment to Public Education
A school board member takes on one of the most important citizen responsibilities: overseeing the education of the community’s youth. In these challenging times for public education, school boards are seeking men and women who find excitement and satisfaction in confronting tough challenges and working collegially to rise above them and help students in their communities succeed.
The board of education is a uniquely American institution. It oversees and manages the community’s public school system. It ensures the public schools are flexible and responsive to the needs of the community. School boards are comprised of volunteers within the community who dedicate their time to better public education. Except for those appointed by the County Council and the county Executive after enactment of Maryland HB1107, generally board members are elected.
The size of a school board depends on the type of school district but generally ranges between three and nine members. With limited exceptions, school board members serve three- four- or five-year terms. Terms are staggered so all board positions are never open at the same time. Voters have the power to change the size of the board as set forth within the law.
Responsibilities of a Board Member
With schoolchildren always their ultimate focus, school board members act officially at the board table, working with other board members to serve students and accomplish the following:
- Create a shared vision for the future of education
- Set the direction of the school district to achieve the highest student performance
- Provide rigorous accountability for student achievement results
- Develop a budget and present it to the community, aligning district resources to improve achievement
- Support a healthy school district culture for work and learning
- Create strategic partnerships with the community stakeholders
- Build the district’s progress through continuous improvement
- Adopt and maintain current policies
- Hire and evaluate the superintendent
- Ratify collective bargaining agreements
- Maintain strong ethical standards
Characteristics of a Board Member
Below are attributes that all effective board members should possess.
- Effective Communicator: Can describe what he or she wants and describe what others want; a good listener
- Consensus Builder: Capable of working toward decisions that all can support and willing to compromise to achieve goals
- Community Participant: Enjoys meeting a variety of people, can identify the community’s key communicators and reaches out to the community
- Decision Maker: Is comfortable making decisions and can support group decision-making
- Information Processor: Can organize priorities and schedules to handle large amounts of verbal and written information
- Leader: Willing to take risks, be supportive of board colleagues, district staff and community
- Team Player: Helps promote the board’s vision and goals.
Running for Your Local School Board
Once you have made the commitment to run for your local school board, there are requirements, deadlines, and processes that must be adhered to.
Eligibility Requirements
Generally, school board candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, qualified voters in the school district and able to read and write. They must be residents of their districts continuously for one year (as little as 30 days or as long as three years in some city school districts) before the election.
We encourage many more citizens to run for various offices including delegate, council and governorship in 2018. This is our commitment to you.
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