The Baltimore School Board is a leader in early speech technology and education

After last week’s Maryland primary election, Ashley Eposito And April Christina Curley They currently hold the highest number of votes in the competition Baltimore City open up Board of School Commissioners Seats. Both have a technology background. Coincidence, perhaps, but that doesn’t mean technology and STEM education aren’t a big part of the platform.

This is the first time the school board has had vacancies for election. In 2016 Maryland General Assembly He voted to add two new elected seats to the list of 10 mayoral-appointed school board commissioners. That opened the door for a community voice to be heard on the school board, for which eight candidates in a crowded primary were whittled down to four for the Nov. 8 general election.

Esposito has 19% of the vote and Curley has 15% Baltimore Banner Latest updates on the election results. Esposito currently b State of Maryland She worked as a database developer and taught herself programming languages ​​while failing school. As a neurodivergent student struggling with traditional scholastic pathways, Esposito has seen how the many paths and career opportunities in technology can help ensure that no student is left behind.

Curley is currently the Engagement and Partnerships Manager at Last Mile Education Fund But it worked Google As a diversity recruiter. Her work involves helping students access the opportunities that technology offers. Curley saw the leaky bucket problem big tech companies have in retaining diverse tech talent, and when her Baltimore speech was seen as a problem, she fell victim to how company culture pushes away diverse talent.

The school board has the authority to set the school budget, approve the curriculum and secure funds for school construction. What the Senate does for the states, the school board does for the Baltimore School District — just surprisingly less controlling because, until now, all the chairs have been appointed by the mayor.

“The school board has an opportunity to change its culture and morale. Baltimore City Public Schools In the decisions they make,” Esposito said. technical.ly. “We’re not the only two people coming in. We are bringing in the whole community.

Curley also shared the same sentiment.

“I make sure the community is involved every step of the way when we’re talking about decisions about their kids,” Cooley said.

Both candidates see tech as a gateway to opportunities they’ve personally experienced and want to bring to others.

“When I look at Baltimore as a whole, I see our economy moving in the direction of becoming a tech hub,” Esposito said. “If our kids aren’t ready to fill those roles, they’re going to be left behind and people outside of Baltimore City are going to step in and take those jobs.”

Esposito doesn’t want that to happen and sees the school board’s power to create policies and curricula that provide students with the skills the tech industry needs.

“There’s a sense of urgency to me because if we don’t address it every year, that’s a whole group of students who are graduating and are going to be our future neighbors,” Esposito said. “There is a direct connection to healthy communities and our education system.”

As Cooley spent her time at Google bridging the gap between company expectations and the student curriculum to create a pipeline of diverse tech talent, she realized that the adults in the classroom posed the biggest problem. On the school board, she wants to remove as many barriers to student success as possible. She wants not only tools for Baltimore students, but a more rigorous computer science curriculum to ensure these students can compete in tech careers.

“Our kids are talented. They’re creative, they’re creative. They’re curious, they’re looking for opportunities, and yet: the adults in the formula, the system in the formula, the oppression in the equation,” Curley said. It exposes that they don’t have the tools they need to keep up with education. Kids can get wifi all day long, but if the wifi doesn’t work or it’s spotty or it’s not strong, what are we going to give them? Crumbs.