(9/26) I want to thank the Emmitsburg News Journal for offering candidates an opportunity to introduce ourselves. I’m David Bass, candidate for Board of Education. I seek to bring my experiences as a special education teacher and higher education professional to the Board.

My advocacy for students with special needs is personal to me. It comes from my younger brother who is on the autism spectrum, as well as my work in special education. These experiences drive my commitment to expanding special education services in Frederick. I am deeply concerned to hear of Frederick County parents who must send their children to other counties or homeschool them solely because their needs are not met by our school system. We must take the best practices from other school districts and implement them in Frederick County.

For the last five years, I have worked in a variety of roles in higher education, from a tutor to a testing center coordinator to a leader in diversity and inclusion initiatives. In all of these positions, I have grappled with issues of accessibility, especially economic accessibility. I believe that a solution lies here in Frederick. I want to deepen the connections between FCPS and Frederick Community College, Hood College, and Mount St. Mary’s University. This can help lessen the cost of college and will deepen the curricular offerings available to high school students. I also believe that Frederick County students who take classes at one of our Colleges or Universities while in high school are more likely to pursue higher education in Frederick County.

Career and technical education is critical to our community as well. We have a very strong Career and Technology Center at Frederick Community College. It is essential that students have the opportunity to gain experience in career fields as they plan their futures. There has been some talk of creating a second Career and Technology Center, or, at minimum, a satellite campus. I support that initiative and would want it located in northern Frederick County for easier geographic access.

Another aspect of my platform is expanding American Sign Language instruction. ASL should be offered, either as a class or extracurricular, in all FCPS schools. In the schools where ASL is currently offered, it is one of the most popular languages. Expanding instruction in ASL is one of the ways in which we can be a more inclusive and supportive community.

We must also recognize the opportunity we have to broaden the curriculum to ensure that students are learning from a variety of perspectives. Non-white writers have not been featured as prominently in our curriculum as they should be. We must address this by bringing in more voices and expanding the literature that we teach.

Finally, I want to raise up one of the most important parts of my platform-- engaging directly with Frederick County residents through community conversations. I want to hear from students, teachers and community leaders in a manner that invites constructive dialogue and real solutions. True leadership is exhibited when we seek out others and listen sincerely.

I hope to have your support in this year’s Board of Education election. I seek to be a unifying leader and empathetic listener to create a stronger school system. In the difficult times that we face due in part to the covid pandemic, truly listening to community concerns will go a long way in our ensuring an excellent school system.