Allen wants 'conservative and transparent' policies on school board
Jul. 4—Editor's note: The Frederick News-Post is profiling candidates for various public offices in Frederick County leading up to the July 19 primary elections. Each school board profile will include an audio recording of the full interview.
Nancy Allen is running for the Frederick County Board of Education to help secure a majority for the conservative Education Not Indoctrination slate.
Allen is running alongside Olivia Angolia, Mark Joannides and Cindy Rose.
She said she decided to join the crowded field after talking with Rose, who is running for the fourth time and met Allen as she was looking to assemble a group to take control of the seven-member board.
"In order to effect change, that's what we would need to do," Allen said. "We would need to fill all four of those seats."
Allen lives in Middletown and works in human resources. She said she also has experience in grant management, which could be useful on the board.
If elected, Allen said, she would advocate for "conservative and transparent management practices."
"I want to ensure that the taxpayer dollars are not wasted or misused," she said. "And I'd like to see the trust in the community rebuilt."
Allen said she would like to see the board's committee meetings held after working business hours rather than on weekday mornings, so more parents could attend.
She said the board could earn constituents' confidence by responding more quickly to complaints from the community.
"Any delay in response leads to mistrust," she said.
The slate also supports adding cameras to every classroom. A bill that would have launched a pilot program for cameras in special education classrooms failed in Annapolis earlier this year.
Like the other members of the slate, Allen said she had been feeling "frustrated" with Frederick County Public Schools' curriculum and the way it addresses race, gender and sexuality in the lead-up to the election. She said parents should have to opt in to lessons for their children about sexual health, sexual orientation and gender identity, rather than having the option to opt out.
The group is looking to "enshrine parental rights in school policy." Allen and her running mates have argued that "special interest groups" are influencing FCPS policies. She said she would prioritize core academic subjects and parental involvement if elected to the board.
"Every parent needs to understand exactly what's going on in the classroom every single day," she said.
Allen said the slate stands out among other candidates because the group has been working together for about a year.
The four candidates have the same positions on important issues, Allen said. She emphasized the group and its shared mission over her individual candidacy.
"I'm not one that particularly likes to talk about myself," she said.
But she added that her experience in hiring, budgeting and management, coupled with her years of living in Frederick County, would be an asset on the school board.
"I am almost a lifelong resident of Frederick County," Allen said. "So, I have a good understanding of the community in which I would serve."
The other candidates in the school board race are: Liz Barrett, Ysela Bravo, David Brooks, Heather Fletcher, Rae Gallagher, April Marie Montgomery, Ashley A. Nieves, Tiffany M. Noble, Rayna T. Remondini, Dean Rose, Justi Thomas and Karen Yoho.
Follow Jillian Atelsek on Twitter: @jillian_atelsek
