Allison Spillman

"—Ensure that every student enrolled in ACPS has the tools and resources they need to excel academically, socially, and emotionally. —Fully fund our schools and strategically and equitably allocate resources to close gaps and disparities, including those that were exacerbated by the Covid learning loss. —Develop strong literacy, STEAM, and critical thinking skills, while celebrating scholastic, athletic, and extra-curricular achievement across the board. —Foster all types of student interest and passion, whether it be academic, artistic, career, or vocational. "

"—Create inclusive and welcoming schools where all students, staff, and families, feel welcomed and valued regardless of race, religion, zip code, economic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, abilities (physical, emotional, mental, or academic), immigration status, including newcomers and military connected students. — Ensure all students are engaged participants in the learning environment and community and that individuals see their identities reflected in all facets of education including staffing, curriculum, instruction, and activities. —Address overcrowded schools and classrooms as well as discipline disparities."

"—Advocate strongly and vocally for collective bargaining for ACPS to empower our educators and staff members. —Compensate our teachers and staff with competitive pay, benefits, and professional development, so we retain our world class educators. —Ensure that our schools create a positive working environment that fosters collaboration, transparency and respect, where teachers and staff members feel comfortable speaking and being heard."

"—Hire more counselors, psychologists, and social workers to decrease the student to provider ratio and ensure our students get the support they need, particularly in light of the mental health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic. —Work closely with mental health partners to ensure our students and families get support they need outside of the classroom. —Promote teacher wellness and spearhead efforts to combat employee fatigue, burnout, and stress. —Integrate mental health education and social-emotional learning into our school curriculum."

"—Implement ACPS’s Threat Assessment Program to identify individuals whose behavior may pose a threat to the safety of students or school staff, and coordinate with mental health counselors, parents, and law enforcement to prevent a troubled person from carrying out acts of violence. —Promote the BE Smart gun safety program on ACPS’s website and share information with families to raise awareness about the importance of secure gun storage. —Provide free gun locks to ACPS families to help secure firearms at families' homes. —Advocate and collaborate with local and state lawmakers to promote common sense gun safety measures."

"— Establishment of an ombudsperson position that will offer a transparent, accessible, and confidential channel for parents and teachers to express their concerns and contribute to the improvement of our public schools. —Build respectful and inclusive partnerships between students, families, educators, and administrators. —Provide additional time for parent-teacher conferences. ACPS should allocate three paid teaching days per year for teachers to meet with parents, and spread these meetings through the school year."