In August, I asked a question: Are we ready, or are we just opening? Now September is coming to a close. The doors opened. The children came. And, as happens every school year, the plan met reality. What looked good on paper in August is now being tested by what actually happens every day. That is the thing about plans. We can prepare, anticipate, organize, practice and check every box we know to check. Then real people enter the equation. Children. Families. Teachers. Bus dr

Tomorrow is the first day of school. Across the District, educators and school communities have spent the summer preparing to welcome students back. Classrooms have been arranged, schedules developed, teachers have returned, families have attended orientations and open houses and countless details have demanded attention in preparation for opening day.

Advancing from the primary election gave me a moment to thank God, celebrate and breathe. Then came the reality: the assignment just got bigger. During the primary, much of my focus was introducing myself by sharing who I am, why I entered this race and what more than 25 years in Prince George’s County Public Schools has taught me about education, leadership and the systems that support our scholars. Advancing to the general election changes the conversation. It is no longer

Last night, after election day, I went to bed just 56 votes ahead, with results reported from 31 of 42 precincts. Yes, it was close. But I am so excited. Even more so, I was in awe. Before I went to sleep, I sent my team a text with a screenshot of the results. Then, as I laid my head down, two words rested in my spirit: God’s grace. The incumbent was far ahead of the other three candidates, but I did not need to finish first to be a winner. I simply needed to finish in the

One of the greatest lessons leadership has taught me is that outcomes rarely improve by accident. Strong schools do not happen accidentally. Strong instruction does not happen accidentally. Strong systems do not happen accidentally. Someone must be intentional. As this Board of Education race continues to unfold, I have spent time reflecting on what leadership truly requires in this season. Not personality. Not slogans. Not simply reacting to problems. But intentional leaders

I believe deeply that the purpose of every decision in education should be to improve what happens in the classroom. There are many conversations happening right now about policies, programs, and priorities in education. All of them matter. But none of them matter more than what happens in the classroom. This is where policy matters. School boards do not teach lessons, but they make decisions that shape the conditions for teaching and learning. Decisions about curriculum, sta

A school board’s decisions shape everything from classroom instruction to student outcomes—making alignment and focus essential.— from Education Week There is a difference between recognizing what needs to be done and fully stepping into the responsibility to do it. As a PGCPS principal, I have spent years leading inside the system, working to improve instruction, analyzing data, supporting teachers, collaborating with families and making decisions that impact scholars every

A 2025 analysis highlighted by Education Week found that only 18% of school board members in the study were current or former educators.” That's an important statistic. When decisions about schools are made without deep, day-to-day experience inside those schools, there is a risk that those decisions will not fully translate into classrooms. As a PGCPS principal, I do not experience education from a distance, I live it every day. I see how decisions are made, and more impor