Let’s face it, two individuals running in District Four are, essentially, single-issue candidates: Matt Levine and Sezin Palmer.
I have seen this before. These candidates are so focused on one part of the job, they neglect doing their work on other important issues and they make mistakes.
Take Ms. Palmer for a moment. The *one* time she provided testimony on an issue aside from redistricting, she got the facts wrong. In her testimony regarding the Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2021 Budget (remarks delivered in January 2020, after she got into the race for Board of Education) she claimed there was a “near doubling of the Student Access and Achievement budget.”
In the same remarks, Ms. Palmer questioned the evidence behind equity-related initiatives (which should provide a clear indication of where she stands on equity in education). And, going back to the “doubling” point, her statement was simply incorrect. The Student Access and Achievement program was combined with another initiative, which explains the budget increase. After the fact, she acknowledged that “the increase is not nearly as big as it appears.” Her full quote is below.
She tried to pass the buck by saying the information was “buried” in a large document. Really? If you want to serve on the Board of Education, you have to do your homework. Howard County’s students deserve the best, not the functional equivalent of “I didn’t have time to do the reading” excuses.
In solidarity.
“Apparently buried in the 600-page document that accompanies the plethora of spreadsheets, there is information that indicates the Student Access and Achievement program is actually being combined with another program, hence the increase is not nearly as big as it appears. Thanks to a helpful BOE member for pointing this out... really shouldn't be this complicated though!” – Sezin Palmer
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