School Board

What was school like for you? 

Middle school was a very interesting time for me as I recently came to the United States and had to get used to the new education system. I absolutely loved middle school and my teachers were a fresh change to the teachers I had back in South Africa. I learned a lot and found the US school system easier to navigate due to support available. Going through the American High School experience was interesting as well. There were a lot of cultural things I learned. I enjoyed my high school experience but the college application process was a very stressful process that I was not prepared for. I had to navigate the college process by myself and thankful to the support of my mentor and guidance counselor Ms. Johannah Burdin for getting me through it. 

Why do you want to serve on the School Board? 

Going to college I realized how behind I am compared to my peers. For someone who wanted to major in Biochemistry I found out that there were many baseline education that I was missing. I spent my four years in college closing this gap and proud of my perseverance and sticking to my major. In hindsight, there were a couple of things that contributed to the academic shock I experienced during college. For example, I learned that college in South Africa and College in the US are very different. In the US, I went to college with peers who have been preparing since middle school to come to their dream colleges, knowledge I did not know. Due to my immigrant status I had gaps in my educational journey and I did not have anyone to tell me in advance the best way to prepare for the academic rigor of college and professional career. I want to run for school board because I know there are others as clueless as I was. I want students to have a heads up about reality after primary/secondary education. I want students to realize what they can achieve with better preparedness during their middle and especially high school. Education is very important to me because of the opportunities it has afforded me and the many ways it made me grow as a person. The School Board has the influence to set students up for success and that can only be done when the true need of students is acknowledged. Portland is receiving many newcomers and with that comes children that have the same dreams I did and will need others to guide them through their peculiar and often scary new environments. 

Do you have any experience as an educator? 

I do not have experience as an educator but being taught by passionate and supportive teachers of Portland High School, looking forward to working with them and with teachers in Portland to address their needs. 

What are the last three times you were in a Portland Public School? What were you there for and what did you notice? 

1) I was driving by Portland High School and happy to see the diverse students entering the school. 

2) I attended Portland High School graduation and loved seeing the same joy and enthusiastic cheers for the graduates. 

3) I remember visiting my friend at Deering and the similarly yet differences in the school and the student body. 

How would you direct the district to respond to student misbehavior? What do you feel are appropriate consequences for violent student behavior? 

During High School I was a part of Youth-LED Justice, a youth led restorative justice program. In this program the student in trouble with the school, law, or community was not penalized. Instead, a circle of peers met to discuss restorative steps to get students back into the community and rebuild broken trust and/or relationships. There is no tolerance for student-student, student-teacher, or student staff violence. There is no place for these unacceptable misbehaviors. The penal system causes division and ultimately excluding members until they have no option but to further partake in criminal activities and fall into the influence of the wrong crowd. I think restorative justice will build student relationships with teachers, community members, and the law to form stronger bonds moving forward. Restorative justice does not only look at the offense but what led to the behavior. This is a way for the students community to engage in helping the student address the source of a behavior and work to reintegrate the student back into their community to move forward in a possessive direction with the goal of terminating such behavior in the future. 

Given the current shortage of Educational Technicians in the district, what kinds of things can the School Board do to address this? 

I think the School Board can work with participating parties in addressing the cause for this shortage. Things that can be addressed would include livable wages for Educational Technicians considering the high living costs of Portland. We need to create an environment where living conditions and wages attract more employees to the district. Additionally, the Board should discuss opportunities to train people in the district and offer Educational Technicians certificates. I am hopeful that we can create a strong workforce and strong work communities. 

What are your beliefs around class sizes? 

Class sizes should be reasonable in that they allow the teacher to give time to each student. Class sizes should not constraint the teachers ability to effectively teach students. I think teachers should be in charge of setting class sizes because they have the best knowledge of what works. 

What are your beliefs around school resource officers/SROs? 

I think officers/SROs are an important part of school safety. When I attended Portland High School, we had a resource office. Officer Bennet was kind and I havent met a student who did not like him. Students, especially students of color, have reservations towards law enforcement and it is not surprising seeing the police brutality in our country. I believe students do not want to be scared at school because after home, school should be the safest place. I think officers should build relationships with students and not stand as law enforcement but as protectors put in place to keep everyone safe. Just like Officer Bennet I think officers should show compassion to students and make sure that students know that they are not there to harm them or get them in trouble but to protect them. 

What do you consider the best way for the general public to interact with the school board? 

I think the general public should interact with the school board as much as possible because the school board’s goal is to work for the community and their needs. The school board can only do their job if they know what the community needs and for that to happen the community should have a close working relationship with the board to address issues and ensure the best education for all students. 

What is your experience working with unions? What would your approach be on negotiating contracts with the unions representing PPS staff? 

I have not worked with Unions but am willing to learn and always have the best interest of teachers and students in mind.

What was school like for you?

My experience in public school was something of a mixed bag. On the positive side, I developed a lifelong love for learning with help from some incredible educators and librarians and I found friends who remain a foundation of my life today. On the negative side, I was often bullied as a young boy and found the strictures of teaching to the test to be limiting for my voracious young mind. In the end, the positives outweigh the negatives, but I know this isn’t the case for many students. My platform principles, as outlined on my Instagram (@simsforschoolboard), are very much informed by and intended to highlight the good while countering the not so good.

Why do you want to serve on the School Board?  

Portland children and parents deserve the absolute best schools in Maine. As a soon-to-be parent of twins, I am running to help make that happen. In the face of expected budget cuts at the state and federal level, and in anticipation of the attacks on equity we are seeing rise up in Maine, I want to protect and help advance the excellent work already done on the Portland Promise. Protect its funding and protect its principles around excellence, and equity. Ensuring that every child in Portland receives the highest quality, most equitable education will be my work

Do you have any experience as an educator?

Not as much as I would like, but yes, I do. While pursuing my graduate degree in English literature, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to teach multiple survey courses and highlight my area of growing expertise. A particular highlight from that experience came in the form of a young man attending school on the GI bill, who came to me for help with his writing and decided to minor in English based on our class.

I aim to go back to school after a couple of years with my twins to pursue a career change to teaching.

What are the last three times you were in a Portland Public School? What were you there for and what did you notice? 

I live quite close to Casco Bay HS and walk there frequently with my partner and our dogs, Pili and Freyja. We particularly love to walk the trail that runs behind the school during the winter to see the progress in the greenhouses. It’s so inspiring to see what the students are growing and we never miss the annual sale every May.

As a community organizer, I have often tabled at schools throughout the city in support of public policy to better democratize key aspects of municipal governance. In this capacity, I have seen the sports facilities available to students throughout the city and where we might improve access.

Finally, the Riverton Branch of the PPL is my neighborhood library, and I am a lifelong lover of libraries. I first visited the branch during COVID and have returned as often as I can. I absolutely love that our public and school libraries intermingle as they do. I remember well the limits of the small rural public library I visited as a child, and I’m thrilled to see that the students of Talbot Elementary have access to so much more than I once did.

How would you direct the district to respond to student misbehavior?  What do you feel are appropriate consequences for violent student behavior? 

I believe in restorative justice in our communities and schools. Behavioral issues in schools are not the illness, they are a symptom. We must treat the root cause while appreciating the individual child’s humanity. This is true of run-of-the-mill misbehavior just as it is of violent misbehavior. The greatest injustice is done when we pathologize children and fail to serve them when they show us that they need something.

Given the current shortage of Educational Technicians in the district, what kinds of things can the School Board do to address this?

Paid and on-job resources for Ed Techs and teachers alike is too low. Ed Tech roles in particular are often treated as “unskilled labor,” a meaningless designation as all jobs require skills and deserve respect. We expect the world from educators and then do not adequately invest in them and their classrooms. This burns out dedicated educators and must stop.

In addition to improved pay, we need to listen to our teacher’s unions and develop professional development programs based on their advice. Tenured educational professionals have a wealth of knowledge as do those in our classrooms every day. We must always seek to improve our schools on the basis of input from both groups.

What are your beliefs around class sizes? 

In my experience, the best, most impactful education takes place in classrooms with small teacher to student ratios. This is especially true for younger students, but remains important in later years as well. There is certainly a balance to be struck between classes large enough to foster spontaneous collaboration among students and those that can ensure dedicated attention to support all learners, and I believe that balance can change often. We should strive for flexibility and a bias towards more teachers for fewer students.

What are your beliefs around school resource officers/SROs?

Policing schools with SROs sends the wrong message and enforces a culture of obedience that is often counter to the learning process. In their place, students, teachers, and administrators should collaborate on addressing root causes, develop restorative programs to address behavior issues, and frequently assess feelings of safety in our public schools. 

Indeed, in the years since we removed SROs from our public high schools, we’ve seen no decrease in student safety and fewer student discipline conflicts. One thing that has increased is the ability to de-escalate issues without involving law enforcement before they become problems.

What do you consider the best way for the general public to interact with the school board?

Despite an increase in hateful “Zoom bombing” in recent months, we should continue to allow the public to participate in school board meetings both in-person and remotely. While the COVID pandemic was disastrous in so many ways, increased accessibility to the processes of government have been a huge boon, especially for those physically unable to attend as well as working parents with inflexible schedules.

In addition to encouraging participation in public meetings, members of the school board should adopt open-door policies and promote community members to come and share their opinions and concerns in an open venue.

What is your experience working with unions?  What would your approach be on negotiating contracts with the unions representing PPS staff?

Much of my experience with unions has been in the form of early organizing. As a big believer in workplace democracy, I have volunteered and otherwise supported a number of unionization efforts. I have not yet been a union member.

My approach, as with most things, is to ensure the greatest sharing of resources between folks on either side of contract negotiations. In my experience as a program manager, I am often tasked with seeking solutions to the advantage of all. While I take that seriously in my work in the tech sector, I think it is far more important in our schools and our approach to governance. Ensuring that all are heard and all points are considered while negotiating with clarity and transparency is the best approach towards equitable contracts and optimal working/teaching conditions.