Maryland State Board of Education Welcomes Two New Members: Chuen-Chin Bianca Chang and Kevin Bokoum

 

Maryland State Board of Education Welcomes Two New Members

Chuen-Chin Bianca Chang, MSN, PNP, RN-BC, and Kevin Bokoum, Student,
Join Board of Education

BALTIMORE, MD (July 20, 2021) – Two new members have recently joined the Maryland State Board of Education. On July 1, Board Member Chuen-Chin Bianca Chang, MSN, PNP, RN-BC and Student Member Kevin Bokoum officially began their terms.

“Ms. Chang and Mr. Bokoum will be excellent additions to the Board,” said Board President Clarence Crawford. “They each come with a unique set of experiences that make them prime advocates for students, teachers, staff, and stakeholders across the State. I know that they are true believers in the power of education, and I am excited to see their contributions to Maryland education policy and administration. I personally look forward to working with them, as well.”

Ms. Chang was born in China and immigrated to the United States with her husband in the 1980s. She raised their three sons as a stay-at-home mom, while earning her RN-BSN and MSN degrees. Ms. Chang was involved with the administration of Howard County Public Schools for over 20 years, was a member of the Howard County Human Rights Commission, and also taught at the Chinese Language School of Columbia. In 2018, Ms. Chang became the President of the National Council of Associations of Chinese Language Schools. Ms. Chang is an avid proponent of implementing effective models of diversity and inclusion in schools, and she has also promoted foreign language education and the Maryland State Seal of Biliteracy. In her position on the Maryland State Board of Education, Ms. Chang said, “I look forward to inspiring all and bringing out each individual’s potential and beyond with my passion and years of experiences in promoting world language education and human rights.”

In addition, Kevin Bokoum, a senior at North Hagerstown High School in Washington County, has become the 36th Student Member of the Board (SMOB). Mr. Bokoum has previously served on the Washington County Board of Education, and was the Divisional Liaison representing Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties on the Executive Board of the Maryland Association of Student Councils. He was also a member of the Maryland Center for School Safety Student Focus Group. Mr. Bokoum believes that education is “the great equalizer,” and he is a strong advocate for fine arts education, school infrastructure improvement, and extracurricular funding. Mr. Bokoum has expressed intrigue at touring the numerous CTE programs across the State, and he also said that he is “looking forward to participating in school visits with fellow State Board of Education members and the State Superintendent. Being able to see the smiling faces of students and the substantial advances that have been made to education is something that I cannot wait to be a part of.”

The Board will welcome Ms. Chang and Mr. Bokoum to their new positions at the next Board meeting on July 27.

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200 West Baltimore Street • Baltimore, MD 21201 • 410-767-0100
410-333-6442 TTY/TDD • MarylandPublicSchools.org

New Board Members Press Release 7.20.21.pdf

Pesky Policy on Public Budget Process? Just Delete it.

On Tuesday, March 10th words were exchanged between Superintendent Weast and members of the Board of Education. This March 10th exchange is the aftermath of an August 29, 2007, decision of the Maryland State Board of Education that found that the Montgomery County Board of Education had violated their Policy DBA - Budget Preparation and Procedures.

In that decision, the State Board wrote:

Having found a violation of DBA, we look to the consequences of that action...
...While we recognize that the local board's violation of its own policy did not rise to a level of prejudice that would warrant this Board overturning the local board's decision, the local board's actions here in no way meet the spirit or intent of DBA. DBA's existence is rooted in concepts of full disclosure and opportunity for meaningful participation by the public. The compression of time that occurred in this instance is precisely what the DBA was intended to protect against. Although there was opportunity for public comment on the phasing out of the SLCs (Secondary Learning Centers), that compression of time resulted in a diminishment of the opportunity to comment, albeit insufficient to prejudice the Appellants. We believe that the local board should have respected the time frames established by the DBA, especially where the underlying matters at issue are of such a serious nature. We caution the local board to respect the procedural safeguards it has established to avoid future challenges of this nature. (emphasis added)

In response to this decision from the Maryland State Board of Education, the MCPS Board of Education has moved to rescind Policy DBA. No one need worry about any future violations of this Policy, as it is being eliminated.

On March 10, 2009, Board of Education members attempted to preserve some of the procedural safeguards of Policy DBA by moving them to another Policy, but Superintendent Weast advised them not to put procedural safeguards in any Policy, as "this will do damage to children".

The MCPS Board of Education will meet on April 14, 2009, to decide the fate of these "procedural safeguards".

UPDATE: May 12, 2009 - Policy DBA DELETED by unanimous Board action.