Dr. Lynn's Priorities
Ward 5 families want what every family wants: excellent public schools where students are safe, supported, and learning every day. As your Ward 5 representative on the State Board of Education, I will bring my experience as a mother, educator, and national advocate to four priorities.
Dr. Lynn's Priorities
Ward 5 families want what every family wants: excellent public schools where students are safe, supported, and learning every day. As your Ward 5 representative on the State Board of Education, I will bring my experience as a mother, educator, and national advocate to four priorities.
End Chronic Absenteeism
Nearly 4 in 10 DC students are chronically absent — and among high schoolers, it's more than half. It's not because families don't care. Too many students are missing school for reasons that have nothing to do with motivation: unreliable transportation, safety concerns on the way to and from school, unmet health and mental health, and housing instability.
Raising two boys and serving as PTO president at John Burroughs Elementary School have shown me that attendance is shaped by what happens both inside and outside school. As a national advocate, I have collaborated with partners across the country on a national initiative with the goal of reducing chronic absenteeism by 50 percent over five years, and helped bring DC into that effort. I will bring that data-driven, collaborative approach home to Ward 5.
As your State Board member, I will:
Push OSSE to expand and publicize tools like its Attendance Dashboard, and support bringing the Attorney General's ATTEND program to more schools as an alternative to court intervention
Advocate for safe, reliable passage to and from school for every Ward 5 student
Use attendance and participation data to identify the academic, extracurricular, and engagement programs that keep students coming back — and make the case for investing in what works
Listen directly to students, families, and educators about why kids are missing school, and hold the system accountable to act on what we learn
End Chronic Absenteeism
Nearly 4 in 10 DC students are chronically absent — and among high schoolers, it's more than half. It's not because families don't care. Too many students are missing school for reasons that have nothing to do with motivation: unreliable transportation, safety concerns on the way to and from school, unmet health and mental health, and housing instability.
Raising two boys and serving as PTO president at John Burroughs Elementary School have shown me that attendance is shaped by what happens both inside and outside school. As a national advocate, I have collaborated with partners across the country on a national initiative with the goal of reducing chronic absenteeism by 50 percent over five years, and helped bring DC into that effort. I will bring that data-driven, collaborative approach home to Ward 5.
As your State Board member, I will:
Push OSSE to expand and publicize tools like its Attendance Dashboard, and support bringing the Attorney General's ATTEND program to more schools as an alternative to court intervention
Advocate for safe, reliable passage to and from school for every Ward 5 student
Use attendance and participation data to identify the academic, extracurricular, and engagement programs that keep students coming back — and make the case for investing in what works
Listen directly to students, families, and educators about why kids are missing school, and hold the system accountable to act on what we learn
Invest in Kids: Every Dollar Traced Back to a Classroom
School budgets are about choices, and I have sat in difficult LSAT and school-community conversations where those choices affect educators, programs, and student supports. DC spends billions on public education, but families cannot always see whether that money is reaching students. The public deserves to know where the money goes, what it provides, and whether students receive the support promised to them.
As your State Board member, I will:
Demand clear, public information showing how education dollars translate into educators, academic programs, enrichment, and student supports
Use the Board's public platform to scrutinize education spending and press the mayor, Council, and education agencies for answers
Track whether funding intended for students with greater needs reaches them and provides the promised support
Bring families, educators, principals, and communities into budget conversations before decisions are made, not after
Protect Our School Communities
ICE activity and National Guard patrols near DC schools have created fear for students, families, and educators. We should not accept that fear as normal. No parent should have to choose between sending a child to school and keeping their family safe. No student or educator should have to wonder whether federal agents will be waiting outside.
Our schools must be prepared to respond, families must know their rights, and students and educators must receive the support they need. DC residents — not Donald Trump or outside interests — should shape decisions about the safety and education of our children.
As your State Board member, I will:
Work with communities to build and strengthen alert systems that keep our kids collectively safe from ICE and National Guard activity near schools
Stand up for visa-sponsored educators whose work and legal status are threatened by federal policy changes
Advocate for mental- and physical-health supports for students and educators as a core part of how schools operate
Make sure Ward 5 families have a direct way to raise safety concerns and see them acted on
Excellent Public Schools: Right Here in Ward 5
Affordability is about more than rent or a mortgage. It is also about whether families can find what their children need close to home. When a student's school is across the district, families pay for it in time, transportation, and complicated daily schedules. That's why so many Ward 5 families feel like they're choosing between what's convenient and what's best.
Ward 5 students should have access to rigorous academics, arts, athletics, after-school programs, and meaningful student support without a long trip across DC. Excellent public schools close to home are part of making DC more affordable for families.
As your State Board member, I will:
Listen to families about what their children need and use enrollment, program, facility, and student-travel data to identify what is missing in Ward 5
Bring public school leaders, DC officials, students, families, and educators to one table to address school transitions, special education, transportation, and gaps in programs and services
Advocate for every Ward 5 student to have access to Algebra I by eighth grade, advanced coursework, dual enrollment, and high-quality career-connected learning
Fight for arts, music, athletics, clubs, and after-school and summer programs within Ward 5
Demand more than a list of programs — families should know how many students participate, who has access, and whether the programs are delivering for students
Make sure Ward 5 students, families, and educators are heard before major decisions about their schools are made, not after
Invest in Kids: Every Dollar Traced Back to a Classroom
School budgets are about choices, and I have sat in difficult LSAT and school-community conversations where those choices affect educators, programs, and student supports. DC spends billions on public education, but families cannot always see whether that money is reaching students. The public deserves to know where the money goes, what it provides, and whether students receive the support promised to them.
As your State Board member, I will:
Demand clear, public information showing how education dollars translate into educators, academic programs, enrichment, and student supports
Use the Board's public platform to scrutinize education spending and press the mayor, Council, and education agencies for answers
Track whether funding intended for students with greater needs reaches them and provides the promised support
Bring families, educators, principals, and communities into budget conversations before decisions are made, not after
Protect Our School Communities
ICE activity and National Guard patrols near DC schools have created fear for students, families, and educators. We should not accept that fear as normal. No parent should have to choose between sending a child to school and keeping their family safe. No student or educator should have to wonder whether federal agents will be waiting outside.
Our schools must be prepared to respond, families must know their rights, and students and educators must receive the support they need. DC residents — not Donald Trump or outside interests — should shape decisions about the safety and education of our children.
As your State Board member, I will:
Work with communities to build and strengthen alert systems that keep our kids collectively safe from ICE and National Guard activity near schools
Stand up for visa-sponsored educators whose work and legal status are threatened by federal policy changes
Advocate for mental- and physical-health supports for students and educators as a core part of how schools operate
Make sure Ward 5 families have a direct way to raise safety concerns and see them acted on
Excellent Public Schools: Right Here in Ward 5
Affordability is about more than rent or a mortgage. It is also about whether families can find what their children need close to home. When a student's school is across the district, families pay for it in time, transportation, and complicated daily schedules. That's why so many Ward 5 families feel like they're choosing between what's convenient and what's best.
Ward 5 students should have access to rigorous academics, arts, athletics, after-school programs, and meaningful student support without a long trip across DC. Excellent public schools close to home are part of making DC more affordable for families.
As your State Board member, I will:
Listen to families about what their children need and use enrollment, program, facility, and student-travel data to identify what is missing in Ward 5
Bring public school leaders, DC officials, students, families, and educators to one table to address school transitions, special education, transportation, and gaps in programs and services
Advocate for every Ward 5 student to have access to Algebra I by eighth grade, advanced coursework, dual enrollment, and high-quality career-connected learning
Fight for arts, music, athletics, clubs, and after-school and summer programs within Ward 5
Demand more than a list of programs — families should know how many students participate, who has access, and whether the programs are delivering for students
Make sure Ward 5 students, families, and educators are heard before major decisions about their schools are made, not after