Ashburn aspires to help youth

SANDUSKY — Jennifer Ashburn spends her days in Sandusky Recreation's Reading Writing Room at Outta School @ Mills. But she wants to impact students district-wide by joining Sandusky's school board. There are two seats open for Sandusky School's board of education, and Ashburn is one of four candidates ready to take on the position. In preparation for the upcoming election, the Register has reached out to all Sandusky school board candidates so they can share information about themselves and their reasons for running. Here's what Ashburn said: Q: Who are you? What is your professional background/ qualifications for this position? JA: I began right here in Sandusky, Ohio. I attended Madison Elementary School, Adams Junior High, Jackson Junior High and graduated from Sandusky High. I went on to earn a bachelor of arts in education from Virginia Union University, a master's in educational administration from Cleveland State and a master's in reading from Shenandoah University. Afterward, I matriculated at the Howard University School of Divinity. My first teaching job was right here at Monroe Elementary, and Mr. George Mylander was my first principal. When my father, the Rev. Richard R. Ashburn, died, I moved to (Washington), D.C., and taught for 30 years in Fairfax County public schools. Ten of those years were spent in a gifted center where I formed a partnership with (the Changing Education Through the Arts) program. Studying at The Kennedy Center, I learned to integrate the arts with literacy across the curriculum from Teaching Artists and was blessed to collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma. Q What is one issue or challenge within your school district, and how do you plan to address it? JA: After attending the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's National convention in Las Vegas, I learned that literacy was not just a Sandusky problem: It was a national problem. I came home with a determination to think globally and act locally. Acting locally: I created The Literacy Project, which was presented to the Sandusky school board, NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha and National Council of Negro Women. I called the project "Literacy On The Lake: Sandusky Reads And Writes." It is a proposed citywide literacy celebration aimed to improve third-grade literacy levels and strengthen the academic foundation for students by bringing together schools, community partners, families and the public to collaborate on ensuring strong literacy outcomes for students in Sandusky. In collaboration with the Sandusky Recreation Department, the mentorship of Ms. Tondra Frisby, and the support of the entire Sandusky community, the Reading Writing Room at The Rec. was born. We have distributed hundreds of books donated by the community. The Literacy Project has also collaborated with Serving Our Seniors to create a poetry workshop called The Poetry of My Grandma's Love. Grandparents raising their grandchildren were given a brief respite while their grandchildren created Haiku, free verse, bio poems, and songs honoring them in the Reading 'Riting Room @ The Rec. For the past two years, I have volunteered in the schools, working one one-on-one with failing students. I watched as the children learned to read; they began to read to learn. Q: What are three reasons you decided to run? JA: Sandusky ranks 604 out of 611 in reading proficiency. Sandusky's reading proficiency score average is 38% versus the 60% statewide average, and Sandusky has all the latest buildings and technology needed to tackle this literacy crisis. I am running to be a part of the leadership team needed to address this crisis. Q: Why should the community vote for you? JA: I am a candidate for the school board as a godparent, a neighbor, a teacher and a concerned citizen, born and raised here in Sandusky, who deeply believes in the transformational power of literacy. Reading is not just a skill-it is a gateway. It's the foundation on which every other subject is built. Our children do not deserve to rank 604 out of 611 in reading proficiency. The consequences of those statistics echo far beyond the classroom. When our children are not taught to read, they struggle to keep up, their confidence erodes, and too often, they disengage entirely. Our vision is bold: Literacy first, literacy matters. Every child should be reading at grade level by third grade. Every classroom, every teacher, every family, and everyone in Sandusky must become a part of making that happen. School board roundup In Sandusky Schools' school board race, four people are competing for two seats: • There are two incumbents, Jennifer Chapman and Martha Murray, the current board president. • They are against two challengers, Jennifer Ashburn and Talib Garrett. The top two vote-getters win four-year terms starting in January. There are three school board members — Shelisa Johnson, Thomas Patterson and Ebony Sizemore — whose seats are not up for election this term. They will continue their duties on the board until their terms expire in 2027. In-schools debate To learn more about each candidate and the issues important to them and the student body, watch the return of this year's In-schools debate series. Sandusky Schools will host its school board candidates on Oct. 15 at the high school. The debate is closed to the public, but viewers can check in at sanduskyregister.com and the Register's YouTube channel shortly after the event concludes. Questions at these debates come from students in the hosting school district. Community members can also submit questions for candidates ahead of time for the chance for them to be asked. Questions can be emailed to news@sanduskyregister.com. They must address all participants and cannot single out a specific candidate. The in-schools debate series is sponsored by the Greater Sandusky Partnership. Confirmed dates for this year's series: • Edison school board — Sunday, Oct. 12 • Perkins Township trustee — Tuesday, Oct. 14 • Sandusky school board — Wednesday, Oct. 15 • Sandusky city commission — Wednesday, Oct. 22