Howard County Families for Education Improvement (FEI) is proud to strongly endorse Dr. Yun Lu for election to the Howard County Board of Education (BOE) in District 5.
FEI’s mission is to ensure every child in Howard County has access to an outstanding education that will enable them to build a successful future. The Howard County school system and the Board of Education are at a critical juncture. The once prominent reputation of the Howard County Public School System is in jeopardy because decisions are being made based on divisive politics, rather than based on data, community input, and what’s best for our children. Real change is needed, and the choice is clear in District 5 – Dr. Yun Lu will bring evidence-based decision-making and collaboration to the BOE and help get HCPSS back on track.
Dr. Lu is a mother of two school-age children in Howard County public schools, a passionate community volunteer, a weekend math teacher, and a full-time statistician working for a federal public health agency. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and has worked for over a decade as a public health data scientist. She serves on the Board of Education Operating Budget Review Committee (OBRC), and believes in fiscal discipline to ensure long term financial stability of HCPSS. Yun has been a long-time PTA member, a Math Counts team coach, and school and community volunteer. She cares deeply about those most vulnerable in our community and has volunteered at every single FEI Foundation Food Pantry during the pandemic, delivering food to families in need. Dr. Lu will bring many important and needed skills to the BOE.
Data-driven Decision-Making
Dr. Lu has stated that she never imagined running for any election, but after observing the decision making process at the BOE last Fall during redistricting, she felt compelled to run. Throughout the redistricting process, she voiced her concerns at public hearings that the Board was relying on inaccurate data, flawed analysis, and inappropriate missing data imputation. For decisions that have a direct impact on tens of thousands of children and their families and all Howard County communities, Dr. Lu believes we must do better. Unfortunately, the BOE has continued to show disregard for a data driven approach, as evidenced by the surprising push by some Board members to vote on a motion in September 2020 to remove School Resource Officers (SROs) from HCPSS schools, without any data upon which to base their decision and without any community dialogue or input. In response, Dr. Lu released the following statement: “What really concerns me was the board voted on a topic that lacks enough information, public discussion among the board members, and public input. As a statistician, I think the BOE should follow science and data to make sound decisions for the future of Howard County children.” We need an accomplished data scientist like Dr. Lu on the BOE – to ensure that important decisions are based on evidence, rather than emotion.
Kids First – Making Children the First Priority in Education
Yun believes that the BOE should base all their decisions on one simple principle – putting kids first. She cares deeply about ensuring the success of every child in HCPSS, and understands the challenges faced by those members of our community who are in need and have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Dr. Lu has also made clear that the mental health of our students will be a top priority for her on the Board. She will ensure that HCPSS takes an evidence-based approach to assess and respond to the mental health needs of students, a particularly important priority as a result of the psychological toll the pandemic is having on our children.
Collaboration and Working Together
The Board of Education is supposed to be non-partisan because politics has no place in education. Yet unfortunately, we have seen divisive political, special interest, and ideological agendas unduly influence the BOE and HCPSS leadership. The Howard County community is calling for decisive change. Dr. Yun Lu will bring that change. She has the temperament and skill set to bring diverse groups together to work towards solutions that put students first. When the BOE and county leaders don’t work together, students and communities suffer. She will foster collaborations between the BOE, county leaders and the community to ensure long-term planning that is thoughtful, responsible, and evidence-based.
The choice could not be more clear in District 5. FEI is proud to join other key Howard County organizations, including the Indian Origin Network of Howard County (IONHoCo) and the Chinese American Political Association Political Action Committee (CAPA PAC), who have also endorsed Dr. Yun Lu. We encourage our community to fully support her efforts for election. To learn more about how you can donate or volunteer for Yun Lu, visit https://www.lu4boe.org or https://www.facebook.com/lu4boe.