Former Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Peter L. Beilenson recently filed to run in the first-ever election for a Baltimore County School Board member. Seeking a seat in the 5th Baltimore County Councilmanic district, he will officially announce his candidacy on Feb. 27.
In the past, all county school board members have been appointed to five-year terms by the governor. Four school board members will continue to be nominated by the governor. (The one other exception is the board’s student member, a one-year appointment, which is currently held by Pikesville High School senior Josie Shaffer.)
Dr. Beilenson, 58, received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, his medical degree from Emory University School of Medicine and a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
For the past 25 years, Dr. Beilenson has served on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has also taught at the Johns Hopkins University and University of Maryland schools of medicine, as well as the Morgan State University Public Health Program
He is co-author of the 2012 book “Tapping Into The Wire: The Real Urban Crisis” (Johns Hopkins University Press), which utilized the acclaimed Baltimore-based TV series as a road map for exploring correlations between inner city poverty and drug-related violence.
Jmore recently spoke with Dr. Beilenson – who lives in West Towson with his wife, Christina, and their five children – about why he is running for the school board seat.
Jmore: The Baltimore County School Board recently opted not to take a stand on supporting the student-driven “March for Our Lives” protest in Washington on March 24, which is in response to the recent mass murder of 17 people at a Broward County, Fla., high school. How can we keep children safe in schools?
Dr. Beilenson: That’s the single most important thing we can do. I am a huge proponent of sensible gun laws, including banning assault weapons. We also need to provide services at schools that make it easier for students with problems to reach out to adults who can help. The ratio of psychologists, counselors and social workers to students in the Baltimore County school system is woefully inadequate. We need to get more professionals in our schools to make services more available to kids early on before they go off the rails. We need more professional staff in the schools to keep kids safe.
We also need to pay more to attract and retain the best teachers, and the school system must do a better job of predicting how many students will come to the schools in the next three to five years. By the time a renovation is completed and the students move in, there is overcapacity. It makes no sense to have this overcrowding. There’s not enough room in our schools for teachers to accommodate their number of students.
Where do you get the funding to pay for all of this?
There are hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on high technology. All kids in certain grades get computers. High-tech is very important, but it doesn’t all have to be done on one side of the equation. Phase in tech more slowly and with better accountability to get the best prices. Then, use some of this saved money to pay for more teachers and more professional staff.
What’s best prepared you for the school board?
I have 19 years of experience in the public sector. I was Baltimore City health commissioner from 1992 to 2005, and Howard County health officer from 2007 to 2012. During that time, I improved immunization compliance from 60 percent to 99.8 percent, conducted lead poison prevention initiatives resulting in a 94 percent drop in lead poisoning, and worked on many public health programs, including getting youngsters from zero to five ready for school.
I have overseen budgets of between $20 million and $250 million. That puts me in good stead for looking at budgets and holding people accountable, so I’m ready to deal with the budgetary issues of the Baltimore County Board of Education.
Who have been the greatest influences in your life?
My dad, Anthony Beilenson, a former congressman [from Southern California] who passed in 2017, gave me a true appreciation for public service. My mother, who is 84 and lives in Los Angles, taught me the importance of family. Christina, my wife, has taught me the importance of compassion.
And one of the most famous sayings of Bobby Kennedy has guided my life: “There are those that look at things the way they are and ask why? I dream of things that never were and ask why not?”
Do Judaism and Jewish values play a role in your life?
Tikkun olam, repairing the world, was discussed at length at family dinners throughout my growing up. Repairing individuals and improving social policy in public health and education is what I have tried to do all my adult life.
Your take on the opioid epidemic?
Opioid and other drug education is very important. As former health commissioner of Baltimore City and Howard County, I know drug prevention and drug treatment programs. We need to educate kids about the issues of OxyContin and other opioid overdoses. That is crucial, including the dangers of Fentanyl. We need drug education taught in schools by science or health teachers or other trusted educators the students already know.
Similarly, to prevent sexual harassment, including cyber bullying and sexting, prevention must be woven into the curriculum, not just offered in one-off lectures. Again, these subjects should be taught by health and science teachers the students know.
For information, visit beilensonforschools.com
Peter Arnold is an Olney, Md.-based freelance writer.
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