Bilan Joseph
Bilan Joseph ran for election to the Pinellas County Schools school board to represent District 7 in Florida. Joseph lost in the primary on August 28, 2018.
Biography
Joseph earned her B.A. in English from Georgia State University in 2006, her M.Ed. from Jones International University in 2009, and her doctorate of education from Capella University in 2016. Joseph is a licensed educator for Pinellas County Schools.[1]
Elections
2018
The general election was canceled in this district after the primary election winner received more than 50 percent of the vote.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Pinellas County Schools school board District 7
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | René Flowers (Nonpartisan) | 66.9 | 29,941 |
| Nicholas Wright (Nonpartisan) | 20.3 | 9,078 | ||
| Bilan Joseph (Nonpartisan) | 7.5 | 3,336 | ||
| Tharius Bethel (Nonpartisan) | 5.4 | 2,411 | ||
| Total votes: 44,766 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
- See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys
Bilan Joseph participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on May 2, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and Bilan Joseph's responses follow below.[2]
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
| “ | 1) Safe Schools 2) Equitable Access to Resources for every school |
” |
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?
| “ | I am most passionate about public policy concerning education because these policies directly impacts or impedes my ability to do my job with efficacy.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[4]
|
” |
Ballotpedia also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Bilan Joseph answered the following:
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
| “ | I look up to people of strong integrity and great fortitude to stand for social justice even if they stand alone. Michelle Obama, Pastor Riva Tims, Senator Kamala Harris, activists Wendy Foster, Dr. Maya Angelou are all women who empower. It is my hope to inspire others as they have inspired me.[4] | ” |
| “ | The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way by Amanda Ripley; Start Where You Are, But Don‚Äôt Stay There: Understanding Diversity, Opportunity Gaps, and Teaching in Today‚Äôs Classrooms by Richard Wilner and Gloria Ladson-Billings.[4] | ” |
| “ | Integrity, Servant Leadership, Transparency, and Availability.[4] | ” |
| “ | I am an educator who is compassionate, tenacious, and committed. These qualities are necessary to truly work hard for our teachers, students, and parents within our community.[4] | ” |
| “ | This role requires empathy, strong intellect, and focus on the people we serve (parents, students, and teachers).[4] | ” |
| “ | I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou[4] | ” |
| “ | The primary job of a school board member is to be present in the schools to truly understand the needs of the schools they govern.[4] | ” |
| “ | Strategic community partnerships will be a major focus on connecting parents and students with community leaders and organizations that are working to support the youth within our county. Building a repository of youth empowerment and tutoring programs to give students access to mentors and academic support will be of great value. Inviting community leaders into our schools and in turn visiting their organizations will also help to build trust between schools and the communities that they serve.[4] | ” |
| “ | Coming to where parents are is key. Extracurricular activities such as dance and sports is a great way to get to know parents and again build trust between parents and the schools.[4] | ” |
| “ | Absolutely. Our faculty, staff, and administration should reflect the diversity of the students in which we teach.[4] | ” |
| “ | Funding and excessive focus on testing. Auditing our current expenditures and determining if the programs that are being funded are effective. Budgeting funds to equally allocate them to the schools we serve to give every student the same access to a quality education. Additionally, scaling back on tests that are not state mandated will give teachers the freedom to teach for mastery instead of teaching to a test.[4] | ” |
| “ | Students should be learning Interdisciplinary STEM and a focus on creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.[4] | ” |
| “ | Students should be able to master content, think critically, solve complex problems, and have a strong understanding of themselves and how they fit in the world around them. High school diplomas should be representative of this.[4] | ” |
| “ | The principles that would drive policies for safety in schools are prevention, equity, and clear, consistent expectations and consequences.[4] | ” |
| “ | Developing and sustaining strong mental health programs that are properly staffed and funded would be a concerted focus from K-12th grade.[4] | ” |
Biographical submission
Joseph submitted the following campaign themes through Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form:
| “ |
What is your political philosophy? I plan to work alongside each board member to ensure that every student within our county has access to safe schools and equitable access to a quality, innovative education experience that will prepare them for a 21st Century Global Economy.[4] |
” |
| —Bilan Joseph[1] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted through Ballotpedia's biographical submission form on May 1, 2018.
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's candidate survey, "Bilan Joseph's responses," May 2, 2018
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
