Baltimore City Councilman John Bullock, Ph.D., who represents the 9th district of West and Southwest Baltimore, has been a Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) Board member since 2017. We talked to him about serving Baltimore’s school-aged children and their families and his love of educating the next generation of civic leaders as a political science professor at Towson University.
When and how did you join the BCP Board?
My first term on the Baltimore City Council was in 2016, which was when I was recruited to serve on the BCP Board. I’ve been a board member since 2017. It’s funny how life intersects in so many ways. I was familiar with BCP from my previous roles as the executive director of what was then the Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance, now known as the Baltimore Family Alliance. I was familiar with some of BCP schools like Hampstead Hill Academy and Wolfe Street Academy because a number of our families had children and young people in those schools. I met Larry Simms, who was doing a lot of work with BCP. Once I was on the City Council, he reached out to me and we had coffee. He told me about BCP’s work.
I just really believe in what BCP does. I believe in all opportunities for education. I know what education did for me as a young person and what it is doing for my sons. I am just glad to be a part of it.
A full circle moment for me is that I now represent the 9th district, which includes BCP’s Frederick Elementary School. When I talk about education, I explain that I’m very ecumenical when it comes to education, whether we’re talking about traditional public schools, charter public schools, and transition schools. Harold S. Henry, Jr., BCP’s Chief of Schools, was FES’s Principal and someone with whom I intersected during our time at Hampton University as undergrads. We didn’t know each other then, but we were in some related circles. And here we are in Baltimore now doing work with BCP and other schools.
How does your work on the BCP Board and City Council connect with your work teaching at Towson University?
I teach political science at Towson University, specifically urban government and politics and metropolitan studies. For me, it’s great to be able to teach it and to do it [as a Councilman and BCP Board member] and to marry the theory with the practice. I’ve had the benefit of having some of my students go on and serve the City and serve the State, and some of them have worked in my office and in the offices of other elected city officials. I feel very fortunate to be able to do this work and also to be able to be on the BCP board. I also chair the education committee on the Baltimore City Council, which encompasses youth and adult education.
How is your work on the BCP Board different from other board work?
There are a couple of things. I am on the board of another charter school, Empowerment Academy, which is also the 9th district. What’s interesting about the BCP Board is that we oversee the performance of a portfolio of schools. I find it interesting because we trade notes about what’s been working at various BCP schools and use that to position every school for success, by sharing lessons learned as they relate to budgeting and finance and performance. We have great principals, too, like Dr. Rhonda Richetta at City Springs Elementary / Middle School and her Purple Power, which I think is a great way to celebrate the City.
Even as somebody who serves west and southwest Baltimore, there are schools in the BCP portfolio across the city that provide an insight into what’s going on in different parts of the city and with different demographic populations like the growing Hispanic population in parts of Baltimore. BCP is a great nexus point.
I also really appreciate BCP’s board diversity in terms of racial and ethnic and some class diversity, but also occupational diversity. There are folks from the private sector, from the public sector, folks who had experience in the classroom, folks who’ve had experience in finance. It’s a broad cross section of our City.
From your perspective on the City Council, why is a charter organization like BCP so critical to not just the lives of our youngest citizens, but the whole vibrancy of the city?
I’ll start with my previous role when I was with the Family Alliance. One of the things we recognize is that Baltimore has lost population over the years, and we’re trying to regain it. We’ve had a slight uptick recently, but one of the things we know is that families look at education as one of the factors about either coming to a city or staying in a city. We need to make sure that we have schools that are serving the needs of our young people. Then we think about what our young people are going to become as they get older. We want them to have opportunities for careers and for college and to be productive citizens. When we talk about all the social ills, the root cause is education. As a first-generation college graduate myself, knowing what education did for me and having that investment in those early stages is critical.
The City has had a number of charter schools open up over the years, but some of them were not well maintained or well managed. Having such a high-performing and high-functioning charter school operator like BCP is key. It allows for the lessons learned to be shared with some of our schools that have challenges. BCP really is a beacon and a highlight in terms of what is possible with our charter schools. There’s a misnomer that charter schools are somehow separate, but it’s an innovative educational model that has proven to be successful and has a great track record over the years.
What else are you passionate about that infuses your work and service?
I’m an avid runner. It’s a great way to see the City and its neighborhoods. I’m also a big advocate for youth sports and engagement and all the opportunities that it brings for young people. I was raised in West Philadelphia and am both an Eagles fan and a Ravens fan. Fortunately, the teams play in different divisions. I’ve been in Baltimore for 20 years and love it. It’s home.
Thank you for your service to Baltimore and BCP, Dr. Bullock.