Daria Johnson
2021 Candidate for Cambridge School Committee

Home address:
2 Leighton St. #413
Cambridge, MA 02141

Contact information:
email: electdaria@gmail.com
phone: 617-798-0740
website: https://linktr.ee/electdaria
Instagram: @electdaria

Send contributions to: Use QR code below or:
By check:
Committee to Elect Daria Johnson
97 Norfolk St.
Cambridge, MA, 02139

Daria Johnson is a new candidate this year.

Candidate statement
My name is Daria Johnson, I am a village-building, tribe-thinking, single mother of three children, who has personally experienced the ebbs and flows of Cambridge Public Schools. I was born and raised in Cambridge and I have worked in the city for almost 30 years. Throughout my adult life I have been listening, guiding and motivating students (from early-ed through higher-ed).

As a Black woman who sees the world through an anti-racist lens, I am constantly thinking about ways to improve our community for those who learn, live, and work here. I want my children, other Black & Brown children, and all the children of Cambridge to have an educational experience that allows them to feel seen, heard, and loved. But most importantly, I want them to know that they are receiving a world-class and fully equitable education. We must center our students in all areas of planning and decision-making within the school committee, by investing ourselves wholeheartedly in that engagement. I am running for School Committee to change the status quo. It is important to have School Committee members who are ready to address the inequities that exist within our school system: We must roll up our sleeves and take action to change the policies and practices of our school district.

As a School Committee member, I will prioritize equity and anti-racism in all that we do by providing accessible opportunities for students and families. Across all of my responsibilities as School Committee member, I will further the Building Equity Bridges 12 commitments to racial equity.

Our city has the resources to provide equitable education as well as opportunities for input from students and families; we must make this a priority to move the district forward.

Through an equity lens that centers the student experience and expertise, I will focus on the following key issues:

Cambridge Public Schools will be an Anti-Racist School District by:

Working towards Equitable Education for all (with a specific focus on our Black and Brown students and students who come from low-income households)

1. Using COVID-19 recovery as an opportunity to reimagine what equity looks like in CPSD and resisting returning to the status quo;
2. Decolonizing the curriculum (taking a hard look at what we teach and how we teach our students);
3. Promoting financial literacy and other life skills within our curriculum;
4. Dismantling the educational Caste System: De-tracking, with supports;
5. Universal Pre-K: Classrooms in each school;
6. At the highschool level: Giving all students access to AP subjects and providing them with the supports to succeed;
7. Holding higher expectations of our Black and Brown and other disadvantaged students, and structuring our school system to lift them up.

Hiring and Retaining Lead Teachers of color

1. Both Special Education and Regular Education need to have lead teachers that look like the students they serve;
2. Making sure these teachers have coaches and built-in support;
3. 1 on 1 Mentoring with other teachers of color that have been with the district.

Restructuring our disciplinary policies and practices

1. Investing in mental health supports, and not just through therapy. Using strategies such as mindfulness exercises, movement and breathwork, and journaling, to name a few;
2. Training and adding supports for our teachers and administrators around anti-racist disciplinary practices;
3. Rethinking how we use break rooms (quiet corners within the classroom so students remain apart of the community);
4. Engaging through restorative justice circles.

Building in Supports for our Black and Brown and LGBTQ+ Students

1. Expand LGBTQ+ and gender training opportunities for our students, teachers, and administration;
2. Provide 1-on-1 supports that are separate from Special Education;
3. Increase culturally responsive training for our coaches, athletic directors, teachers, and administrators.

Focusing on Community Engagement

1. Hold “Daria’s Corner” monthly chats with students, teachers, and caregivers;
2. Communicate transparently with students, families, and educators about the status of COVID-19 in our school system and budget allocation for recovery;
3. Provide transparent communication and education around the budget, and lower barriers for parents to participate and engage with the budget process;
4. Encourage and support community input from caregivers, students, and teachers in school committee meetings and sub-committee meetings.

I want all of our children: Black, Indigenous, Brown, AAPI, White, and LGBTQ+, to feel as I once did growing up in this city. To know that we are a community that works together, learns together, and succeeds together. Voting #1 for me on November 2 says that you are willing to dig your hands in the dirt with me to build a better future for our children and their children. Let’s plant these seeds!

CCTV candidate video (2021)