Chao Wu

Chao Wu earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2001, a graduate degree from the National University of Singapore in 2003, and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2009. His career experience includes working as a data scientist. Wu became a member of the Howard County Board of Education in 2018.[1]

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased May 24, 2022

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am running for Maryland House of Delegates, District 9A. I am a data scientist with a PhD in Electrical Engineering, a proud father of two, an immigrant, and a community volunteer. I have been serving on the Howard County Board of Education since 2018, and as the Chair in 2021. I served on the Audit Committee and County Spending Affordability Committee, and also on the board of Maryland Association of Board of Education.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

First, I have first-hand experience of what our educations are experiencing during the last four years and have worked hard to find solutions as a school board member and as a board chair. I want to address these issues at the state level, and support teachers, students and their families.Second, I have witnessed not well-planned developments which squeeze limited resources from the county. I will present solutions from the state level to address the over-development issue. We should find a balanced growth with consideration of jobs, schools, roads, hospitals, fire stations, and other infrastructure needs. An enhanced Adequate Public Facilities Ordinances (APFO) is needed.Third, transportation improvement and human health issues (beyond COVID, asthma, lead in the water, cancer with potential links to environmental hazards) are other major concerns for me. I will work to propose legislation for better transportation, a safe environment, and safe drinking water. For transportation part, in order to provide job opportunities and increase social mobility, we need to have fast, efficient and safe highways for commuters. Less traffic jams mean less air pollution, less fuel cost and less mental pressure for commuters

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Improve education, regulate APFO, and improve transportation and the environment.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

One historical event for me is that I am the first one in my family admitted into one of the best colleges in China considering my dad and mom did not graduate from elementary school.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was selling watermelon and dried fish along the street while I was in middle school.

My first real job was a one-year fellowship at Food and Drug Administration to test medical device safety under EMI.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

This is your land.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

They work together and ask for accountability, transparency, and solutions from each other.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Our state's greatest challenge is how to provide service and support for its citizens and businesses.

We need to ensure our residents are able to live a decent life if they work hard while providing basic support for those families who are in need.

We need to motivate our students to learn and grow and be prepared for their future. We need to support our educators with a good work environment and a great compensation package.

We need to support our business to sustain and grow.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. It is important to build relationships with other legislators. We need collaboration from others to create a good law and pass the law, then monitor its implementation and evaluate results for future improvement.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

We need to get rid of gerrymandering.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Education, Transportation, Technology.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

One story from a nurse in Damascus really touched me since my sister is also a nurse. She told me nurses were hit in hospitals by patients and the penalty is too low such that many nurses quit the job and want to quit. She wants our legislatures to pass law to protect them. I will work on this if elected.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Yes. This is a very diverse society and we have diverse opinions too. I always seek common grounds and look for pragmatic solutions.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Work with all stakeholders to solve the $37 million school deficit and bring accountability and transparency BACK to the school system

2) Provide equitable learning opportunities and offer students vocational/technology training

3) Motivate students to learn and to succeed through hard work[3][4]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

I am a data scientist and providing analytic solutions for our customers using machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms. I am passionate about looking for data-driven, pragramatic, analytical solutions to many issues our school system is facing.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[4]

[the profile publisher] also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Chao Wu answered the following:

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Be ethical, follow the law and listen to the people.[4]

What qualities do you possess that would make you a successful officeholder?

It is my unique life experience which helps me understand issues from various perspectives in different systems. I was educated in China, Singapore and USA and each country has its unique system, including educatonal, culture and race relationships. These experiences teach me to strive to seek common grounds and find a common sense solution.[4]

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility is to follow the law, abide by the fiducial responsibility for the organization and listen to your constituents.[4]

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope my legacy is that our school system keeps providing quality education to all students.[4]

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

Lunar New Yew Holiday. I can unite with families and friends, have lots of great foods, and look forward to a better tomorrow.[4]

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

At our family fun night, we play together with our kids.[4]

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Friends Forever in the 90th.[4]

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I always work to improve my spoken and written English and expand my vocabulary.[4]

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The primary job for a school board is to advocate for the school system at all levels, hire the right superintendent, supervise his/her work, make the right school policy and listen to students, parents, teachers and the community.[4]

Who are your constituents?

All the parents, students, educators and the community.[4]

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

We need provide differentiated resources based on different need. We need get our priority right.[4]

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I will always keep my door open, listen to all sides and have an open and honest discussion with anybody.[4]

What will you do to build a better relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

The school system needs be proactive to reach out to parents, understand their concerns and provide timely feedback to them. "Proactive" and "timely" are two key words.[4]

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

I believe it is very important to have a diverse workforce in our school system on top of quality workforce.[4]

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

Quality education means "meeting our students' needs". The top obstacle is the limited resources. So the school must spend the money effective and efficiently. We need a constant and timely performance evaluation for our school programs.[4]

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Good teaching means "teach based on the capability and need". Every child and family is different. We want to give our student a personalized education experience such that they are motivated to learn and grow themselves.[4]

What type of skills should students be learning for success in the 21st century?

people's skill, analytic skill, independent thinking and digital skill.[4]

How might you improve the value of a high school diploma? What should a 21st century diploma reflect?

We want to make sure the high school diploma reflects the value, skills and knowledge students have received from schools truthfully.[4]

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I really would like to expand the technology and vocational training programs. We would like to provide our high school students more career options after they graduate from high school.[4]

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

The best strategy is to keep the community, county council, county executive and our state legislators in the loop all the time, make sure they understand our school's priority to provide resources for our schools and plan ahead accordingly.[4]

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

We should look at both physical safety and mental health safety simultaneously.[4]

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

I totally support the mental health training for staff and mental health education for our students. These training and education should always be a top priority for our school system.[4]

What role do you imagine technology playing in the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?

Technology has been changing how our students learn inside and outside the classroom, communicate with their friends and families. The school system needs keep learning, piloting and adapting to the latest advancement in teaching philosphy in the digital age.[4]

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1) Fixed the school budget problem

2) Increase board collaboration

3) Provide equitable opportunities for students and motivate students to learn.[3][4]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

I am passionate about education policy and school operation to provide a bridge for success for our children.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[4]

[the profile publisher] also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Chao Wu answered the following:

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honest, ethical and realistic.[4]

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am an engineer who seek common ground, look for practical and optimal solution.[4]

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Follow the law[4]

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want the community remember that I have the right job and make good judgement.[4]