Chandrai “CJ”
Jackson-Saunders
M.Ed, NCSP
PGCPS District 9 School Board Member
Chandrai "CJ" Jackson-Saunders is a retired educator and Nationally Certified School Psychologist with more than 35 years of experience supporting students and families in public education. As Prince George's County District 9 Board of Education Member, she brings a practioner's lens to advance student outcomes and strengthen school-community alignment.
Experienced Leadership
Stronger Schools
Better Student Outcomes
Passionate school psychologist and community advocate. Empowering and uplifting students, supporting and connecting with parents, and fostering a strong and vibrant community. Explore my services, experiences, and join me on a heartfelt journey. Together, let's make a profound and positive difference!
From Public Policy to Classroom Results
I have spent more than thirty-five years in public education. I have been a dues-paying union member for nearly all of it. So when I say I understand what educators need, I am not speaking from theory. I am speaking from a lifetime of standing alongside the people who do this work every day — and watching what happens when promises to them are not kept, and what it costs students when good teachers leave.
Retention starts with respect. Fully funded negotiated agreements. Safe working conditions. Manageable class sizes. I oppose furloughs as a budget solution — they are a failure of planning, and they signal to educators that they are expendable. I support Blueprint career ladders that give teachers a real professional pathway. I support partnerships with local colleges and universities to strengthen our pipeline. And I support transparent reporting on certification progress so we are not just hiring conditionally licensed teachers and losing track of them. I know this workforce. I was part of it for decades.
Supporting and Retaining Excellent Educators
My top priority is ensuring that the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is implemented with fidelity — not simply adopted on paper, but fully realized in classrooms. I have watched too many promising policy frameworks lose their impact between adoption and execution. As a Board Member, my responsibility is oversight. That means I am not just approving budgets — I am asking what the data shows, which schools are falling behind, how resources are being allocated, and what corrective action is being taken.
Maintenance of Effort requirements and the Blueprint’s equity provisions exist for a reason. I believe resources should be deployed where the need is greatest — not where it is most convenient. I want quarterly public reporting on student outcomes by school, grade level, and subgroup, so the community can clearly see where progress is being made and where additional support is required. Accountability cannot happen behind closed doors or through annual reports that obscure persistent gaps.
After more than three decades working directly with children in public schools, I have seen what happens when adults focus on individual students instead of broad averages. Outcomes improve. Opportunities expand. Lives change. That principle does not stop being true at the Board level. It simply requires discipline, transparency, and the willingness to ask difficult questions publicly — and I am prepared to do that work.