Getting to Know Our FWCS Board President, Maria Norman

By Tabitha Ervin
Editorial Director

In April 2017, Maria was appointed to the Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Board of Trustees. After running a successful campaign in 2018, she was elected by the people of Fort Wayne for her first 4-year term.  In the 2022 election cycle, Maria was unopposed and feels honored to be a voice for students and families once again. Maria has received Fort Wayne Business Weekly’s Top 40 Under 40, IPFW’s Top 50 award, and the Indiana School Board Association’s Exemplary Governance Award for continued education as a school board member.

Maria has been happily married to Amos Norman for 14 years and together they have one son, Elijah. When Maria is not lobbying in Indianapolis for public education or being a poll worker at every primary and general election since 2008 – she is a wife, swim and basketball mom, daughter, sister, aunt, small group leader, PTA President, and Elijah’s taxi driver.

What does this opportunity mean to you?

This opportunity is beyond any dream that I could have ever dreamed for myself.  Fort Wayne Community Schools is the largest, public school district in the State of Indiana.  We serve roughly 28,000 students and families, we have 52 schools, nearly 4,000 amazing employees and a budget of just over $300 million dollars annually. This is the district that I attended and graduated from. So many key moments in my life, happened within the walls of Fort Wayne Community Schools. Fast forward to now, I have the opportunity to help write the story of our district.  I am in awe of this opportunity. I am the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and a high school graduate; we were a blue-collar family, we didn't have a lot but we had a house full of love. I could never have imagined then that I would have a voice at tables where there are not a lot of minority women present, that I would be a statewide advocate for public education and ultimately have this opportunity to serve the children and families, in the community that I love.  I am so grateful and truly blessed.

Why are you excited?

I am excited to take on this role because it is an exciting time at FWCS!  We have so many great opportunities for our students and families.  We have Amp Lab at Electric Works, where students get to learn in a new and exciting way.  The atmosphere at Amp Lab feels like it's vibrating! We have the 3DE Program (in conjunction with Junior Achievement) at North Side and Snider high schools where our students are connecting with local businesses and helping them solve real world problems.  Soon, the Jim Kelly Career Pathway Center (in conjunction with Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne) will open and every FWCS 8th grader will have the opportunity to "explore" careers in each of our 6 career pipelines.  These hands-on experiences will allow our students to begin thinking about future careers and pathways.  At Adams Elementary, we have a staff so dedicated to student success that they have blown up the "normal elementary school setting" and are meeting students where they are and moving them forward academically. I am excited that staff at the district level supports this kind of innovative thinking. We have phenomenal staff in each of our buildings who show up every day ready to teach, support and encourage our students to be the best versions of themselves.  At FWCS we support students academically and offer a wide array of extracurricular activities so that students can be engaged in their school communities. Athletic opportunities, musical and theatrical clubs, academic and speech teams, and special interest groups that give every student an opportunity to find their place.  These are just a few of the exciting things that I am proud we offer our students and families in Fort Wayne.  I am anxious to see what our students accomplish and where all these fabulous opportunities will take them in life.

Any ideas or goals for your tenure?

I want to live by our mission of educating all students to high standards, enabling them to become productive, responsible citizens.

I want to support the district in our implementation of the FWCS Portrait of a Graduate, which is a project that we've been working on with Ford Next Generation Learning.

As the educational landscape continues to change, my goal is that FWCS continue to create innovative and relevant learning experiences for our students, so they are ready for whatever tomorrow brings.