CCPS Board of Education race offers differing views | READER COMMENTARY

Until recently, voters paid scant attention to Board of Education elections. Many folks woke up when their kids’ schools were threatened with closure a few years back. Although several schools were shuttered, including my son’s alma mater, North Carroll High School, Carroll residents responded by electing a majority of common-sense conservatives to the board.

When COVID-19 hit, Carroll was well-positioned because those newly-elected members fought to be the first to reopen our schools and unmask our children. As a parent of a graduate of Carroll County Public Schools and an elected official for nearly three decades here, I can attest to the fact that one of the things that makes Carroll an attractive place to live and work is its schools and the education they provide. The quality of life for Carroll’s children and their families took a major hit when our kids were kicked out of the classroom and then masked up when finally allowed to return. As your state delegate, I was proud to stand with the members of our local board and fight the State Board of Education from usurping its decision to eliminate mask mandates in Carroll.

During the pandemic, student achievement also took a major hit, and math and reading test score plunged while the teachers’ union pushed for increases education funding by $3.8 billion each year over the next 10 years without a way to pay for and it, and without any provisions for accountability. The other priority of the teachers’ union is indoctrinating your children with “woke” values while making you pay for it with your hard-earned tax dollars.

If you believe that parents should teach values to your children, such as God, family and country, and that the public schools should focus on basics, namely reading, math, science, and civics, and that a close watch should be placed on every tax dollar spent on public education, then you have a clear choice this election. If you want common-sense conservatives to run the board and not tools of the teachers’ union, consider casting your vote for the slate known as “BMW” — Tara Battaglia, Jim Miller and Steve Whisler — conservatives who will fight for your children and their education while protecting your wallets and pocketbooks.

Haven Shoemaker, Hampstead

Shoemaker is a member of the House of Delegates and the Republican candidate for Carroll County State’s Attorney.

The expression, “spoken like a true politician” appropriately fits Chris Tomlinson’s commentary in the Oct. 2 edition of the Carroll County Times. This is because his letter to the editor is full of misconceptions and misleading statements. Please allow me to offer the facts that dispute his comments.

First, there is nowhere in the curricular framework from the Maryland State Department of Education that includes “critical race theory.” You can go online and see this for yourself at marylandpublicschools.org. So, when he writes that the State Board of Education and the General Assembly intend to “inject political indoctrination” into our classrooms, that is simply an opinion which is not based on any fact.

Second, the present school board did not lead a successful statewide fight to drop the mask mandate as Tomlinson implies. The truth is that once the COVID metrics improved, there was emergency legislation by the state to drop the mask mandate. The present Carroll County Board fought to have the mask mandate lifted before it was safe to do so, possibly putting the health of Carroll County students and their families at risk.

Finally, Tomlinson writes “those who want to use the classroom as a way to push their radical politics” without identifying who “those” are. The truth is that anyone who runs for a position on the Board of Education is supposed to be nonpolitical. We do not elect members of the school board based on their political affiliation. We elect school board members solely based on their credentials, i.e. who will best meet the educational needs of Carroll County students. And the facts are that Patricia Dorsey, Amanda Jozkowski, and Tom Scanlan are the three candidates who will best serve our school system in the years ahead. These are the facts.

This letter is not filled with inflammatory, radical or emotional statements like those used by Chris Tomlinson to scare you into voting for certain candidates. Please keep the facts that I presented in mind when you vote for members of the Carroll County Board of Education.

Iris Wingert, Westminster

Residents throughout District 4 have heard me speak often about the need to get more involved. For far too long we have focused solely on national elections and politics while allowing local government to operate on what I like to call “autopilot.” We simply do not pay enough attention to mayoral, town council, board and commissioner elections. As a result, when decisions are made that don’t represent our values, we are left feeling frustrated, betrayed and powerless.

The truth is that local elections do matter! And no election this November will be more consequential than the Board of Education. Fortunately, there is a clear choice: the BMW slate of Battaglia, Miller and Whisler. If you want class curriculum that does not cater to special interests, stand for parental rights, favor local control, and never want to see our schools shut down again then you have three boxes to check on your ballot: Battaglia, Miller and Whisler.

If you are a parent, grandparent or property tax payer you cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. We the people, know what is best for our schools. Battaglia, Miller and Whisler will focus on education, not indoctrination, and have pledged to strengthen Carroll County Public Schools and leave the parenting to parents.

Carroll County’s best days can be ahead of us. But not if we go down the path of surrounding counties. You live here because we have great schools, great community, affordability and safety … let’s keep it that way.

Michael R. Guerin, Mount Airy

Guerin is the Republican candidate for Carroll County Commissioner, District 4

With the general election approaching and having read far too many comments, particularly on social media, that, in my view, have politicized the position and, to an extent, those desiring to be elected as members of the Carroll County Public Schools Board of Education, I felt a need to briefly express my view relative to the important role of any member of the CCPS Board.

As a lifelong educator, having served as a classroom teacher, principal, and supervisor of instruction at the K-12 level and more recently, and frankly much longer as a professor of education and graduate and professional studies at Western Maryland/McDaniel College, I offer the following two points as essential considerations for those elected to serve as members of the CCPS Board of Education.

• That each Pre K-12 student is entitled to be fully engaged in learning throughout their school day. Such engagement is also an expectation of a student’s extracurricular activities.
• That teachers must be supported. Such support actually begins within their preservice teacher education program and must extend throughout their career. Teaching is hard. The demands are so much more than “standing and delivering” instruction. The expectations of a teacher extend beyond knowledge of subject matter, teaching, and assessment to include the ability and willingness to adapt, each day, to meet student needs, which are often unrelated to their instructional needs.

While the responsibilities of a CCPS Board of Education member extend beyond these two considerations, to include issues related to school finance, staffing at a time of teacher shortage and shortcuts to teacher preparation, school demographics, and much more, engaging students and supporting teachers are my most pressing everyday non-negotiables. With this in mind, I support the candidacies of my long-term colleague and friend, Pat Dorsey, Tom Scanlan, and Amanda Jozkowski for election as members of the CCPS Board of Education.

Francis (Skip) Fennell, Westminster

Fennel is a Professor of Education and Graduate and Professional Studies, Emeritus at McDaniel College

Look for mailers that include the words: “Educator-Recommended Candidates.” Also look for: “This message has been authorized and paid for by MSEA’s Fund for Children and Public Education PAC.” This means those candidates are backed by the teachers’ union.

Five issues for comparison:

Battaglia, Miller and Whisler (BMW) recognize that political flags in classrooms are distractions to learning.

The three liberal candidates maintain that the symbolic flags merely reinforce acceptance of all students.

BMW will not permit the masking of our school children.

The three liberal candidates will follow the lead of the teachers’ union and accept whatever the State of Maryland dictates.

BMW does not want the health curriculum taught in Carroll County schools to include “gender identity” which teaches to Pre-K students and older that it’s OK for a boy to believe he should be a girl. Furthermore, school staff will counsel the child while keeping the parents in the dark. The State of Maryland is trying to force this content into all Maryland school jurisdictions. A

The three liberal candidates appear to be willing to go along with the teachers’ union recommendation that gender content be part of school curriculum.

According to BMW, “learning loss” is caused by the unscientific and extended school closures.

The teachers’ union and the three liberal candidates blame the “learning loss” on the pandemic at large, that school closures were necessary.

BMW do not want Carroll County schools divided by “Critical Race Theory.”

Those liberal “apple candidates” probably don’t represent what you want for our school children.

Richard Collins, Woodbine

The general election in November includes important choices for the nonpartisan Carroll County Board of Education. I am supporting Team PTA — Patricia Dorsey, Tom Scanlan, and Amanda Jozkowski for the three available seats.

CCPS currently faces myriad challenges including budgeting, learning loss, teacher retention, and school culture. I’ve heard various candidates tout their experience running big organizations, negotiating contracts, or budgeting. These are important functions of the board. However, at the end of the day, as a parent what is most important is that my two children are ready to be productive and contributing members of society when they graduate, whether through college or a career. That includes learning not just the basics of reading, math, and writing, but also social, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills that will help them navigate their way through an increasingly diverse world. I believe these three candidates are best qualified to help our children achieve success both before and after graduation.

Dorsey, Scanlan, and Jozkowski have dedicated their entire lives to educating children and young adults, and each are committed to Carroll County. Pat and Tom have a combined 70+ years working in CCPS between teaching and administration, while Amanda is a professor at Towson University. All three are parents. Pat’s two kids and Tom’s four kids attended CCPS, and Amanda’s vested interest in our school communities includes her own children who are just now entering elementary school. Their focus has always been supporting all their students and making sure they are prepared for the next stage of their lives when they graduate.

Just as important, Pat, Tom, and Amanda are endorsed and supported by parents and fellow educators within this community, not by politicians and political groups with hyperpartisan agendas. They are more interested in engaging with their local communities than with local politicians. They are more interested in listening to the concerns of parents rather than blocking them. They are not interested in using the Board of Education as a steppingstone to higher office as others do. They did not abandon their teaching careers for more “challenging opportunities” as others have. I’ve personally met each of these candidates and I believe they are committed to families, students, transparency, and giving teachers the necessary resources to help them succeed. I encourage this community to vote for dedicated parent-educators Pat, Tom, and Amanda in November.

Myles Livingston, Westminster