Board of Ed Candidate Forum Tuesday at Carroll Media Center

The League of Women Voters will host the 2012 Board of Education Candidates Election Forum on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Community Media Center. 

Residents are invited to attend and may submit questions for the candidates which pertain to local school board issues. The League will use as many submitted questions as possible.

Questions may be emailed to elections@carrollmediacenter.org in advance.

The Community Media Center will broadcast this event live on cable channel 9, Carroll Public Access, and on Channel 23, Town and Community TV. It will be rebroadcast on both channels until the elections.

The candidates vying for a seat on the Board of Education are:

Incumbent Cynthia Foley

• Qualifications: I have been involved in Carroll County Public School for 23 years. I have been a CCPS Board member for 7 1/2 years. During that time, I have served as President and Vice President of the board. I sat on numerous school system committees and participated in board member professional development. I have four children who excelled in Carroll County Public Schools and went on to college.
• Priorities: The teachers' pensions, an amount in excess of $7 million, could be shifted back to the county. I have dealt with cuts of $16.5 million from the budget over 4 years. Our school system would have to make great sacrifices should this additional cost be added to the budget. We need to collaborate with the Commissioners and Superintendent to ensure that we continue to provide an outstanding education.

Incumbent Jennifer Seidel

• Qualifications: I was elected to the Board of Education in 2008. As a teacher and a parent, I bring different perspectives to the table. I hold a B.S. in Elementary and Kindergarten Education, and an M.Ed. in School Administration and Supervision. I have worked in education for 18 years as a teacher, a central office staffer, and an independent contractor writing/editing educational materials.
• Priorities: My term has been marked by tough economic times. We've made drastic reductions without sacrificing the quality of education. If re-elected, I pledge to continue to prioritize when spending hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Also, in the midst of mandated changes to curriculum/accountability measures, we must stay focused on what is important so that OUR students are college and career ready.

Ginger DiMaggio

• Qualifications: I majored in Education in College.  I have been teaching regularly for over 14 years in a combination of home school and private settings.
• Priorities: The issues I would most like to address are spending, curriculum and safe environment.  According to Carroll Community College (CCC), 50 percent of CCPS graduates go to CCC after graduation and over 70 percent of those students need remedial math and/or reading. This must be addressed. Our school environment must be safe. Our students need to be able to go to school without fear of being bullied. Since the Board of Education meets with local legislators to address educational law that impacts all students in the state, and makes other decisions impacting all students in the county, I believe it is imperative that at least one member of the board be a voice for all students, including those in private school and homeschoolers. 

Jim Doolan

• Qualifications: I hold a Master’s Degree in Education and spent 33 years with Carroll County Schools as a teacher, Pupil Personnel Worker, Director of Transportation and Superintendent’s cabinet member. As such, I conducted hours of teacher/staff development and was appointed by 3 governors to task forces on student issues. I managed a $20 million budget and was known as a student/family advocate.
• Priorities: "Race to the Top” is an unfunded mandate to be implemented by 2015. It will cost time, energy and money. I would support appropriate, adequate training of the new core curriculum before it is implemented. The law requires that 50% of a teacher’s evaluation be based on student performance. It is not possible to have an evaluation that is equitable as not all well taught students perform well.