Lisa Maisano
Running for school board in Carroll County
Email: maisano4carroll@gmail.com
Website: maisano4carroll.com
Facebook: facebook.com/maisano4carroll
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 3)?
45
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
No, I am a homemaker and volunteer in my community.
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Bachelor of Science, Materials Science and Engineering from Virginia Tech, 2024, graduated Summa Cum Laude
Why are you running for the school board?
Schools are the foundation of our communities and it’s important to me that they are healthy and well-functioning. I have poured myself into raising my three children, who are all current Carroll County Public School students, and my family actively volunteers in our community. After serving three years as PTA president at my children’s elementary school, I became concerned about our lean operations and struggles due to lack of resources. The challenges Carroll County Public Schools faced when trying to implement Blueprint pushed me to help create the non-partisan Carroll Education Coalition to advocate at the state and local levels and engage the community. I learned that sometimes what feels impossible can be possible if someone speaks up. I have found my voice and now I hope to use it in a new way—as a member of the Board of Education. I believe members of the board must be strong and effective advocates for our school system, actively working with county and state leaders to secure the resources necessary to provide an excellent education for our students. I want to be a listener and a collaborator to find practical solutions to the challenges facing our schools. I will to ask for the things that our educators need to be better equipped to help all students succeed and I will advocate for state policy changes that benefit Carroll.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I am dedicated to my family, to my community and to trying to make the world a better place. I work very hard and am passionate about this cause of helping our students, educators and school system be the best it can be. I believe that the opportunities that our public schools provide have the power to change lives and develop the next generation into productive and engaged citizens. I am an engineer by training so I like to dig in to the details and do research to thoroughly understand the topic. Being a good listener, I promise to keep an open mind and seek to understand all sides of an issue. I will be open and accessible so anyone can share their thoughts and concerns. I welcome and seek out conversations. Lastly, my efforts to advocate for our students, educators and school system over the past few years prove that I am a dedicated and reliable supporter of our school community.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
The most important issue facing our schools is that resources are stretched too thin across all areas. The lack of resources is straining the entire system, creating ever increasing workloads for our educators and hindering student academic achievement. Throughout my campaign, I have been speaking with educators and families and listening to their concerns. I believe that in order to address any of the problems facing our school system, we must first work to improve the communication between the Board of Education, administration, educators, students and families. People need to be heard and understood in order for some of these problems to be addressed. I understand that there are practical financial constraints to consider when allocating resources to the schools. But I believe, through honest and respectful conversations, we can prioritize areas where additional resources would make the most impact and focus on delivering solutions. I believe that the job of the board is to help facilitate those discussions and decisions as well as advocating for needed changes both internally and at the local and state levels. Educator workload is becoming an increasingly challenging problem and we need a board that will bring constructive feedback and suggestions to policy makers.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
John McCain is a public leader that I admire. He loved his country deeply and after five years of being tortured as a prisoner of war, he continued his commitment to the of the American people by serving in Congress. His dedication to his principles and the fight for human rights guided his work, priorities and votes after he was elected to Congress. As a Senator, McCain sometimes voted against his own party or defended his opponents if he felt they were unfairly criticized. He followed his principles and embodied “service over self.” I admire that McCain stayed true to himself and voted with his conscience.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the General Assembly in 2021, is a 10-year plan that includes increased funding to support early childhood education, higher teacher starting pay, college/career-readiness standards for high school graduates, and expanded services to multilingual and impoverished families, among other goals. Since the Blueprint's implementation, test scores have increased modestly in many parts of the state, but some school officials complain about the costs and administrative burdens placed on them by the Blueprint. Please tell us your views on the Blueprint and how it is affecting your school district.
Although the goals of Blueprint are admirable, there are flaws in the law’s implementation. For a school system as lean as Carroll County Public Schools, the Blueprint was especially challenging. Around 80% of school system costs go to paying for educators and staff–the people who are delivering the instruction and providing support to students every day. Thankfully, Carroll County Public Schools was able to get a waiver for more time to implement Blueprint and the opportunity to work with trusted consultants to determine a path forward to meet the law that did not lay off 100 educators, move around another 100 or increase class sizes dramatically. After working with the consultants to apply the Base School Model, Carroll County Public Schools has access to a reading specialist and math specialist at each school; however, in many cases staff must be shared between schools. Unfortunately, Blueprint implementation eliminated the academic facilitator positions at our seven high schools–responsible for coordinating all testing–as well as the school counseling mentor teacher position. When positions are removed, those tasks and duties get assigned to other educators because the work still must get done. In the end, the work with the consultants after the waiver, put Carroll County Public Schools in a better, less disruptive position that the original implementation plan, but challenges remain. When the Maryland General Assembly convenes in 2027, legislators are expected to take up revisions to the Blueprint law and it is important that Carroll County's interests are represented. If elected, I will advocate for changes that help Carroll County students and educators.
Chronic absenteeism has been a problem in many schools since the Covid-19 pandemic. How big of a problem is absenteeism in your school district, and what if anything can the Board of Education do about it?
Compared to other districts in Maryland, Carroll County does not have a significant absenteeism problem; however, there is always room for improvement. There are a variety of reasons that contribute to absenteeism including things like family challenges, school avoidance, mental health issues, fear of bullying or lack of parent/guardian involvement. It is important to me that our schools have adequate resources to support students so that every child feels equipped to handle both the academic and social/emotional aspects of school and life. School counselors, pupil personnel workers and educators provide resources to support students and families. Feeling a sense of belonging at school is critical to reducing absenteeism. Students that have friend groups and at least several trusted adults at school to check in with or ask for help can go a long way.vCarroll County Public Schools has schools with strong, positive educator and student connections which make for a healthy school community.
Are you satisfied with your school district's policy on AI use by students? If so, why? If not, what would you suggest to improve the AI policy?
The Board of Education should create a more comprehensive policy on AI use by students. Currently the use of generative AI is not allowed unless specific permission is given. Educators use software that detects AI. I believe that student use of AI prevents them from practicing and improving their problem solving, research, critical thinking and writing skills. I am concerned about student reliance on AI to do schoolwork. It is important to me that educators do not skip homework assignments or give less work because they are concerned that students will use AI. There will always be students who test the rules, so educators must be equipped with robust ways to detect AI and there should be significant consequences for academic dishonesty. It’s worth noting that I support the reevaluation of the role of technology in the classroom and concerns about the use of generative AI should be considered.
Youth mental health has been a growing concern for years now. Do you think your school district has the resources and personnel in place to deal with this issue adequately? If not, what would you suggest to improve the situation?
Carroll County educators do a tremendous job, but like many areas of the school system, resources are spread thin. Mental health issues are increasingly affecting society in general. Families and students are dealing with a greater frequency of and more severe issues than in the past. chools can benefit from more school counselors, pupil personnel workers and educators who help students feel supported, access resources and practice safe and healthy coping techniques. I have been impressed by Carroll County Public Schools' Sources of Strength program at the secondary schools that supports mental health, belonging and identifying positive friends and trusted adults. Sources of Strength may be a program worthwhile to expand into the elementary schools as well. Also, student cellphone usage–both at home and at school–contributes to mental health struggles and the schools should work with families to develop safe digital habits and responsible school-day policies.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries? If so, what kind of books should be removed, and who should make those decisions?
In the event that books are questioned, I support a Reconsideration Committee comprised of Carroll County Public Schools media specialists, administrators, educators, parents and high school students making the decision about the removal of books. Just because a book may make someone sad or uncomfortable does not necessarily mean the book should be removed from the collection. Books should be evaluated in their entirety. Learning about the challenges others have endured teaches empathy and understanding. The process of adding new books to the collection should not be so burdensome on media specialists that it prevents new materials from being acquired. I believe that student materials should contain diverse perspectives and historically accurate facts. I support Carroll County Public Schools media specialists who are trained in their fields to select age and grade-level appropriate books for the collection based on professional reviews and recommendations.
