Dominick Mannella
Running for school board in Cecil County District 3
Email: dmannella302@gmail.com
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 3)?
41
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Supervisor for a security company
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Some College
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running for school board in hopes of getting the students of Cecil County a better education. I want to work towards safer schools and have tougher policies on bullying to create a better educational environment for our students and teachers. I also want to provide the county taxpayers a better return on investment with higher graduation rates and better proficiencies.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
Someone that is willing and able to put in the time. You have to be a good listener and have no bias and be able to understand all points of view. You also need to be able to hold the proper people accountable for the jobs that they are supposed to be performing. Lastly, transparency in the school system. We need to make sure the people of Cecil County fully understand why something is happening and how it will impact students, parents, teachers and taxpayers.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
Every issue is equally important, but safety in our schools is number one. I would also like to focus immediately on bringing up our proficiency. There are other school districts in the state that are very similar to our own that are doing much better than us. I would like to see what they are doing in the classroom and bring that to our county. Lastly, I'd like to hear input from the teachers. I think they are one of our greatest resources in telling us why something is or isn't working.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
There are many public and past leaders that I respect and admire. One of my favorite public leaders is former President Dwight Eisenhower. He was a great leader during World War II, which extended to his presidency during the Cold War. He believed in compromise. He was a Republican that worked with Democrats for the better of our nation.
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.
I am critical of the Blueprint. I think that the money should follow the student. I also think the local district and Board of Education should be able to spend funding where it is needed. Blueprint funding has come out to $3.8 billion each year over 10 years and so far, we have modest gains to show for it. It makes you question how great this plan truly is. There are some positives that I do see, such as the early childhood education. I think that this does give young learners from different backgrounds the chance to excel and start off on the right foot.
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?
Cecil County has attempted to manage this problem via incentive programs and other ways to help get the absenteeism down. The rate is slowing going up however in Cecil County we are at or better than average for the state. Mandatory summer school and/or failure to progress to the next grade should always be considered.
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?
This is still a semi-new area for many schools. While AI can be a helpful tool I don't believe it should be used by students. It is the school's responsibility to teach children how to think and not just to have AI giving them the answers. I'm more toward an old-school approach with less technology in classroom for the kids.
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?
I think that the schools are doing all they can for the mental health of the students. The school, however, is not the end-all be-all in this area. The parents need to be involved and also get their child the help they need. Most schools in general are not equipped to handle all of the complexities nor should they be.
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?
Certain books do not belong in school libraries for obvious reason. Inappropriate books for students should be looked at and removed. There should be a citizens committee in place that can work with the Board of Education to decide and vote on what should and shouldn't be found in school.
