Melissa Hahn
Running for school board in Harford County District D
Email: hahnharcodistrictdboe@outlook.com
Website: www.hahndistrictdboe.wixsite.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/p/Melissa-Hahn-Board-of-Education-Harford-County-District-D-Elected-Member-100071854684031/
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 3)?
48
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Currently on the board and work for Post & Beam Design Build - marketing
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Some college: 90-Hour Certification in early childhood education
Why are you running for the school board?
As a mom that has always been in schools and a former substitute teacher, I have seen the changes in our schools and classrooms over the last several years and the changes are not for the better. We need to support our teachers and staff and provide the tools they need to be successful. We need to focus on core academics and get back to basics. Pencil and paper are essential, bringing cursive back and reducing laptop dependency. We must provide safe and secure environments for all students, teachers and staff. We must respect parental rights. We must hold our students accountable for their actions and provide students with appropriate discipline to prepare them for the real world. We must practice fiscal responsibility, and respect tax payer dollars with a focus on the classroom. I decided to run four years ago because I was always taught if you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem. I wanted to help our teachers and students and still believe there is much work to do so I am seeking reelection.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I pride myself on being honest and having integrity. I work hard, pay attention to details and I will always do the right thing, even if that means I stand alone. A lot of times I am voting by myself, whether it be in the affirmative or the negative, because I don’t stand behind the decision being made. As a board member it is our responsibility to hold people to a high standard and hold people accountable for their actions decisions being made. It is not our job to rubber stamp anything brought before us for a vote. We must put the needs of our students first and focus on education and I do just that with every decision I vote on.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
It’s hard to pick just one, but I would say focusing on core academics. Every resource we have and every tax dollar we receive should focus on the classroom and the needs of the students. Too many of our students are not proficient in reading or math. If we aren’t providing the necessary supports for our students to be successful in those two main areas, we are not doing something correct. Our students should be able to formulate a sentence, paragraph and letter properly using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. Too many of our children can not. Same thing applies to math. If you can not make change for a $1 bill without a calculator, we are failing as a school system. Focusing our resources in the classroom and supporting our teachers is how we achieve those goals and that is exactly what I have done and will continue to do to us to advocate for as your elected board member.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I admire U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack because she is a strong conservative woman that always stands for what she believes in and works tirelessly to advocate for the things she feels are important. She is honest and she communicates with her constituents. She brings attention and awareness to things happening and holds people accountable. I pride myself on doing the same.
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 believe that at its core the Blueprint has some fundamentally great ideas, but goes about things the wrong way and is very expensive in execution. The funding for the Blueprint is short in every category causing counties to look at our already stretched thin county government for funding. The state should not be telling the counties how to allocate funding for the local school systems. Each county has a Board of Education that is responsible for approving the budget and how the local funds are allocated based on their needs locally. The Blueprint is too broad and doesn’t focus on what each individual county is facing as a shortfall.
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?
We have improved our absenteeism in Harford County Public Schools since COVID-19. We know as a school system if you are not present, you are not learning. Educating parents and caregivers on the importance of being present and the understanding that when children miss school, they are missing out on important lessons and skills they need to succeed in school and life. I think Harford County Public Schools has done just that over the last few years and this has resulted in the decline and the occurrences of absenteeism in our schools.
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?
No. I believe we need to get back to basics and this is one of the main reasons why. I believe that AI is a useful tool, but it should not be used as much as it is. We should encourage our students to use pencil and paper and not use the computer to complete projects and papers. Our students need to be able to think on their own without using AI to formulate their thoughts and ideas. Too many students are relying solely on AI and it is causing a decline in their creativity, their own ability to think and the ability to understand basic concepts.
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 believe that so many students are struggling with mental health that it is difficult to support all their needs. I think as a school system we are doing better than most school systems but it isn’t enough. In my opinion, this is where parents need to step up. There are resources available outside of schools that parents should be taking advantage of to help their children get the supports they need. Parents being present and helping their children that are struggling with these issues, helps the children deal with everyday challenges and helps them learn to rely on their family members for support in times of need and crisis. School systems can only do so much, parents should be the first ones addressing the needs of their children and the schools a valuable resource to assist.
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?
Our classroom and school libraries should be carefully curated to include only the highest rated books that support the curriculum, all students and their education. It is not the school system's job to provide alternative books that do not support all students. Public libraries are available to students and families if there are books that our libraries do not offer that you want your student to have access too.
