School transportation troubles, academic proficiency and financial worries rank among the main concerns Maryland’s school board candidates raised when asked to name the top issues in this year’s elections.
More than half of the 137 candidates vying for county school board seats across Maryland responded to a Local News Network/Capital News Service questionnaire seeking their views on the most important education issues facing the state.
School board elections are nonpartisan, so many of the issues candidates raised don’t fit neatly into the nation’s blue-red divide. Early voting runs from Oct. 22 through Oct. 29, ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
While candidates had varying responses about which elements of their respective school systems need improvements, many highlighted their belief that academic excellence — and access to it — should always come first. In addition, many candidates expressed concerns about school budgets — and whether students are getting their money’s worth from them.
“The board’s responsibility is to make thoughtful long-term decisions that keep students at the center while ensuring the school system remains strong and sustainable for the future,” Howard County candidate Lanlan Xu said.
Tardy buses
Improving student transportation is a top priority for many school board candidates.
Candidate complaints about poor transportation systems in their district ranged from those in urban to rural areas, with many attributing the problem to scheduling issues and a shortage of drivers.
Prince George’s County Public Schools have seen a slew of transportation troubles, with the latest incident occurring just before the start of the 2026-27 academic year. The district experienced a transportation backlog in August, leaving about 10,000 students without bus assignments. That came after years in which parents routinely complained at school board meetings about late-arriving buses and other transportation problems.
Jamie McGonnigal, a Prince George’s County school board candidate, said families should be able to trust that their children will be transported to school in a safe and timely manner.
“When a bus skips a stop or takes a child to the wrong location, that is not merely an inconvenience. It is a student safety failure,” McGonnigal said. “Bus drivers, teachers and school staff should not be blamed for systemic problems they did not create.”
McGonnigal said as a school board member, he would push for increased transparency surrounding transportation failures. This, he added, would ultimately revive the trust between families and the board.
In Baltimore City, the school system doesn’t offer traditional school bus transit past fifth grade. Students in higher grades must use the city’s public transportation services to get to school.
Transportation can be an issue for students there, too. Baltimore City school board candidate Jamar Day said it’s unfair to expect students to be ready to learn the minute they step into the classroom after experiencing trauma during their commute to school.
“If commute time is stealing a child’s ability to focus before class even starts, that’s a policy failure, not a personal one,” Day said. “A rough commute, a walk past an open-air drug market, or an unstable school day due to behavior — our children carry all of it into the classroom, whether we acknowledge it or not.”
Academic concerns
Many school board candidates also said poor transportation systems lead to increased absence rates and reduced academic interest.
The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program results from the 2025-26 academic year show slight increases in specific student groups and grades, but English scores are up 6.4% over five years and math scores are up 6.1 over five years, but that did nothing to assuage the concerns of many candidates.
According to the state’s Department of Education, the exams assess students on their English language arts, math and science proficiency. Last year marked the fifth full year of implementing English and math assessments through the program.
Kate Taylor Logan, a Talbot County candidate, said students need to build foundational and critical thinking skills to be better prepared for what happens beyond grade school. .
“Academic achievement is central to that goal, but success cannot be measured by a single test score or defined by one pathway,” Logan said.
Cecil County candidate Dominick Mannella Jr. said raising student proficiency can happen through communication with other school districts and by emphasizing teacher input.
Teachers “are one of our greatest resources in telling us why something is or isn’t working,” Mannella said.
Charles County candidate Bernadette Smith said she is concerned students are falling behind their grade-level reading and math. Not being up to par in proficiency, she said, can leave students without critical skills that help set them up for a successful future.
“Lack of reading comprehension has serious repercussions, not only for the future of our children, but for our country as a whole,” she said. “A populace that is uneducated, does not understand the history of our country or the nation’s legal framework and who are unable to critically think are targets for control, manipulation, indoctrination and ultimately, vulnerable to tyranny and enslavement. ”
Budget worries
Several candidates said school finances remain a top concern.
Baltimore County candidate Candice Logan-Washington said improving schools doesn’t just mean adding academic programs or blindly allocating more money. It means being mindful of where the board is investing its funds and then assessing whether those efforts are working.
“Our budget should reflect our priorities, and we should be able to demonstrate how those investments are improving outcomes for students,” Logan-Washington said.
Implementing new programs is just an easy way out of dealing with challenges head on, Logan-Washington said. Board members must prioritize proper funding and academic evaluation, and communicate with their community, even if the results aren’t positive, she added.
Sharon Wilhide, a Carroll County candidate, raised similar concerns. She said the school board needs to be open-minded in changing practices and evaluating effectiveness for the benefit of the county’s students.
Wilhide is a teacher for deaf and hard of hearing students in Baltimore County Public Schools. She said the board has a responsibility to support student and educator success, and that should be its top priority.
“We must continually evaluate what truly supports student learning, engagement and growth rather than continuing practices simply because they are familiar or adopting new initiatives because they are new or cost-effective,” Wilhide said. “Our focus should always be on what works best for our students and educators.”
This story was originally published by Capital News Service, cnsmaryland.org. Reprinted without changes.