Candidate Survey: Joan Magnani for Baltimore County Board of Education

Name
Joan Magnani

Age
77

County
Baltimore

Education
some college

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Career/Occupation
retired

Education Experience
Substitute teacher and volunteer with Safe Racer.

Political Experience
None

Website
None

Social Media Accounts
Facebook

Why are you running for office?
Since I have no connection to the “system”, I hope to bring fresh ideas and opinions to the table that might be different from those that have and invested interest.

Who do you consider your political role model, and why?
Hogan is trying to put policies in place that will provide more oversight in spending.

What is your favorite book about politics and policy, and why?
No favorite

What is your favorite book about education, and why?
No favorite

What will be your top priority on the Board of Education?
I will learn as much as possible about any issue brought before the board before giving my vote.

What is the biggest issue facing your county schools?
Money

What are the three biggest issues facing Maryland schools?
Money, students falling below grade level and the amount of corruption.

Have you read your county schools curriculum? If so, which parts do you like and which parts do you dislike?
It seems the focus is on college ready. Not all children have the academic or financial ability to attend college. Learning about education seems difficult.

Richard Weisenhoff said it best when discussing Common Core. “It’s hard for a real person to understand. I wish it wasn’t that way but education shoots ourselves in the foot with all the jargon we have.”

What is your position on school spending?
I believe there is lots of waste. Can we cut back or some spending without reducing the quality of education?

Please identify the three areas which you believe should be prioritized when it comes to school funding
School Maintenance, STEM Programs, Vocational Skills

What is your position on teacher tenure?
With job protections granted through court rulings, collective bargaining and state and federal saws, teachers should not need tenure to protect them from dismissal. (From ProCon.org.)

What is your position on standardized testing?
Teachers could be pressured into “Teaching to the test” and it could possible lead to a decline in higher order thinking. (From ProCon.org.)

What is your position on classroom size?
I believe that teachers now have more work load due to the changes in how they now must teach so they are less able to handle large class sizes. An example is in grading math papers. It is great that students are taught several ways to solve a problem, but the correct answer on a test is not enough. Students are tested on their knowledge of how to solve rather than their ability to solve a problem.

Do you believe the Board of Education should having taxation authority?
No. Rather than trying to spend less, it would encourage more spending.