Campaign email: steve@whisler4boe.com
Website: www.whisler4boe.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/whisler4boe
Age: 54
Employment: A major health care provider in the mid-Atlantic; Military Liaison & Field Services Manager
Education: Troy State University; Masters of Science in Management
Why are you running for the school board?
I’m running to keep Carroll schools strong. I want to ensure we focus on students, staff, teachers and academics. We must ensure that political and social agendas never take center stage in our schools. I want to promote parent-teacher partnerships. I’ll ensure that parents always have access and full transparency to curriculum. I want to ensure that every tax dollar is spent wisely.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I’m the only candidate that is a parent, retired military officer, business executive and certified teacher. I have a son in our school system and another recently graduated high school. As a retired combat veteran and business executive, I have managed large organizations and budgets exceeding $2 billion. I’ve negotiated employer group contracts and know what it means to prioritize and stay within budget. I’ve also taught in Maryland public schools and know the struggles facing teachers and staff. I’ll ensure we focus resources on academic achievement and give students college and career options after their K thru 12 experience.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
I’ve long admired former President Ronald Reagan. I admired his philosophy in limited government. President Reagan understood that a centralized government often usurped, unfairly, the local control of states and municipalities. I am very concerned about the Maryland State Department of Education’s over-reach of dictating policies and curriculum to local counties. Local boards of education should always retain broad control in their respective counties. I’m also very troubled with MSDE injecting political and social viewpoints into our curriculum. Local boards of education should always have the final decision to determine if controversial elements are appropriate for their students.
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
The most pressing issue in our county relates to learning loss. Young children especially in our elementary schools failed to receive adequate in-person instruction from certified teachers during the pandemic. We must allocate resources to wrap additional services around our educators so they can continue to teach rigorous instruction. These services include additional Instructional Assistants and Special Educators who can identify and work with students who need vital interventions to get back on track. We must also be resourceful and use commercial tutoring services for after-school and extended learning opportunities.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
I fully support our Student Resource Officer (SRO) program and want to see Sheriff deputies in all elementary schools as well. My military service prompts me to take a proactive approach to ensure our schools are hardened and protected by those who can respond immediately to threats — we must never be reactionary, but instead proactive. I also want to ensure we take adequate steps to protect our kids from cyber-criminals who can reach them online through their computers. We must also scrutinize the data we collect on kids and fully disclose to parents when data collection occurs, what the data is used for, and to whom data is delivered.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
I’m in favor of teaching students a full account of our history in an unbiased fashion. I am opposed to 1619 Project curriculum. We must ensure material is presented in a factual way that explains even the darkest days of our history, but also gives context to students to show how far we’ve come to overcome racism and equality. We must always ensure political neutrality and balance in assignments. It is so important we teach students to think critically and avoid teaching them concepts of critical theories related to race and gender.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries, and if so, what kind of books should be removed?
I never endorse banning books or free speech. That said, I do firmly believe that we should limit students’ access to books that parents and educators deem not age-appropriate. Parents should always have full electronic access to items their children might access either online or in-person. I will encourage parent-teacher partnerships so they can work together to discern which items should be inaccessible for children.
