Six candidates for the Talbot County Board of Education discussed student achievement, classroom discipline and teacher input at an October forum, as voters choose four board seats on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Candidates offered different readings of the same test results and different priorities for the next four years.
The forum was hosted by the Avalon Foundation with Spy Media Communications and aired by Midshore Community Television. It featured Amy R. Dodson, Lisa Hayes, Emily L. Jackson, Kate Taylor Logan, Xavier A. Rahim and Anne F. Rosen. The moderator said the board has seven elected members, so four open seats would be a majority, and that the district serves roughly 4,500 students in eight schools.
Who Is on the Ballot
The Maryland Manual’s Talbot County election listing shows Rahim unopposed in District 1; Dodson and Rosen in District 3; Mike Butler and Jackson in District 4; and Hayes and Logan in District 7. Board of Education races are nonpartisan. Dodson, the board’s vice president, and Jackson, its president, are incumbents. Butler was not among the candidates introduced at the forum.
Test Scores and Student Progress
Jackson, who has served eight years in District 4, said Talbot ranks seventh in the state for Advanced Placement achievement and that students beat a board goal of 5% growth in early reading. She said Easton Middle School missed a state proficiency cutoff by 1.1 points and that growth should be reviewed grade by grade. She said the board can be “incredibly proud of your schools and still expect them to be better.”
Dodson said students are more than one test and that all Talbot schools have three stars or more on Maryland report cards, while neighboring districts have two-star schools. She said the district piloted a cell phone ban two years ago, ahead of state legislation, and principals report less bullying and more engagement. “Things don’t necessarily change overnight,” she said.
Hayes, who has 36 years in early childhood work, cited Maryland report card figures of 59% of students not proficient in reading, 61% in math and 70% in science. She said the district is “failing our students without failing them” by advancing students who are not ready. She called for higher academic standards, restored classroom discipline and parents as partners.
Discipline, Attendance and Special Education
Rosen, a retired Easton Middle School teacher, said discipline is the biggest barrier to achievement and that “teachers can’t teach, students can’t learn if there’s constant disruption.” She asked for consistent consequences. The moderator said about 1,200 students have attendance problems, missing 10% of school days.
Dodson, whose son has Down syndrome, said special education became important to her after his birth. She said the district has about 600 special education students out of roughly 4,500.
Teacher Voice and Community Partners
Hayes and Rosen said they want regular meetings with teachers. Logan, an Army combat veteran and communications professional who works as a boat captain, emphasized reading, critical thinking and using waterways, museums and parks as classrooms. Rahim, who works with the program Building African-American Minds, stressed collaboration with community groups. Candidates praised the Read Alliance reading program, which pairs paid high school students with elementary students. Dodson said it began under the current board.
What’s Next
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Results posted after polls close are unofficial until certified. Voters can follow results on the Maryland State Board of Elections website.
