In the District 6 Board of Education race, incumbent Joanna Bache Tobin faces stay-at-home mom Edilene Barros.

District 6 includes the Annapolis High School cluster, encompassing most of Annapolis and Crownsville. Children in Anne Arundel’s public housing attend schools in the Annapolis High School cluster.

As part of the county’s southern half, District 6 schools will enter the second phase of redistricting in February, which could lead to new schools and help alleviate overcrowding in Annapolis High School.

An Annapolis resident, Barros, 53, moved to Anne Arundel County 12 years ago. Originally from Brazil, she briefly taught there and later studied in Belgium, where she lived for 25 years and worked as a social worker. While her older daughter attended public school, she homeschooled her younger children.

Barros says her daughter entered Annapolis High School after homeschooling and, partway through, decided to complete high school and start college early. Her daughter’s experience motivated her to run for the school board, Barros said.

“She was too advanced for the school because she was homeschooled, and she spent most of her time teaching other kids,” Barros said.

She said her daughter’s classmates struggled with grammar and that instruction was book centered.

Barros also said her daughter felt unsafe at Annapolis High School, where she saw student fights and smoking in the bathroom.

Barros said she wants the school district to offer teachers more support for addressing behavioral issues and believes schools need to ensure parents are involved in decision-making.

“I was totally ignored by the system,” Barros said.

She said the district needs to return to basics, focusing on math and English and giving teachers flexibility to incorporate movement and outdoor activities into lessons.

“When you have a strong base, you can go anywhere professionally,” Barros said.

Barros described herself and Tobin as “total opposites.”

“I’m not part of the system. I’m an outsider,” Barros said. “She’s entrenched in the bureaucracy. I want less bureaucracy in schools.”

Tobin was first elected to represent District 6 in 2020, serving through Mark Bedell’s selection as superintendent, the COVID-19 pandemic and the district’s first redistricting phase.

Endorsed by the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County, Tobin said she’s optimistic about the district’s direction under Bedell.

“You’ve got to be able to look at it as a whole and put it in context. When I do that, I see things moving in a very positive direction,” Tobin said.

Tobin holds a doctorate in political theory from Georgetown University. An Annapolis resident since 1999,

Tobin’s daughter graduated from Annapolis High School in 2020, where Tobin was vice president of the parent, teacher, student association for three years.

Tobin, the daughter of a U.S. Foreign Service officer, attended schools in Hong Kong, Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Ghana before finishing high school in Pennsylvania. She has worked at multiple levels and different types of schools, from chairing the board of a Montessori school to teaching at St. John’s College in Annapolis.

She also worked as a consultant, moderating leadership seminars for the Aspen Institute and leading accreditation teams evaluating public charter schools nationwide.

Tobin says her experience with educational systems makes her an asset for the school board.

“It’s not our job to execute and implement,” Tobin said. “It’s our job to assess, oversee, measure, and hold the system accountable and frankly, that requires a fair amount of knowledge and a background in knowing what questions to ask.”

If re-elected, Tobin hopes to expand dual language immersion programs across the county. The first and only language immersion program is at Tyler Heights Elementary School in District 6.

Another priority for Tobin is ensuring District 6 students have equal access to magnet programs. Currently, students attending magnet programs need private transportation, which creates an equity barrier. Tobin is also focused on special education and gifted and talented programs.

“Families facing poverty encounter many more barriers in ensuring their child with special needs or high talent receives the support they need,” Tobin said. “I want to ensure we’re doing everything possible to limit barriers for these children.”

Early voting ends Oct. 31 and Election Day is Nov. 5.

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