Stephanie Mutchler
Running for school board in Anne Arundel County District 4
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 5)?
49
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Professional volunteer.
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Business degree, University of Maryland.
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running because I know that I can be a board member who supports and advocates for everyone, not just specific groups or areas that are deemed “easy.” All communities and schools are equally important and deserve the same support by their Board of Education representative. I can remove politics from the table and instead work on real policy that is focused on what needs to be done to ensure educational equity and success. I am the person who will be at the table for the love of others, not the love of myself. People are my passion, and I want to fight to make things better and advocate for what’s right.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I have been an advocate for students, parents and educators since 2005. I have five children currently attending or graduated from Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and I have seen what works and what does not. In my role as president for the parent teacher groups at the elementary, middle and high school levels, I have been at the forefront fighting for or against school start times changes, redistricting, educator salaries, building improvements, transportation issues and special education resources to ensure all in our district have what they need to be successful in Anne Arundel County Public Schools. When my first child entered Anne Arundel County Public Schools 20 years ago, I immediately became involved in the classrooms and the school's parent organization. I know firsthand what parents need to be able to trust and respect educators and Anne Arundel County Public Schools, what teachers need to feel supported and valued, and what children need to be successful in the classroom and in Anne Arundel County Public Schools. When elected, I will continue to do as I have always done on a larger scale- engage with parents to help support initiatives, advocate for educators to get what they need in and out of the classroom, and ensure all children have the same opportunities to succeed in a safe environment.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
I believe staffing is the main concern for parents and educators. Parents want smaller class sizes, counselors who have manageable caseloads, appropriate special education staffing so that students receive all the services they need and mental health supports for all students. Educators want adequate planning time, smaller classes and time to truly develop relationships with students. We must attract more staffing to meet the concerns of parents, and we must use that additional staffing to ease the burdens on our existing staff. And this all leads back to funding — funding for more staff to fill gaps and funding to competitively compensate and retain the staff we currently have. Having relationships with current county officials will help me to ensure the Blueprint protocols on salaries for new and existing educators can be funded.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
“You must be the change you want to see in the world” is a quote I live by, attributed to Gandhi. We cannot wait for the change we want to occur; we must make it happen ourselves. Talking about things does not bring change—action does! Gandhi was not just a great communicator, he also had compassion, empathy, and integrity and advocated for the marginalized. Most importantly, he led by example. These are the qualities that make a great leader, and I embrace these traits in my leadership roles to ensure I’m inspiring others — not just to talk about doing better, but taking action to do better for others.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the General Assembly in 2021, is a 10-year plan that includes increased education funding to support early childhood education, increased teacher starting pay, college/career-readiness standards for high school graduates, and expanded services to multilingual and impoverished families, among other goals. Please tell us your views on the Blueprint and how it will affect your school district.
The Blueprint is an aspirational plan to dramatically change and improve our schools. Our district and our students will benefit greatly from the increased investment, especially for early childhood education and career and technology programs. The increased salaries for teacher retention and recruitment are so important to ensure that we can attract the most professional staff across all areas. The expansion of pre-kindergarten and 3-year-old classrooms is crucial to bringing our children to school ready to learn. The community schools' program is making a significant difference in parent engagement and family support services in many of our most in-need communities. However, to reach all these goals, we must have the funding. As a board member, I will be tasked with crafting a budget to meet these goals and then working with our county elected officials to ensure the funding is allocated. I have long-standing relationships and support of numerous county and state officials that will be instrumental in securing the necessary funding. Along with funding, as a board member I will have a primary responsibility to ensure Policy Area 5: Accountability in the Blueprint is followed, ensuring that the guidelines are being properly implemented. Data collection will be vital to ensuring that we are executing the pillars with success. The board must be regularly apprised of progress and insist that changes be made where we are falling short. I am prepared to fully exercise oversight of the superintendent to ensure that the promise of the Blueprint is met.
Some school districts nationwide are placing new limits on the use of cellphones in middle and high schools. What do you think should be the policy on student use of cellphones in your district, and why do you support that policy?
The goal is for students to be more focused academically and to remove the burden of policing cellphones from our educators. This is a battle that is fought constantly, especially at our middle and high schools, and these new rules are a must. I would like to see a well-defined tiered process for infractions and consequences at each school level, just as we have other areas of misconduct in the Student Code of Conduct. I also believe we need to have continuous parent education as well; I foresee some of the biggest pushback coming from parents. The key to success of the policy will be consistency in enforcement at all school levels.
Are you satisfied with your school district's efforts to ensure the safety of its students? What, if anything, should be done to improve school safety in your district?
I do believe Anne Arundel County Public Schools prioritizes student safety, but this is an area that must be continuously reviewed and must have ongoing education for students, staff and families. For instance, I am a big supporter of Anne Arundel County Police student resource officers in our high schools and some middle schools. The relationships these officers build with students and the added security presence is invaluable. However, many parents, particularly parents of children of color, have legitimate concerns about possible profiling of their students and the risk of being pulled into the criminal justice system. The school system and the police department must ensure and regularly communicate with families the training and performance standards for all student resource officers. Education, transparency and relationships are key to ensuring that families trust that all parties are focused on the safety and well-being of students.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries? If so, what kind of books should be removed, and who should make those decisions?
I am against banning books. Knowledge is power, and we should not restrict that on any level. Public school is where various amounts of people come to learn and thrive together, and decisions are made to serve the entire school community — not the particular interests or beliefs of specific groups. Anne Arundel County Public Schools have a detailed process for reviewing all materials for age-appropriateness. These decisions are made by well-qualified educators, parents and community members. I trust the process.
Some school districts enact policies allowing transgender and gender nonconforming students to use their preferred pronouns while at the same time not informing those students' parents about that decision. What is your opinion of such policies?
I do support this. We wish that all children have supportive and understanding families when it comes to their life choices, but sadly, this is not always the case. Whether it's religion, upbringing or ignorance, many still feel that identifying oneself as anything other than what is stated on a birth certificate is wrong; these are not individuals who support their child’s need to freely express who they are and who they want to be. We need to provide a safe space for these kids — let children identify themselves, and let them be proud of who they are without judgment or fear of having retaliation at home.
