Hayes Shares Her Positions On Critical Issues
By Lisa Hayes, Candidate for the District 7 Talbot County Board of Education
On October 21, I joined my opponent Kate Taylor Logan at the St. Michaels Public Library for a conversation with the Concerned Citizens of the Bay Hundred. I thank Nancy Fitch and the group for the chance to share my side, because my positions have been misrepresented by my opponent and others.
On academics: My opponent said a standardized test isn't an accurate snapshot of what students know and that MCAP was said by some teachers to be too hard. I disagree. Too many of our students are not proficient by any testing measure, and the answer is not to lower the bar. The answer is to bring our students up to grade level first in reading and I believe the other areas would quickly fall into place. Maryland is replacing MCAP with a shorter test, MSTAR, and I worry it is a way to make the standard easier rather than raising students up to meet it. When we expect more and support students, they often will exceed the standard.
The state sets the benchmarks, but our Board chooses the curriculum, and teachers deserve a real voice in that choice. I support a rigorous, age-appropriate curriculum, with intervention for struggling students and enrichment for those ready to go further.
I decided to run after learning about our former grading policy that was in place until the end of last school year. A student got 50 points for writing their name on their paper. It was only after many parents and members of the community such as myself pressured the board that they changed that policy.
On the parent pledge: I signed a parent pledge with the parents of this community, not with any national organization, and I neither sought nor received an endorsement through it. It says parents deserve a voice in their children's education, transparency in what is taught and graded, access to their children's medical records, a role in their moral upbringing, and protection from government overreach. When I recited it and asked which part anyone objected to, one gentleman said, "I don't have an issue with any of it. Why would anybody?" Exactly.
On outside groups: The 1776 Project endorsed me and two other candidates based on my questionnaire answers. I receive no money from any endorsing group; my campaign is funded entirely by local people, as public finance reports show. Readers can look up the group's priorities, which focus on stronger curriculum and stronger schools. One attendee brought nine 1776 Project mailers as evidence of outside money. All nine were from two years ago. My opponent and others in the meeting said that they did not trust the 1776 Project's "agenda" and accused it of twisting historical facts. Nothing could be further from the truth. The 1776 Project's ten priorities are listed on its website and include things like transparency in curriculum and field trip activities, merit-based grading instead of inflated grades, protecting students' data from outside sources, classical education that includes the liberal arts and sciences, and improving reading scores, to name just a few.
On library books: I love to read and support free expression. Mrs. Fitch, a retired librarian, said we should trust teachers and librarians to make good choices in literature. I respectfully disagreed. Blind trust is no longer possible when books inappropriate in both age and content have turned up in school libraries.
I support a transparent list of the books in our schools, reviewed by parents, teachers and Board members for age and subject appropriateness. That is stewardship, not censorship.
Parental involvement and rights matter beyond the library: My opponent said she felt that the parent rights pledge I signed was vague in places and she didn't trust its motives. There is nothing vague about parents having access to their child's medical or other records. Under Maryland law, a minor can get the morning after pill and other reproductive health care without her parents knowing, and in some counties it is available through school clinic health services. Your school board is your last line of defense, and parents here deserve a board that respects their rights.
On faith: Asked whether I would support posting the Ten Commandments or allowing the Bible in schools, I said yes, if it ever becomes legal; until then, I will follow the law. My opponent said religion has no place in schools and objected to Talbot County Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapters. I'm thankful for our strong, growing, student-led FCA groups in Easton and St. Michaels, which welcome every student. Her position surprised me, and I said as much since a well-respected neighbor known to her in her community helps oversee our FCA group. She then raised the option of having an After School Satan Club under The Satanic Temple and defended it, saying "it's a religion too." Asked whether I would support it, I said personally, no, though students would have the right under the law to seek approval like any other club.
On safety: The Board asked for $800,000 for security systems, and the County gave $400,000. A Board surplus could have covered the rest but wasn't used that way. Only two schools received the portable monitoring systems, and they're used only at sporting events, not during the school day. Of the $400,000 the County provided, the Board has spent only about $72,500 on them and, to date, hasn't used the rest for other schools. Our most remote schools, Tilghman, Chapel District and White Marsh, got none. I'm encouraged by a weapons-detection system now under consideration. It uses camera images to identify a gun on school property before the person carrying it reaches the building, then quickly alerts staff and authorities. One participant wanted to know if it was connected to the Flock cameras in our county and I told them to my knowledge the school system was not part of that system. I later found out it is not.
Several attendees stayed afterward. When they asked where my loyalties lie, I said: not with any party or organization, but with the students and families of this community. That is my priority, and that is my commitment.
Lisa Hayes
Candidate, TCPS Board of Education, District 7
Lisa Hayes is a lifelong resident of Talbot County except four years in Alaska when her family was stationed there with the Air Force. She has 36 years in early childhood development as a childcare business owner and has volunteered for the SMMHS PTO President, After Prom Chairwoman, Bay Hundred Education Chairwoman, a Youth Leader, Character Counts Coach, RISE Reading Mentor, TAYA Board, and the TES Grandparents Club.
She has been endorsed by former SMMHS Principal Frank Hagen, State Senator Johnny Mautz, and the Talbot Watermen Association.
Early voting - October 22 - 29, Election Day - November 3, 2026
Opinion and Contributor Content Disclaimer
From time to time, this publication publishes opinion pieces, guest columns, letters, and articles submitted by individuals and organizations outside of our editorial staff. The views, opinions, and assertions expressed in such contributions are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, positions, or opinions of this publication, its editors, owners, staff, or affiliates.
Publication of outside submissions does not constitute endorsement of any statements, claims, conclusions, products, services, or organizations referenced therein. Responsibility for the accuracy of facts, opinions, and representations contained in contributed content rests entirely with the author(s).
