Four races for the Baltimore County Board of Education have drawn opponents in the Nov. 3 general election, but one of the most closely watched contests is unfolding on the county’s west side.
The District 1 seat, which includes Windsor Mill, Catonsville and Halethorpe, pits former Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) educator Candice Logan-Washington against former board member Lisa Mack.
Mack, 68, a retired telecommunications professional, was elected to the hybrid board in 2018 and served until four months before the end of her term, when she resigned for “serious health reasons.” Mack did not respond to an email request for an interview.
The District 1 seat became open after Peter Fitzgerald, who was appointed in August to fill a vacancy left by Robin Harvey, decided not to seek election. Meanwhile, the other elected board members representing the county’s west side — chairwoman Jane Lichter of District 2 (Pikesville and Woodlawn) and Brenda Savoy of District 4 (Randallstown, Reisterstown and Owings Mills) — are unopposed in the general election.
For Logan-Washington, 45, the opportunity to run for election to the school board, the governing body of the 108,000-student BCPS, had been on her mind for some time. But concerns about the direction of public education, both locally and nationally, made the decision increasingly urgent.
“We are in an important moment right now in our nation, in our state, in our local government where our children are watching to see who we are,” said the married mother of two children, Logan, 18, who graduated from Western Tech and is a student at Morgan State University, and Gary, 25, a Catonsville High School and Tuskegee University graduate who now works at a local bank.
“It’s important to take action when you see the foundation of who we are as a nation crumbling. Education plays a pivotal role in the way we will come out of a certain stance or stay in it.”
If elected, Logan-Washington will bring 18 years of education experience, including 12½ years with BCPS. Her professional background includes serving as a special education teacher, an advanced placement English teacher at Woodlawn High School and a district specialist who supported school leaders, educators, staff, students and families. Earlier in her career, she also taught at Woodlawn Middle School and Featherbed Lane Elementary School.
Her connection to District 1 extends beyond her professional experience. “I’ve been a student in District 1. I’ve been a parent of two children [who attended schools] in District 1, and I’ve been a teacher in District 1,” the Catonsville resident said. “I do believe that the experience that I bring to the board is understanding the ways in which policy hits the classroom floor.”
A graduate of Lansdowne High School, Logan-Washington’s perspective is also informed by her own experience as a BCPS student. She credits her public education with preparing her for college and giving her access to opportunities that helped shape her future.
“[Lansdowne High School] thoroughly prepared me for the next step,” she said. “I felt like I had access to opportunities and maximized them as a student. I had educators, diverse educators, that were invested in who I was and where I went.” She wants students throughout the county to have access to those same kinds of opportunities.
She was excited to put her hat in the ring and believes her District 1 roots will serve her well.
Education and experience
Her academic credentials include a doctorate in urban educational leadership, administration and social policy from Morgan State University. She also holds master’s degrees in special education and human development from George Washington University and rehabilitation counseling from Coppin State University.
After leaving the school system, Logan-Washington joined the Baltimore nonprofit Thread as a research director.
After three years there, family responsibilities took her on another journey. She left to care for her ailing mother, who died last year. Logan-Washington also helps care for an uncle with special needs, operates an education research consulting business, and remains active in her church, Set the Captives Free, and the community.
Experience shaped by a changing school system
Logan-Washington said her years in the classroom gave her a firsthand view of the challenges facing educators and students, particularly during a period of significant change in BCPS leadership and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and extended school closures.
“It was a very interesting time to be a teacher. I think that’s the experience that helps me,” she said.
Logan-Washington believes board members must be willing to work effectively with people who may not share their views. She describes this as an “ambidextrous” approach — the ability to work alongside others despite disagreements and remain focused on the greater good of students, the school system and the community.
“Over the years, a lot of good has happened, but also a lot of distractions have occurred as well,” she said. When personal interests, political theater and an unwillingness to listen take precedence, the system loses sight of its purpose, she added.
Academics, access and accountability
As she campaigns throughout District 1, Logan-Washington said residents have raised concerns about academic performance, bullying and harassment, and the availability of school meals that accommodate students’ religious and dietary needs such as kosher and Halal options.
Teacher workloads and staffing shortages also concern her, particularly when students are assigned substitute teachers for extended periods of time. Among the consequences is low test scores in certain subjects such as mathematics.
Beyond those immediate concerns, Logan-Washington wants the school system to examine whether students across the county have equitable access to rigorous coursework, career programs and other educational opportunities.
“Access is a big thing for me,” she said. “Do our children, all of our children, have access to opportunities?”
She pointed to career and technical education as one way to connect classroom learning with real-world workforce needs, while noting what she described as a “paucity” of such programs on the west side.
To articulate her points of view, Logan-Washington occasionally referenced articles from science publications, National Geographic and books such as How to Eat an Elephant One Bite at a Time, to explain complex challenges. In one analogy she compares public education to the sinking of the Titanic.
Declining academic performance, staffing shortages and inadequate resources may affect some schools and communities before others, she said, but the consequences can eventually spread throughout the system.
“We have to think about our kids like that,” she said. “If one part of that ship is not doing well, eventually the rest of it is going to go down.”
Her message is that identifying problems is only the beginning. School leaders, educators, parents and community members must work together to find solutions.
“We can make policies all day long as board members, but the impact of those policies is felt in a classroom every day with every teacher, in every child,” she said. “And then ultimately, those impacts of those policies go back into the community.”
Sen. Charles Sydnor III of District 44, which includes parts of District 1, is one of several elected officials and community leaders who support her candidacy. He pointed to her experience as a student, parent and educator as qualities that distinguish her from her opponent.
“Each of those different relationships with the school system are good informers and gives her a unique perspective that no other candidate will have in the school board race,” Sydnor said. “She knows schools. She knows education. And I think she is just the better candidate in this race.”