Iannaco-Hahn Runs For Montgomery County Board Of Education District 5

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — It's primary election season in Maryland. Early voting runs through Thursday, July 14. Primary election day is Tuesday, July 19. Voters can also return their ballot by mail, or place it in a drop box.

Residents can learn when, where and how to can vote by clicking here. Voters can see which districts they live in by using this tool. Visit this link to see who is running in each district.

Patch asked Montgomery County Board of Education candidates to complete a questionnaire outlining their priorities.

Montgomery County Board of Education District 5 candidate Dawn Iannaco-Hahn participated in our survey. Iannaco-Hahn's responses are posted below.

Name

Dawn Iannaco-Hahn, LCPC

Campaign website

https://www.anewdawn4boe.com

City or town of residence

Silver Spring

Office sought

BOE, D5

Education

BA psychology, MS Counseling Psychology, Post-Master’s Certificate, MD state licensure

Occupation

22+ years Mental Health Therapist

Family

I’ve been married to my husband Dave for 16 years and have 2 boys, Brennan age 11 and Tanner age 13!

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

I work for Montgomery County government in DHHS

Age

47

Previous public office, appointive or elective

No

Why are you seeking this office?

I’m a parent and a mental health therapist and I want to bring positive change and a fresh perspective to the BOE. I have worked in mental health and education for over 20 years. I have kids in the system and I am a strong advocate.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am a licensed mental health clinician who has worked in various school settings and I truly understands the crisis we are in. I am also a parent, so I have “skin in the game.” I’m also not part of the current “system” so I am not afraid to ask tough questions, demand answers, and go against the status quo.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

The incumbent in this position has a reputation of not really listening to the stakeholders or truly caring about what they have to say or what their viewpoint is. She has been curt with both stakeholders and current Board members and had been known to “bully” those around her to get what she wants. She also voted to keep school buildings closed far longer than necessary, thus denying kids the in-person education they needed and deserved, contributing to the cavern of learning loss we are seeing now. She doesn’t answer emails sent by stakeholders and she voted the way she was “expected” to and never challenged poor decisions or proposals.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

We need to address the staffing shortage by increasing pay for subs, paras, and other support staff. Wr also need to change salary and hiring guidelines to get quality and experienced staff and create incentive programs to keep quality staff. We need real transparency and accountability. We need more career and technical education HS’s and programming to normalize and support paths other than college. We need to make students and staff feel safe again and create an environment where students can get a quality education and feel respected and supported. We need to let teachers teach and students learn, which means a decrease in time spent on testing and data collection. We need to bring the joy and creativity back to teaching.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I ran an outpatient mental health clinic in an inner-city school system for 12+ years, and during that time, I advocated for students with special needs to get the services they were entitled to. I’ve never been afraid to fight to get what my students or clients needed, and also what my own children needed. I also worked side-by-side with and trained school staff. I’ve been an active member in my kid’s schools and education and I’m a respected member of my community.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My parents taught me the value of education and the importance of being an advocate. They told me to never be afraid to speak out or go against the status quo. They also taught me rise above negativity and hatefulness and to always hold my head high and speak the truth (even if it’s not popular) and to fight for what is right. I will forever be grateful for the advice and wisdom they instilled in me before they both passed.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I’m not in this to further an agenda or to use this as some kind of stepping stone. I am running for BOE because I am a passionate advocate, a speaker of truth, I value education and consider teachers essential, and I want my children to go through a fantastic schools system that I know MCPS can once again be.