{"id":2494,"date":"2026-05-22T00:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T00:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/brandon-ernest-martin\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T20:36:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T20:36:06","slug":"brandon-ernest-martin","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/brandon-ernest-martin\/","title":{"rendered":"Brandon Ernest Martin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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About the Candidate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Father of three. Lifelong resident in MSAD 11. Ten years in public service, including seven years with the state of Maine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Bachelor of Science in management, Thomas College, Waterville.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Previous campaigns and elected office(s) held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Never held or ran for elected office<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top three priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1) Address enrollment decline – Fewer students means less state funding, increasing the financial burden on MSAD 11 taxpayers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Restore board trust – The school board must refocus on issues that directly affect students. Public confidence has suffered and needs to be rebuilt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Improve student outcomes – Test scores are down across Maine and MSAD 11 is no exception. I will work with educators and families to develop approaches that support student achievement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I am a parent of three, with two currently attending MSAD 11, and a proud graduate of the district. I want every student who attends and graduates from MSAD 11 to be fully prepared to be a successful, contributing member of our community. My professional background will bring practical, collaborative approaches to the challenges we face. I have a vested interest in our schools and the skillset to make an impact.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What is the biggest challenge facing your area\u2019s schools? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Enrollment and state funding are continuing to put the financial squeeze on the district. With four elementary schools and a continued decline in enrollment, state funding stretches less and less each year. The opportunity to improve student outcomes is real and the district has made a concerted effort to improve instructional resources. With continued focus, that work can become a very bright spot for MSAD 11.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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If you could change one thing about how your local schools function, what would it be and why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I would change how the board approaches budgeting. The current compressed “budget season” of January through May limits meaningful scrutiny and public trust. I want a year-round approach that examines each budget item with intent – asking what it accomplishes and whether it is working. More time on the budget means better opportunities for alternative\/grant funding, greater public confidence, and a stronger financial position for the district.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Do you think the state government is too involved in local schooling? Not involved enough? The right amount of involved? Explain your answer.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I believe the state is somewhat too involved in things that should be left to local schools. The state should be focused on setting broad expectations, ensuring accountability and providing equitable funding. The EPS funding formula is a prime example of where the state falls short by failing to keep pace with enrollment declines, leaving districts like MSAD 11 absorbing costs not accounted for in Augusta.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2725,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Brandon","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Ernest","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Martin","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":2492,"voter_guide_candidate_age":33,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"Public procurement professional","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"","voter_guide_candidate_education":"","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_state":0,"voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":0,"voter_guide_candidate_time_in_area":"32 years","voter_guide_candidate_website":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/open?id=1qRNhq4MXud4N4yTChT1gvGco_9IA0sAx","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","voter_guide_candidate_incumbent_years":"","voter_guide_candidate_is_clean_elections":false,"footnotes":""},"vg_party":[],"vg_residence_municipality":[441],"class_list":["post-2494","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","vg_residence_municipality-gardiner"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3358,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/2494\/revisions\/3358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=2494"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=2494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}