Brunswick voters will fill three school board and four Town Council seats on Election Day, Nov. 4.

Starting this election, all voting has been moved from the Brunswick Junior High School to the Recreation Center on Brunswick Landing. Curtis Memorial Library is hosting a pair of meet-the-candidates nights next month, one on Oct. 16 for Town Council and another on Oct. 17 for school board.

Each of the three school board seats is uncontested. Two veteran candidates and one newcomer told The Times Record about their goals for reelection.

These responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Elizabeth Ketner, District 1

Ketner is looking to fill the seat previously held by Mandy Merrill, who is not running for reelection.

Tell voters about yourself.

My name is Elizabeth Ketner, and I am a proud mom of two Brunswick School students. I’m a true introvert and never imagined getting involved in politics at any level, but I’ve loved getting to know my neighbors over the past few weeks as I’ve collected signatures for my candidacy.

What makes you qualified to be on the board?

I have a background in teaching and have devoted my whole career to education. I know how profoundly positive experiences in the classroom can shape young people’s experiences in the world and change the trajectory of their lives for the better. I love the Brunswick schools — both of my children have truly thrived in this school system. When a friend suggested I run, I thought, “What a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the school system, give back to the community and help further strengthen our programs for all Brunswick students and families.”

What are the most pressing issues impacting the schools that you want to address on the board?

I’m a novice, still learning about the system and the role of the board. I don’t know if I have a platform yet. One thing that’s on my mind, though, is how to best use our resources so that we protect our families from financial hardship while also making our schools the best they can be. Times are tough.

Anything else voters should know?

I’m honored to serve District 1 and will keep the concerns of my neighbors in mind.

Beth Bisson, District 2

Bisson has been a member of the Brunswick school board since 2020 and has served as the chairperson of the board since 2022. She has lived in Brunswick since 2013 and has three children in Brunswick public schools with her husband, Keith.

Tell voters about yourself.

I have worked for the Maine Sea Grant Program at the University of Maine since 2006, where I currently serve as the associate director for the program. Maine Sea Grant supports marine and coastal research, and community engagement and education programs related to ocean and coastal topics. In my free time, I love to garden, hike and explore new areas of Maine with my family. My extended family is full of public school teachers, and I am honored to serve on the board to help support Brunswick’s excellent schools.

What makes you an effective board member?

I think what makes me most effective as a current board member is my ability to listen, to facilitate public discussions and ask good questions to help ensure that the board is considering all of the information we need to make decisions that best serve the needs of our community’s students, the nearly 500 staff working for the Brunswick School Department and the needs and interests of the broader community.

I currently serve on the board’s Finance, Human Resources and Facilities Committees, and I have also served on the Region 10 Cooperative Board, the 2023-2028 Strategic Planning Committee and participated in numerous other collaborative planning efforts and contract negotiations with [Brunswick School Department] staff and administration. These efforts have helped me to develop a good understanding of our current challenges and opportunities, and strong working relationships within the board and School Department, as well as with the Town Council and community.

What are the most pressing issues impacting schools that you want to address on the board?

Three areas where I hope to focus my work in my next term on the board are:

1. Working with the school board and Town Council to facilitate a public budget process that consistently supports the short and long-term needs of our School Department and community, and protects vital staff, programs and services through fiscal challenges.

2. Supporting our ongoing staff recruitment and retention efforts to help ensure that our dedicated and skilled teachers, staff, and administrators have what they need to help our students thrive.

3. Working with the School Department, Town of Brunswick, Town Council and community partners on long-term planning for our School Department facilities and other shared community assets. In the coming year, our recent facilities planning efforts will result in a long-needed replacement of our bus garage on Barrows Street and continued investment in the new capital reserve fund that the board established in May 2025 to help support ongoing facilities maintenance and upkeep.

Anything else voters should know?

I truly enjoy my work on the Brunswick school board, and I am grateful to be able to collaborate with all of the passionate and committed School Department staff, administrators, students and community members I interact with in this role. I am proud of the work we do, and I encourage anyone interested in supporting our Brunswick public schools to attend our public meetings and consider a future run for school board if you want to contribute your time to strengthening our schools and supporting our community.

Elizabeth Sokoloff, District 6

Sokoloff is running uncontested for reelection to the District 6 seat. She has been a board member for nine years and has served as the vice chairperson for the past two years.

Tell voters about yourself.

I have lived in Brunswick for 25 years. I work as an artist and an art educator, and hold a master’s degree in painting and an master’s in education. My husband is a social worker, and our son is a lifelong student of the Brunswick schools, currently a junior at Brunswick High School.

What makes you an effective board member?

I taught in Maine Public Schools for 15 years, so I bring a specific and valuable educator’s perspective to the board. I have served on the Policy and Planning Committee as well as the Curriculum Committee for nine years, and have chaired both committees for the past three years.

I served on the board of The Emergency Action Network for seven years and was president of TEAN for three of those years. TEAN is a local nonprofit that supports Brunswick families who are struggling to meet their most basic needs. I am co-founder and vice president of Brunswick Cares, a new, local nonprofit dedicated to helping more Brunswick students participate in school activities and co-curriculars. We offer financial support for students and alleviate out-of-pocket expenses that would otherwise prevent them from participating in these activities.

What are the most pressing issues impacting schools that you want to address on the board?

In 2023, the school board adopted a Strategic Plan that outlines our mission as a district and sets specific priorities and goals for us to achieve by 2028. I am committed to seeing this work through, as it will have lasting impact on our district, specifically prioritizing our students’ physical and emotional safety, their feelings of being included and of belonging, and ensuring fair and equal access to all aspects of public education.

Our students have diverse and complex needs (special education programs, multilingual learner support and mental health services, to name a few), and these needs cannot be met if we underfund our schools. As a public school district, we are both legally and ethically mandated to provide all services necessary for our students to fully access their rightful education. Last year, we began a more proactive collaboration with the Town Council on the budget, and I look forward to continuing that work to advocate for efficient, responsible and adequate budgets that reflect and meet the needs of Brunswick students.

Educators know that early intervention is key to successful academic and social-emotional outcomes for students. For this reason, I will continue working to expand our pre-K offerings into a more robust and universal program that meets the needs of our entire community of young learners and their families.

Anything else voters should know?

I am seeking a fourth term because I love serving on the Brunswick school board. Our board is a high-functioning group of hardworking, smart and thoughtful people, and the administrative team we work alongside is unsurpassed in their expertise and dedication to students. I would urge anyone who is passionate about public education and wants to invest in our community and our schools to consider running for school board in the future and continuing the good work.