Bar Harbor School Committee Candidates Answer Our Questions
Three running for two available seats
BAR HARBOR—Three candidates vie for two seats on Bar Harbor’s School Committee. Incumbent Tyson Starling hopes to stay on the board while Tracey Neel and Carlyle “Bear” Paul both hope to nab the seat vacated by resigning Chair Lilea Simis who is choosing to focus her school-related volunteering on fundraising efforts for the new Conners Emerson School, which is currently under construction.
VOTING DETAILS
Voting occurs on June 10, 2025 at the Bar Harbor Municipal Building auditorium on Cottage Street. Poll hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This is the same time that the town’s land use ordinance amendments will be voted on and when voters elect town councilors.
The town’s budget articles are voted on during town meeting, which occurs on June 3, 2025 at the Conners Emerson gymnasium. That begins at 6 p.m.
HOW WE ARE PRESENTING THE CANDIDATES
We have not edited the content of the answers. The candidates also wrote their own biographical statements. All photos were selected and sent in by the candidates themselves. We’ve alphabetized the candidates. If a candidate is not mentioned below, that means that they did not respond with answers, bio, and a photo. If they do, we’ll include their profile on our dedicated elections tab on the website.
All the candidate profiles will be posted here on our 2025 elections tab.
TRACEY NEEL
TRACEY’S BIO
I’m Tracey Neel, my family and I have been a part of the Bar Harbor community for 17 years. Raising my son here has been a privilege. As an executive administrative assistant at The Jackson Laboratory, I’m confident my administrative skills and commitment to the community will enable me to contribute effectively to the challenges and opportunities facing our school district. I’m eager to make a meaningful impact on Bar Harbor’s educational landscape through collaboration and continuous improvement.
THE QUESTIONS
What inspired you to run for the school committee?
I have been wanting to be more involved in the school/community and a friend suggested I run for the school committee, where I hope to be an advocate for the students in our community.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the school community right now?
The uncertainty of funding and living in a world in constant change.
How will you balance the short-term needs with long-range planning for students in Bar Harbor?
I believe it is important to prioritize immediate needs while still developing long-term plans and ensuring flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.
What are your thoughts about the potential consolidation of the schools on Mount Desert Island?
There are certainly pros and cons to consolidation and a topic that deserves more thought and discussions.
What is your favorite aspect of this school community? Do you feel as if it’s thriving?
I love living in a small town and feel very fortunate that my son has been able to grow up in a caring and supportive school community. I believe it is thriving; however, it is important to remember there is always room for growth and improvement and we should always be looking for opportunities to strengthen what works and fix what isn’t working.
CARLYLE "BEAR" PAUL
BEAR’S BIO
My real name is Carlyle Barrow Paul, but everyone calls me Bear. My wife and I and our two children moved to Bar Harbor from Washington, D.C. in the late winter of 2021. We moved here as I assumed the role of administrative dean/CFO at College of the Atlantic and to be able to step out of Washington, D.C. during the crush of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professionally, I have been in education for the last twenty years or so. I moved into the classroom through a lateral entry program called DC Teaching Fellows, essentially a Teach for America type program focusing on Washington, DC. I taught sixth-grade special education science and math with DC Public Schools. Since that first year, I’ve served as a classroom teacher for an additional seven years, served as an assistant principal in a middle school for two of those years, moved into the business office, and served in leadership roles at two educational institutions. In that time, I’ve developed curriculum and written IEPs, coached sport teams from middle school to the varsity level, developed a school’s class schedule, and developed an institution’s financial budget. I’ve found participation in school life to be incredibly hard work but also incredibly joyful.
I grew up in a family of educators. The classroom was one of the primary topics of conversation at my childhood dinner table. Schools are the heart, soul, and future of their community.
THE QUESTIONS
What inspired you to run for the school committee?
When we moved here in 2021, our children’s charter school in Washington, D.C. was still in full distance mode in response to the pandemic. It was a challenging time for everyone. Conners Emerson was open five days per week and welcomed our child with open arms. Both of our children are at CES now, and we feel lucky for this to be the case. It is a wonderful community, and if I can offer something from the set of experiences I’ve had in my career to support the school, I would be excited to be able to serve the community in this way.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the school community right now?
I believe we are in one of the most challenging periods in the history of formal education. We are coming off a global health emergency where most children in school experienced some form of major disruption to their educational life, the availability of distraction machines (smartphones, iPads, etc.) is growingly pervasive, and social media has the ability to impact the social dynamic of the classroom in significant, unpredictable ways.
For challenges specific to Conners Emerson, I would list: the challenges of occupying an aging building, the shrinking population of school-aged children on the island, and recruiting and retaining highly capable faculty as the local housing market becomes increasingly challenging. Within the classroom, there is the ongoing process of honing the skills of how best to teach and lead a classroom: what’s the right balance for use of technology, how do we keep students in engaged in topics, etc. Without being a daily part of the life of the school, I don’t think I could accurately guess what the biggest challenge is. I see the role of a committee member as asking questions and being ready to support the school in addressing challenges as they arise.
How will you balance the short-term needs with long-range planning for students in Bar Harbor?
I will focus on supporting the school in continuing to provide an excellent education. We can’t know all the challenges that are coming. I’ll focus on supporting the school community in a way that allows it to be as nimble as possible in addressing new challenges as they arise, while maintaining a focus on its core values.
What are your thoughts about the potential consolidation of the schools on Mount Desert Island?
Considering the state of available 12-month housing on the island and how that might progress, I think this is an important conversation to have. I do not yet have enough information to make any definitive statements on this front, but this is a topic I am keen to examine further.
What is your favorite aspect of this school community? Do you feel as if it’s thriving?
Too easy – I deeply care for the people of the school community (the teachers, staff, students, administrators, parents). With any school community, it’s the people that make it great. CES has great people. You see it at drop off and pick up every day. You see it in the way the bus drivers wave to you after your kids get on their bus. You see it at school events. Is it thriving? Yes, indeed, it is. The school community is definitely thriving, but it is thriving through challenges and will have to continue to do so. But the thriving through the challenges is what makes it great. If it were easy, it wouldn’t mean as much. Thank you, Conners Emerson.
People can email Bear at cbarrowpaul@gmail.com if they'd like to contact him.
TYSON STARLING
TYSON’S BIO
Tyson Starling serves on the School Board, the Hancock County Technical Center Board, and the Building Committee. He lives in Town Hill with his wife and daughter and runs MDI Heat Pumps, a local business focused on the installation, maintenance, and service of heat pump systems. Tyson holds a B.A. from Crandall University and has a strong connection to the schools as a parent and active community member. He believes that solid education is essential for a strong community—and that schools should prepare students to think critically and adapt to a changing world. In his free time, Tyson likes learning new things and being outdoors, whether it's sailing, biking, hiking and swimming.
THE QUESTIONS
What inspired you to run for the school committee?
I was initially inspired to run out of frustration—when I went to vote and saw empty seats with no candidates, it really struck me. I looked into which committees had openings and found that the school committee aligned best with my interests. I’ve always believed that education is fundamental to a thriving community and a strong democracy, so it felt like the right place to contribute.
Now that I’m on the board, I’m running for re-election because I want to help see through some of the important projects we've started. I especially enjoy serving on the board for the Hancock County Technical Center (HCTC) and being part of the new school building committee. I’m excited about the opportunity to help our school transition to a more sustainable footprint, with lower long-term operating costs—something I believe will benefit both students and taxpayers.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the school community right now?
One of the biggest challenges is plateauing enrollment—we have fewer students in our schools than we did decades ago. And after COVID, we still have a lot of work to do to keep students engaged and ensure they’re developing the skills they need to be productive members of society and active citizens in our town. Many students missed out on critical early social experiences, and we’re only beginning to understand the long-term impacts of that. We need to be thoughtful in how we adapt to these changes while staying committed to high-quality learning in a rapidly evolving educational landscape.
How will you balance the short-term needs with long-range planning for students in Bar Harbor?
As a school committee member, I see one of my core responsibilities as advocating for our students, faculty, and staff—especially in the face of rising costs. Nobody wants higher taxes, so it’s critical that we use our resources as effectively as possible. Maintaining a top-rated school system takes continuous effort. I believe it's more effective to build on our strengths and make consistent improvements rather than reach a peak and then scramble to catch up. By regularly evaluating our programs, cutting what isn’t working, and fine-tuning what is, we can meet both immediate needs and long-term goals.
What are your thoughts about the potential consolidation of the schools on Mount Desert Island?
Reorganization is a touchy subject, but I believe we as a board need to do a better job of communicating why it can benefit everyone. It's a complex issue, but if implemented properly, it has the potential to serve our entire community well.
I see reorganization as a logical step in meeting the changing needs of our schools and towns. While the current proposal does present real challenges—such as longer commutes, changing the feel of the community, and concerns from communities that feel unheard—I believe the overall intent is sound. These conversations have been happening long before I joined the school system, and the idea of pooling resources to improve outcomes makes sense. When done right, it can help us operate more efficiently and deliver stronger support to students and staff.
I support the proposal as a working draft—not a final plan. It will need to evolve as we listen to feedback and address concerns. The current AOS structure is cumbersome for administration and makes it difficult to allocate resources where they’re most needed. Reorganization gives us a real opportunity to fix that, but only if we move forward thoughtfully and remain open to input every step of the way.
What is your favorite aspect of this school community? Do you feel as if it’s thriving?
What I love most about this school community is the deep dedication of our staff, faculty, and administrators. Everyone I’ve spoken with genuinely wants what’s best for our students and our town. Seeing the hard work that goes into keeping things running smoothly has been eye-opening. I do occasionally hear concerns that community members feel disconnected or unheard, but from what I’ve seen, the school system is listening and genuinely trying to include all voices. We’re a small community with some of the best public education in the state—and that kind of success doesn’t happen by accident.
UPDATE: This post has been updated at May 8, which has changed Tyson Starling’s answers. The error was not Starling’s, but ours and we apologize.
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