Anne Arundel School Board: Incumbents are in charge

In Anne Arundel County’s race for school board, incumbents led their challengers and voters appeared to reject candidates with a more conservative agenda.

Two current members held the lead in the contested races. Dana Schallheim, 48, has served for six years, helping the district through the pandemic and the search for a superintendent. In early returns, Schallheim led with 61% of the vote over LaToya Nkongolo in District 5, which includes Arnold, Broadneck Peninsula and Severna Park.

Longtime board member Joanna Bache Tobin, 61, also faced a challenger in District 6, which includes Annapolis, Crownsville and Millersville. Both Tobin and Schallheim are supported by the teachers union and Democratic leaders. Tobin led Edilene Barros, 53, with 67% of the vote.

In District 3, Erica McFarland led Charles “Chuck” Yocum by a narrow margin of about 500 votes. Democratic leaders, including the county executive, had called on Yocum to do so withdraw from the race after The Baltimore Banner reported that he had been indicted and found not guilty of sexually assaulting a student 30 years ago. At the time, the school system launched an extensive internal investigation that revealed more allegations that Yocum sexually harassed students as young as 13 or made inappropriate comments. He did not return to teaching.

McFarland, 45, is the mother of two county students and two graduates who served on the school system’s Citizen Advisory Committee and the Strategic Planning Steering Committee. She has been endorsed by the Maryland State Education Association, the state’s teachers union.

Although the races are nonpartisan, the Democratic Party of Maryland first began investing in school board races to counter what they say are far-right agendas of some candidates. Democrats are targeting Charles “Chuck” Yocum, 61, running in District 3, and Nkongolo in District 5. Both candidates have expressed conservative views.

In a video speaking after the primaries, Nkongolo had said she believed the school system “should be an institution of learning, not an institution of grooming.” She wanted to prioritize academics and said she believed children are exposed to sexually explicit material. She tried to stop any attempt to allow transgender girls to play on girls’ sports teams.

Two newcomers, Sarah McDermott and Stephanie Mutchler, competed against each other to represent District 4, which includes Ft. Meade, Laurel and Odenton area of ​​the county. McDermott won by a wide margin over Mutchler.

McDermott is a married mother of two and Air Force veteran living in Odenton. She serves as the assistant commissioner for occupational and professional licensing at the Maryland Department of Labor and sometimes works as a substitute teacher in the school system.

Mutchler has 20 years of experience working with schools, including volunteering in her child’s classroom and joining the county school’s affiliated parent organization.

In District 7, Dawn Pulliam, 52, led in the early return against Jeremy York, 38, to represent the Crofton, Davidsonville, Edgewater, Deale region on the board. Pulliam was endorsed by former Republican lawmakers and two County Council members. She wants to improve the physical safety of students and return to a traditional teaching model.

York is a married father of two and a Marine Corps veteran who wants to increase school funding to retain teachers. He is backed by the teachers union and several Democratic lawmakers.

In District 1 and District 2, current board members Gloria Dent, representing Brooklyn Park, Ferndale, Linthicum and Jessup, and Robert Silkworth, representing Glen Burnie, Millersville, Severn, ran unopposed. Silkworth is the chairman of the school board.

School board races have historically attracted fewer votes than other contests in counties across the state. Jen and Jim Haller, 67 and 62, opted out of this year’s Anne Arundel County school board election because they said they felt they didn’t know enough about the candidates.

“If it’s a local, tight race, I don’t want to get involved and tip the scales because I don’t know the issues,” Jim Haller said. “Because it’s such an important local thing, I just chose to stay out of it.” But the Hallers, who both voted at Severna Park Middle School on Tuesday night, had done their research at the top of the list.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, a community-funded journalism program that gives parents the tools they need to make decisions about the way their children learn. Read more.