Three Washington County school board members face challengers
Three Washington County Board of Education members face three challengers for their seats in the nonpartisan race this November.
With only six candidates for three seats, the contest did not appear on the primary ballot in July.
Elections for the seven members of the school board are staggered every two years. Members serve four-year terms. The elections are nonpartisan, meaning no party affiliation is attached to the candidate on the ballot.
The board approves budgets, policies and personnel moves for the countywide school system, which has an estimated 22,000 students and 3,500 employees.
The three incumbents — Darrell Evans, Michael Guessford and Linda Murray — are facing three challengers in Etha Loewen, Frederick I. Chavis and Anthony Williams.
Guessford is seeking his third term.
Murray is seeking her second full term on the school board. She was appointed to the board in 2017 to fill a vacancy created when the Maryland State Board of Education removed Karen Harshman from the local board. After finishing the end of Harshman's term, Murray was elected in 2018.
Evans was appointed to the school board in 2020 to fill a vacant seat created by the resignation of Jacqueline Fischer.
The Herald-Mail sent questionnaires to the six school board candidates. Responses were limited to 500 characters, which is a little more than two tweets. Included were basic biographical questions and opportunities to provide websites and social media accounts so voters can learn more beyond the questions we asked. Though the race is nonpartisan, the candidates were asked their party affiliation.
The general election is Nov. 8 and early voting is from Oct. 27 to Nov. 3.
Darrell Evans
Age (as of Election Day): 39
Occupation: Financial advisor
Residence: Hagerstown
Party: Republican
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarrellEvansWashCo
Michael Guessford
Age (as of Election Day): 57
Occupation: Transportation specialist/dispatcher
Residence: Williamsport
Party: Republican
Ethan Loewen
Age (as of Election Day): 47
Occupation: Financial advisor
Residence: Hagerstown
Party: Republican
Facebook: http://facebook.com/EthanWCBOE
Linda Murray
Age: (as of Election Day): 68
Occupation: Retired from WCPS
Residence: Hagerstown
Party: Republican
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfLindaMurray
Frederick I. Chavis
Age (as of Election Day): 32
Occupation: Business owner
Residence: Fairplay
Party: Democrat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePeopleForFred/
Anthony Williams
Age (as of Election Day): 43
Occupation: Nonprofit CEO
Residence: Leitersburg area
Party: Green
Campaign website: http://www.anthonywilliamsforschoolboard.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anthonywilliamsforschoolboard
Violence in schools
What more can Washington County Public Schools do to address violence in schools against students and staff?
Evans
We have made some great steps by hiring more counseling staff. More can be done, however, by adding more properly trained security staff and lowering class sizes.
Guessford
First, I would like to see SRO's (Police Officers) in all schools, and in some schools, 2 per school. We need to allow SRO's full authority to remove students from school grounds. Students then must attend anger management classes with parents before they are returned to the school. Secondly, more security cameras need to be placed in classrooms. This would help to deter classroom violence/ bullying. Thirdly, have parents or retired grandparents volunteer to help in the classrooms.
Loewen
We have to restore the teacher as the authority in the classroom. Social media use during class, slows learning and has been used to coordinate in-school violence. Students involved with drugs are associated with the worst of the violence. Now that fentanyl made to look like candy is being sent into our country, our youngest students have been targeted. The only way to save our children, is to reclaim our communities from the drug trade.
Murray
The behaviors we are seeing in our schools are serious and need to be addressed. More mental health services are desperately needed in our schools as well as throughout Washington County. In my tenure on the Board, I have advocated and voted for funding to have a counselor in every school, but we need to do more. I would like to see a community task force joining WCPS, city and county governments, our local health department, Meritus, and other agencies to find solutions to this growing need.
Chavis
WCPS must do a better job at building relationships with the communities it serves. To better address issues in our schools, we must know the issues that plague a community. There has to be a holistic approach to how we view our children that creates a welcoming environment for all. Our schools must address the mental and emotional needs of our kids. Law and order approaches don't address the problem at the root. To prevent violence is to ensure every student succeeds. Education saves lives.
Williams
We need to increase security, increase the idea of community, and fund resource police.
Education funding
Do you think county and state funding need to increase for WCPS and why?
Evans
Funding should be reviewed consistently to make certain that each area of our education is being funded adequately. It is difficult to say we need more money when we spend over one-third of one billion dollars each year.
Guessford
Everyone knows the cost of doing business increases every year. The school system is a business and needs to be treated like one. In business, you evaluate your needs to make the business profitable. In our case, we need to make sure we are providing funding to educate our students. The school system has to live within its means, if you don't, something needs to be cut. If you add a new program, you need to take two away to equal the cost of the new program. Find balance!
Loewen
From 2009-2019, spending increased in line with the increase in costs (inflation). Since the onset of covid, spending has increased faster then inflation, even when accounting for the historic inflation we have now. We need to know why covid levels of spending are continuing, in order to know if additional funding is needed. My spending priorities are decreasing class sizes and increasing specialists such as tutors. However, can funds be redirected? Or, do we need to look at increasing taxes?
Murray
We need increased funding to address the mental health and violence issues in our schools. WCPS values its staff and has not been able to keep salaries in line with inflation. This makes it difficult to retain and attract new employees. Our schools are aging and we are currently on a 100-year replacement cycle. The Blueprint for Maryland Schools legislation has allocated money to specific areas that will be beneficial to our high poverty schools, but not to the general fund.
Chavis
We need an increase in funding for WCPS. In order to effectively and efficiently meet the needs of all of our students and educators, we need funding to bring in more trained professionals, programs, and resources. We need individuals in place in our schools that our children and educators can depend on. In short, we need to stop politicizing education and invest in it.
Williams
Overall, I think sitting down and having a strong look at the budget and needs must happen first. Then we need to ask for additional funding based on this data.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County Board of Education candidates answer questionnaires
