BOE election will play big role in direction of FCPS

The election campaign for the Frederick County Board of Education this year is shaping up to be the most expensive in recent memory — and it might be the most definitive, as well.

According to the most recent reports, the 16 candidates seeking four seats on the school board have raised about three times the amount of money that candidates reported at this point in the 2020 campaign. In addition, they have spent more than four times as much.

As of June 7, candidates had raised roughly $59,000 and spent $42,600. At this point in 2020, candidates had raised $19,900 and spent $10,200.

In part, this disparity is due to the large field.

Just seven people were on the primary ballot in 2020, though 12 ran in 2018. But these numbers are unheard of in school board races here.

Four candidates have formed a slate, which legally enables them to raise money together and run a joint campaign, with a common mission.

This group announces its intention with its name, calling itself the Education Not Indoctrination slate.

It is composed of Nancy Allen, Olivia Angolia, Mark Joannides and Cindy Rose.

Rose has run unsuccessfully for the board three previous times. She said she formed the slate to try to take over the board. Four winning candidates would control the seven-person board.

Rose has railed against “indoctrination” by FCPS since at least 2011. Her slate charges that schools offer a “politicized, sexualized, emotionally driven education” instead of one focused on academics. It criticized the district’s health curriculum and promised to “ban the use of all materials” dealing with anti-racism or “LGBTQ+ diversity training.”

Rose was among those who disrupted an April meeting of a school board advisory group that had been called to discuss state mandates on sexual orientation and gender identity. Some in the audience screamed and jeered at the committee until the meeting was ended.

The slate, the only formally organized group on the ballot, is the clear leader in raising campaign funds. It had more cash on hand than the other 12 candidates combined, with a balance of $7,315.

The slate reported $7,670 in receipts and $6,410 in expenditures since mid-January, the last time it had to file a report.

It was formed in last August and raised more than $9,000 in 2021.

Liz Barrett and Karen Yoho are the only board incumbents seeking reelection. Board President Brad Young and former President Jay Mason are pursuing other elective offices.

But the two remaining incumbents are not allied. In fact, Yoho has campaigned with Ysela Bravo, Rae Gallagher and Dean Rose. All four were endorsed by the Frederick County Teachers Association.

With such a crowded ballot, the contest might pit Cindy Rose’s slate against the teacher-endorsed candidates. The union has been sending direct mail on behalf of its preferred candidates.

This campaign is an argument about the future of Frederick County Public Schools. If you are generally satisfied with the direction of the system, you likely support the teachers’ union candidates or incumbent Barrett.

The current board has focused on working with the county government to increase spending on education, especially raising teacher salaries.

Just this week, the board approved an $822 million budget for fiscal year 2023, an increase of 7.5%, or $57 million.

Keeping that spending trajectory on track and continuing to improve salaries is a major goal of the teachers’ union. You can presume that is the mission of its endorsed candidates.

However, if you believe the school system has lost its way, and is in thrall to left-wing special interest groups, you can choose Rose’s slate or the other conservative candidates.

At least this year, the differences are very clear. The News-Post is building a voters guide that includes the views of candidates for the school board and other county, state and federal races.

Early voting is July 7 to 14, and primary election day is July 19. Mail ballots must be requested by July 12.