With provisional ballots still outstanding, voters largely chose candidates endorsed by the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County except in District 7, where Dawn Pulliam is set to defeat Jeremy York.
All seven Anne Arundel County Board of Education seats were on the ballot this year. Before 2018, members of the school board were appointed by the county’s School Board Appointment Commission, which included representatives from the county executive’s office, the teachers’ union and the chamber of commerce. The board now includes a student member, elected by other students, and members elected by the public to serve four-year terms.
All districts have candidates with significant leads except in District 3. Erica McFarland has a slight lead over Chuck Yocum.
“Every single vote counts so I patiently wait until every ballot is counted,” McFarland wrote on Facebook Wednesday. “The results of this election only determine which side of the board room I sit on. I’m there for our kids regardless.”
Yocum’s campaign was controversial. He faced criticism for Facebook posts that used offensive terms and accusations of sexual abuse from a former student, of which he was charged but found not guilty in 1994.
“I came in as someone who had this crazy idea that if we just could love each other and connect with each other, we could change the world. And I still believe that, and that’s what I ran on,” McFarland said Tuesday night while addressing supporters.
Incumbent Dana Schallheim defeated challenger LaToya Nkongolo, who conceded the loss on Facebook Wednesday, for the District 5 seat.
“I have always been proud of our schools and I will not stop working until they are the best they can be. Tomorrow the work of improvement continues. Our kids deserve the best and we won’t accept anything less,” Schallheim said in a statement.
Nkongolo had criticized Schallheim for her support of LGBTQ students and her votes during the COVID-19 pandemic in favor of safety protocols set by health experts.
Schallheim said she won by making the case to District 5 that the board should reject political division, embrace all students, celebrate educators and not choose between empowering parents and supporting teachers or between safe schools and academic achievement.
In District 6, incumbent Joanna Bache Tobin has a large lead over challenger Edilene Barros.
“To those for whom I was not your choice, please know that I will always hear you and represent you to the very best of my ability. I am humbled and grateful to have the chance to continue to do the work I love on behalf of all of our children,” Tobin said on Facebook Wednesday..
In District 4, stay-at-home mom Sarah McDermott, endorsed by TAAAC, is set to defeat Stephanie Mutchler with a majority of the vote. In District 1, Gloria Dent won reelection unchallenged, as did Robert Silkworth in District 2. Mutchler conceded the race to McDermott on Facebook Wednesday.
In District 7, Dawn Pulliam is set to defeat veteran Jeremy York, who was endorsed by TAAAC.
Pulliam did not respond to requests for comment on her projected win. She campaigned on promoting parent engagement, opposing accommodations for transgender students and arguing that Anne Arundel County needs to return to the basics of education to improve academic performance.
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