Anne Arundel School Board: Incumbents Hold the Lead

In the race for the Anne Arundel County School Board, incumbent members have outpaced their challengers while voters appear to have rejected candidates with more conservative views.

Two current competitors were leading in contested races. Dana Schalheim, 48, served for six years and helped lead the district through the pandemic and superintendent search. Early results showed Schalheim leading 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 faces a challenger in District 6, which includes Annapolis, Crownsville and Millersville. Both Tobin and Shalheim are supported by the teachers union and Democratic leaders. Tobin led Edilyn Barros, 53, with 67% of the vote.

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

McFarland, 45, is the mother of two district students and two alumni who have served on the school system’s Citizens Advisory Committee and Strategic Planning Steering Committee. She was endorsed by the Maryland Education Association, the state’s teachers union.

Although the elections are nonpartisan, the Maryland Democratic Party has begun investing in school board elections for the first time to counter what they see as the far-right agenda of some candidates. Democrats are targeting 61-year-old Charles “Chuck” Yocum, running in District 3, and Nkongolo in District 5. Both candidates have expressed conservative views.

In a video of her speech after the primary election, Nkongolo said she believed the school system should be “an institution of learning, not an institution of indoctrination.” She wanted to prioritize schoolwork and said she believed children were being exposed to sexually explicit material. She sought to stop any attempt to allow transgender girls to play on women’s sports teams.

Two newcomers, Sarah McDermott and Stephanie Mutchler, competed against each other to represent District 4, which includes Ft. Meade, Laurel and Odenton County areas. McDermott beat Mutchler by a wide margin.

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

Mutchler has two decades of experience working with schools, including volunteering in her child’s classroom and joining the district school’s parent organization.

In District 7, 52-year-old Dawn Pulliam led early matches against 38-year-old Jeremy York, who represented Crofton, Davidsonville, Edgewater and Deal on the board. Pulliam was endorsed by former Republican state legislators and two County Council members. She wants to improve students’ physical safety and return to a traditional learning model.

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

In Districts 1 and 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 school board president.

School board races have historically drawn fewer votes than other district contests in the state. Jen and Jim Haller, 67 and 62, skipped voting in this year’s Anne Arundel County school board election because they said they didn’t feel they knew enough about the candidates.

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

About the educational center

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