As required by law, all board of education elections in Maryland are nonpartisan. That means there’s no capital D or R next to a candidate’s name to indicate whether they are a Democrat or Republican when voters cast their ballots.
But partisan politics have crept into school board elections before.
During the last Howard County school board election in November 2024, support for some candidates split along party lines. One candidate was a former Republican state delegate who helped start a chapter of Moms for Liberty, a conservative parents group that pushes to ban books from school libraries based on their content. Several other candidates had long lists of endorsements from Democratic organizations and elected officials.
Next month, Howard County voters will select two of three school board candidates for the board’s at-large positions.
There’s no party line split this election — the trio are registered Democrats — however, the Democratic Party is only supporting two of the candidates through endorsements and financial backing.
Here’s what to know about their political backing:
Read More
Mark Covington
Endorsements: Howard County Education Association, Columbia Democratic Club, Howard Progressive Project, Moms Demand Action - Gun Sense Candidate, Thurgood Marshall Democratic Club of Howard County, Indivisible HoCo MD and The People’s Voice Ethics Ballot. Democratic elected officials: State Sen. Clarence Lam, Del. Jessica Feldmark, Del. Gabriel Moreno, Register of Wills Byron MacFarlane, Councilmember-elect Jessica Nichols, Councilmember-elect Kevin Chin and Councilmember-elect Janssen Evelyn
Campaign contributions: Friends of Terri Hill, Friends of Clarence Lam, Friends of Courtney Watson (Democratic Delegate), Del. Courtney Watson, Register of Wills Byron MacFarlane, Councilmember-elect Kevin Chin, Cat Carter, Democratic candidate for District 5 of the Howard County Council, and Amy Brooks, Democratic candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates
His take on partisan politics in school board elections: A lifelong educator, Covington said that “politicians and politics have too much sway in the schools.” The focus should be on teachers and students, not culture wars like book banning, he added.
Covington said he’s open to having discussions with anyone but worries his endorsements may give some Republican voters a different impression. That’s a shame, he said.
Linda Frascarella
Endorsements: Sierra Club, Moms Demand Action - Gun Sense Candidate
Campaign contributions: None tied to public figures or organizations.
Her take on partisan politics in school board elections: Frascarella said that partisan politics have not played a role in the at-large election. That wasn’t the case in 2024, she said, when some school board candidates were clearly aligned with a party.
Lanlan Xu
Endorsements: Sierra Club, Moms Demand Action - Gun Sense Candidate, Howard County Education Association, Columbia Democratic Club, Howard Progressive Project, Indivisible HoCo MD and The People’s Voice Ethics Ballot.
Democratic elected officials: State Sen. Clarence Lam, state Sen. Guy Guzzone, Del. Chao Wu, Del. Natalie Ziegler, Councilmember-elect Jessica Nichols, former Howard County Councilmember Vernon Gray
Campaign contributions: Friends of Clarence Lam, Friends of Chao Wu, Democratic Del. Natalie Ziegler, Democratic Del. Terri Hill, Linfeng Chen, current at-large school board member, former Democratic candidate for Howard County Council
Her take on partisan politics in school board elections: Xu said she’s a proud Democrat, but her personal political leaning does not mean that politics are in play when she conducts her work. As she attends town halls, forums and community events, the types of questions Xu is asked are “not super politically charged,” she said. Instead, community members ask about local issues including the annual budget, class sizes, staffing shortages and crowded school buildings, Xu said.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.