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Cathy Allen
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Cathy Allen is an at-large representative on the St. Mary's County Board of Education in Maryland. Allen sought another term in the primary election on April 26, 2016. Allen defeated Chris Krush in the general election on November 8, 2016.[1]
Biography
Allen received her B.S. in nursing from the University of Virginia. She has served as the president of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education and as an appointee to the Maryland Council on the Advancement of School-Based Health Centers.[2]
Elections
2016
Three of the five seats on the St. Mary's County Board of Education were up for general election on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on April 26, 2016, for the at-large seat. Incumbent Cathy Allen defeated challenger Chris Krush in the general election after both candidates defeated DeForest Rathbone in the primary. Jim Davis defeated Justin Fiore for the open District 2 seat, while District 4 incumbent Mary Washington won re-election without opposition.[1]
Results
| St. Mary's County Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Cathy Allen Incumbent |
58.63% | 25,196 |
| Chris Krush | 40.95% | 17,599 |
| Write-in votes | 0.42% | 179 |
| Total Votes | 42,974 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
| St. Mary's County Public Schools, At-large Primary Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Cathy Allen Incumbent |
61.64% | 11,413 |
| Chris Krush |
31.88% | 5,903 |
| DeForest Rathbone | 6.48% | 1,200 |
| Total Votes | 18,516 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Unofficial 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for St. Mary's County," accessed April 26, 2016 | ||
Funding
Candidates for public office in Maryland had until March 22, 2016, to submit their first contributions and expenditure report of the primary campaign. The final campaign finance deadline of the 2016 campaign was November 22, 2016.[3] State law allows candidates to file Affidavits of Limited Contributions and Expenditures (ALCE) if their campaigns did not accept $1,000 in contributions or spend $1,000 in a particular reporting period.[4]
October 28 filing
Candidates received a total of $3,770.04 and spent a total of $1,964.76 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[5]
At-large
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathy Allen (incumbent) | $1,400.04 | $0.00 | $1,828.09 |
| Chris Krush | $600.00 | $818.75 | $460.29 |
District 2
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Davis | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Justin Fiore | $800.00 | $273.15 | $547.23 |
District 4
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Washington (incumbent) | $970.00 | $872.86 | $715.03 |
March 22 filing
Candidates received a total of $835.04 and spent a total of $263.62 as of April 19, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[6]
At-large
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathy Allen (incumbent) | $0.04 | $0.00 | $386.95 |
| Chris Krush | $800.00 | $249.00 | $551.00 |
| DeForest Rathbone | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
District 2
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Davis | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Justin Fiore | $35.00 | $14.62 | $20.38 |
District 4
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Washington (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Cathy Allen participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on October 3, 2016:
| “ | I hope to continue to advocate for student, staff and community alike. I am uniquely qualified to serve. During my service on the board I have successfully advocated for improved communication and transparency. I am proud to say that we use a collaborative process to develop and implement new programs, determine school boundaries, and review issues coming before the board. I believe providing opportunities for real input before decisions are made leads to better outcomes.[7][8] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Maryland. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| “ | We already have a robust arts education program as well as many school choice options. Our most important issue is maintaining a reasonable budget, closely tied with closing the achievement gap (which would also impact post-secondary readiness). Our relationship with teachers is something we've worked on successfully for a number of years but must always be attended to so as not to take the relationship for granted in any way. Similarly, we must continue to offer options that improve education for our special needs students. We've done much in that area but, as with much in education, as new options emerge, we must be ready to consider all options.[8] | ” |
| —Cathy Allen (October 3, 2016) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer nine questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| Yes. We already have a very successful charter school in our district. The process we use to approve charters is rigorous, ensuring that any charter has the best opportunity to be successful. The challenge we face is in making the case for the funds required to reasonably support our traditional schools in addition to our charter school. It is an ongoing conversation as our charter school works to expand their enrollment. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases. Local control by school boards is democracy in action. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests are only one metric of student achievement. These tests are subject to the same issues that plague any test and are simply a snapshot in time. While they may provide some understanding of student achievement, often the scores are so late in being reported that any chance of remediation for the student has long passed. Most effective are assessments given and scored locally that assist teachers in determining what, if any, additional measures might be needed to ensure mastery of skills. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| Maryland has long had high standards and a mandated state curriculum. The changes brought about by the work of the National Governors Association and Chief State School Officers (state superintendents) to develop common standards have changed our state standards somewhat. The chance for students moving from one state to another to have fairly consistent standards was a reasonable goal but the implementation has been challenging. I believe in our curriculum, based on state standards because it was written by teachers across our state. It is comprehensive and based on sound principles. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. We have a very strong new teacher program in our system. It provides mentors to new teachers from day one. The program also brings new teachers together frequently in their first few years to provide support, professional development, and opportunities for discussion. Through the teacher evaluation system, teachers may be rated as 'ineffective', 'developing', 'effective', and 'highly effective'. Under-performing teachers have many opportunities for assistance. Once identified, goals are set through a plan of assistance developed collaboratively. Support is provided, allowing teachers opportunities to improve. Much is invested in developing good teachers. When improvement doesn't follow, a process is followed in order to address any shortfall. It can range from additional time to additional support but ultimately it may end in resignation or termination. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. Studies have repeatedly shown that merit pay does not significantly change outcome. Paying every teacher a salary commensurate with the value they provide, providing good support (including quality professional development), and offering a safe and secure working environment would go a long way toward ensuring that we have highly qualified teachers in every classroom. It is only when we show the respect they deserve for the job they do that teachers will understand the value communities place on the service they provide to our children. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. There is already a great deal of support provided by the state to private and parochial schools in the areas of technology, materials, textbooks, and bus transportation. Historically that support has come at a cost to the public schools in the state. The money allotted has also not been fully utilized by private and parochial schools unfortunately. I would like to see the money allotted utilized fully before supporting any additional funds for either vouchers or scholarships. Accountable, quality public schools providing options for students benefit all. We must have a laser-like focus on improvement to schools where needed first and foremost. If that fails, then other options should be considered. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| The State Board of Education (SBOE) reviewed discipline practices across the state several years ago and mandated changes that have limited options for both suspensions and expulsions. Their directive has the force of law in Maryland. Expulsions are limited in scope, including reasons for which students may be expelled, length of expulsion, and services we must provide. St. Mary's County Public Schools (SMCPS) follows the SBOE requirements. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Parent involvement. Each of the elements noted above are important for student success in the classroom. School boards can have significant impact on every factor except parent involvement. We can dismantle barriers that may be in place that discourage or limit parent involvement, but we cannot force parents to be involved. Many times parents are unable to be involved due to the need to work long hours, or, in our community, military parents who deploy. Following parent involvement, my order would be 2) teachers, 3) student-teacher ratio, 4) curriculum, and 5) school administration. Success is dependent on all these factors, to varying degrees at different times. |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Cathy Allen' 'St. Mary's County Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "St. Mary's County 2016 Presidential Primary Election Local Candidates List," February 10, 2016
- ↑ Cathy Allen, "About Me," accessed April 6, 2016
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedule," accessed February 10, 2016
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "EAffidavit Filing," accessed February 10, 2016
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports Information," accessed October 30, 2016
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports Information," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2016, "Cathy Allen's responses," October 3, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| 2016 St. Mary's County Public Schools Elections | |
| St. Mary's County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Cathy Allen • Chris Krush • DeForest Rathbone District 2: Jim Davis • Justin Fiore |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
