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Dan Furman
Dan Furman was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Howard County Board of Education in Maryland. He advanced from a primary election on June 24, 2014, to face seven other candidates for four seats in the general election on November 4, 2014. Dan Furman lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
While the board is a nonpartisan political body, Furman is a self-identified Democrat.[1]
Biography
Furman attended Howard County Public Schools and graduated from Wilde Lake High School.[1] He earned a B.A. in political science and government from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. He later earned a J.D. from the Catholic University of America. Furman is an attorney with his own practice. He also serves as the legal counsel for Howard County representatives in the Maryland General Assembly.[2]
Elections
2014
The June 24, 2014, primary ballot included incumbents Sandra H. French and Cynthia L. Vaillancourt as well as challengers Bess I. Altwerger, Corey Andrews, Tom Baek, Zaneb K. Beams, Olga Butler, Allen Dyer, Maureen Evans Arthurs, Dan Furman, Leslie Kornreich, Christine O'Connor and Mike Smith. French, Vaillancourt, Altwerger, Beams, Dyer, Furman, O'Connor and Smith faced off in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Results
General
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Cynthia L. Vaillancourt Incumbent |
15.9% | 44,142 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra H. French Incumbent |
15.4% | 42,810 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bess I. Altwerger |
13.6% | 37,774 | |
| Nonpartisan | Christine O'Connor |
13.5% | 37,561 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dan Furman | 11.9% | 33,114 | |
| Nonpartisan | Zaneb K. Beams | 10.6% | 29,548 | |
| Nonpartisan | Allen Dyer | 9.9% | 27,663 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Smith | 8.8% | 24,449 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 1,152 | |
| Total Votes | 278,213 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election Results for Howard County," December 2, 2014 | ||||
Primary
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Cynthia L. Vaillancourt Incumbent |
13.5% | 15,851 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra H. French Incumbent |
12.5% | 14,688 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bess I. Altwerger |
10.9% | 12,733 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dan Furman |
10.1% | 11,880 | |
| Nonpartisan | Zaneb K. Beams |
8.6% | 10,042 | |
| Nonpartisan | Christine O'Connor |
7.2% | 8,477 | |
| Nonpartisan | Allen Dyer |
6.6% | 7,724 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Smith |
5.7% | 6,730 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leslie Kornreich | 5.4% | 6,388 | |
| Nonpartisan | Olga Butler | 5% | 5,849 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maureen Evans Arthurs | 4.9% | 5,752 | |
| Nonpartisan | Corey Andrews | 4.9% | 5,744 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tom Baek | 4.7% | 5,482 | |
| Total Votes | 117,340 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Howard County," accessed October 18, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Furman reported no contributions or expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections as of August 19, 2014.[3]
Endorsements
Furman earned the endorsement of the Howard County Education Association (HCEA) prior to the primary election.[4] He was also endorsed by former Howard County Board of Education member Patricia Gordon and State Delegate Steven DeBoy Sr. (D-12A).[1]
Campaign themes
2014
Furman provided the following statement's on his Facebook campaign page:
| “ | Equity of Opportunity - One of my Top
Priorities if Elected Ensuring resources are delivered to individual schools based on need, in order to make sure all students in this county, no matter where they live or whatever their circumstances may be, has the same opportunity for success as every other member of our student community. We owe that to them. Some schools, especially those with a high degree of lower socio-economic status students lack the resources necessary to serve those populations appropriately. Equity in funding does not create equal results, some schools require more financial and human resources then others do, in order to meet the needs of their population. Currently schools mainly receive funding based on a formula that multiplies the number of students per school by a set dollar amount. That needs to change because not all students are the same and neither are all schools. We can no longer afford to treat them all the same and expect success from all. Some schools will need extra support because some student populations may demand it. In order to ensure equity in resource delivery we must address other problems that plague school system governance. If elected I will take a leadership role in increasing transparency within the operating budget process so we can see where resources are going. I was taught how to read the school system operating budget when I was 17 years old – every citizen should be able to read, analyze and comprehend the operating budget so they know where their tax dollars are going. I strongly disagree with the idea promulgated by some that a “graduate degree” in finance is necessary to understand the budget. Additionally, I believe equity of opportunity means deploying resources effectively to combat the achievement gap, and making sure any child no where they live in Howard County has the option to pursue a 4 year higher education even if they choose not to. On the other end of the spectrum it also means that we need to provide appropriate resources for enrichment programs because equity of opportunity as I said above, means making sure everyone has the best chance Howard County can give them to succeed. Equity in opportunity should be the driving goal behind resource allocation to schools, not a direct student driven formula. Assessing and providing for individual school needs versus a one size fits all approach is the crux of providing “Equity of Opportunity.”[5] |
” |
| —Dan Furman's Facebook campaign page (2014)[6] | ||
| “ | Campaign Priorities- Magnet Schools:
If elected I would like to begin taking steps to at least explore the possibility of creating a well-rounded magnet program at the High School level. Baltimore and Montgomery County provide their students with a plethora of options at the high school level from public policy programs to advanced engineering programs. Howard County needs to investigate doing the same. This also dovetails my belief that students are best taught with teachers in the room. Currently “distance learning” is being used to offer students classes in their home schools via technology rather having a real teacher in the room with them. I applaud the effort but I think we can do better. Computers and two video conferencing does not replace a teacher in the classroom. Creating magnet schools would allow students who wish to engage more deeply into a subject area that opportunity. I am not sure that this is financially or economically possible, but if elected I will push for a new detailed analysis by staff and a completely inclusive community discussion on the issue.[5] |
” |
| —Dan Furman's Facebook campaign page (2014)[7] | ||
| “ | Campaign Priorities
Creating a Positive Workplace Environment for Educators We must ensure that all aspects of master agreements are respected. This begins with detoxifying the negotiations process and stopping the board from initiating unnecessary and inappropriate legal actions to subvert the process. The board needs to bargain in good faith; ensuring the bargaining unit is treated as a partner rather than an organization to be condescended to is one of the most important steps forward as the next Board considers the Master Agreements. Creating a positive workplace environment also means protecting planning time from being encroached upon, decreasing paperwork/ administrative burdens on all staff (especially special education teachers) and making sure that staff is not only compensated fairly but also the most competitively in the state of Maryland. This will allow us to keep the talented staff we have and attract the best and brightest graduates.[5] |
” |
| —Dan Furman's Facebook campaign page (2014)[8] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Dan + Furman + Howard + County + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Facebook, "Dan Furman: About," accessed October 18, 2014
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Dan Furman," accessed June 5, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Teachers union announces recommendations for Howard Board of Ed. race," April 24, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Facebook, "Dan Furman," June 5, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Dan Furman," June 13, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Dan Furman," June 6, 2014
| 2014 Howard County Public Schools Elections | |
| Howard County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Bess I. Altwerger • Corey Andrews • Tom Baek • Zaneb K. Beams • Olga Butler • Allen Dyer • Maureen Evans Arthurs • Sandra H. French • Dan Furman • Leslie Kornreich • Christine O'Connor • Mike Smith • Cynthia L. Vaillancourt |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
