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Devon Rothschild
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Devon Rothschild is an at-large member on the Carroll County Board of Education in Maryland. She advanced from a primary election on June 24, 2014, to face five other candidates for three available seats in the general election on November 4, 2014. Devon Rothschild won the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Rothschild earned a bachelor's degree in biology from St. Mary's College of Maryland. She later received a master's degree in wildlife biology from Frostburg State University. Rothschild worked as a research biologist prior to focusing on raising her three children. She currently serves on the district's Community Advisory Committee as well as the advisory committee for local group Carroll Values Education.[1]
Elections
2014
The June 24, 2014, primary ballot included incumbent Virginia R. Harrison along with challengers Gary W. Desper, George E. Harmening, Mary Kowalski, Bob Lord, Charles "Bud" Nason, Jim Roenick and Devon Rothschild. Board members Gary Bauer and Barbara Shreeve did not file for re-election. Harmening, Lord, Nason, Roenick, Rothschild and Harrison faced off in the general election on November 4, 2014. Harmening, Nason and Roenick ran as a slate opposed to Common Core.
Harrison, Rothschild and Lord won the general election.
Results
General
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Virginia R. Harrison Incumbent |
21.4% | 29,854 | |
| Nonpartisan | Devon Rothschild |
19.4% | 27,004 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Lord |
15.5% | 21,596 | |
| Nonpartisan | George E. Harmening | 13.9% | 19,456 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Roenick | 14.8% | 20,665 | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles "Bud" Nason | 14.7% | 20,494 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.3% | 418 | |
| Total Votes | 139,487 | |||
| Source: Carroll County Board of Elections, "2014 General Election Results," accessed December 20, 2014 | ||||
Primary
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Virginia R. Harrison Incumbent |
19.2% | 13,203 | |
| Nonpartisan | Devon Rothschild |
16.8% | 11,561 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bob Lord |
14.1% | 9,676 | |
| Nonpartisan | George E. Harmening |
11.4% | 7,821 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Roenick |
11.4% | 7,813 | |
| Nonpartisan | Charles "Bud" Nason |
11.1% | 7,609 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mary Kowalski | 10% | 6,866 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gary W. Desper | 6% | 4,108 | |
| Total Votes | 68,657 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Carroll County," July 16, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Rothschild reported $3,760.00 in monetary contributions, $632.07 in-kind contributions, and $2,683.23 in expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections, which left her campaign with $1,076.77 on hand as of August 19, 2014. This total includes amounts from previous filing periods.[2]
Endorsements
Rothschild received the endorsement of the Carroll County Education Association (CCEA), the Carroll Association of School Employees (CASE) and Parents Choice of Maryland.[3][4]
Campaign themes
2014
Rothschild explained her themes for the 2014 race in a series of interviews with the Carroll County Times:
| “ |
Capital projects I would prioritize capital projects that have a positively effect student learning and those that if not addressed will lead to negative consequences for our students. CCPS has an Educational Facilities Master Plan that identifies these priorities, including modernizing aging schools, meeting changing instructional philosophies, and building system replacements. The Carroll County Career and Tech Center turns away more than 150 qualified students every year, and this has a direct negative effect on student achievement. We must address this issue, either by building a new facility or providing staff for additional programs at students’ home schools. We must also address modernizations/replacements of our oldest buildings, general maintenance, and outdated science classrooms. State funding for capital projects is dependent upon county contributions. I believe that the Board of Education needs to work with our commissioners to develop a realistic, fiscally responsible plan to address the school system’s capital needs. Common Core The Board must send a clear directive to the entirety of our school system that parents are a welcome and essential partner in achieving student success. In addition to the online resources already available to CCPS parents, I would like each school to hold ”Curriculum Nights” for parents that detail the recent changes to curriculum and how parents can help their children. These evening programs could be specific to grade and subject and would provide parents with an understanding of what and how their kids are learning, activities parents can do at home with their children, and ways to collaborate with their child’s teachers. Teachers could provide simple explanations on homework assignments so parents are able to help their children. Each of these small efforts will allow our parents to be more informed and comfortable with the curriculum changes that have taken place. District fund balance Of our school system’s approximate $15M surplus fund, $12.8M is slated to go to teacher bonuses between FY14-FY16. I support the use of CCPS’ surplus money to fund one-time teacher bonuses. Our teachers have not received a step increase in five of the last six years, and while these one-time bonuses do not help to provide our teachers with competitive salaries I consider them a show of good faith that we value their work and prioritize increasing staff compensation. The use of these funds also meets the criteria established for use of the surplus fund — that they must be used for one-time, non-recurring expenses. I support the school system’s establishment of a surplus fund. I believe it is necessary for an organization as large as CCPS to have a contingency fund for unexpected costs. Teacher salaries Providing our teachers with competitive salaries is one of the most important issues facing CCPS. Seeing as 12 percent of our teachers are aged 60 or older and make a significantly higher salary than our new and mid-career teachers, I recommend providing incentives to some of our teachers who are close to retirement and using the resulting savings to raise starting salaries and increase salaries overall. While we certainly need experienced teachers in our system to serve as leaders, we also benefit from the innovation and energy of new and mid-career teachers. While this idea alone will not be able to fully fund raises for our teachers, it will demonstrate that providing competitive salaries is a priority for our school system and start us on the right path. |
” |
| —Carroll County Times, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Devon + Rothschild + Carroll + County + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Devon for Education, "About," accessed June 9, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Carroll education groups announce candidate recommendations," April 3, 2014
- ↑ Parents Choice of Maryland, "Voting Guide for Carroll County," October 20, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Carroll County Times, "Board of Education candidates weigh in on Carroll County Public School fund balance," May 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Carroll County Times, "Board of Education candidates weigh in on Carroll County Public School fund balance," May 16, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Carroll County Times, "Carroll County Board of Education candidates discuss how to inform parents about Common Core," May 13, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ Carroll County Times, "Candidates for Board of Education discuss teacher salaries," May 15, 2014 (dead link)
| 2014 Carroll County Public Schools Elections | |
| Carroll County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Gary W. Desper • George E. Harmening • Virginia R. Harrison • Mary Kowalski • Bob Lord • Charles "Bud" Nason • Jim Roenick • Devon Rothschild |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
