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Erin Doordan
Erin Doordan was a candidate for District 2 representative on the Cecil County Board of Education in Maryland. Doordan ran for the seat in the primary election on April 26, 2016. Doordan withdrew prior to the general election on November 8, 2016.[1]
Biography
Doordan is an employment consultant at ServiceSource in Delaware.[2]
Elections
2016
Two of the five seats on the Cecil County Board of Education were up for general election on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on April 26, 2016, for the District 2 seat. Jim Fazzino won without opposition in the general election after defeating Ron Lobos in the primary. The District 1 general election featured incumbent William Manlove and challenger Kevin Emmerich. Manlove defeated Emmerich to win re-election.[1]
Results
| Cecil County Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jim Fazzino (unopposed) |
97.70% | 32,973 |
| Write-in votes | 2.3% | 775 |
| Total Votes | 33,748 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
| Cecil County Public Schools, District 2 Primary Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Jim Fazzino |
46.75% | 7,802 |
| Erin Doordan |
34.42% | 5,744 |
| Ron Lobos | 18.82% | 3,141 |
| Total Votes | 16,687 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Unofficial 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Cecil 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 $783.01 and spent a total of $808.00 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[5]
District 1
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Manlove (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Kevin Emmerich | $600.00 | $600.00 | $0.00 |
District 2
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Fazzino | $80.01 | $80.00 | $61.20 |
| Erin Doordan | $103.00 | $128.00 | $0.00 |
March 22 filing
Candidates received a total of $625.00 and spent a total of $600.00 as of April 19, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[6]
District 1
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Manlove (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Kevin Emmerich | $600.00 | $600.00 | $0.00 |
District 2
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erin Doordan | $25.00 | $0.00 | $25.00 |
| Jim Fazzino | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Ron Lobos | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
Campaign themes
2016
Ballotpedia survey responses
Erin Doordan 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 February 26, 2016:
| “ | I hope to achieve a cooperative, productive, highly motivated enthusiasm. I will bring an open-minded attitude, willingness to learn and work hard, and a caring concern for all students attending public schools and all teachers who tirelessly devote themselves to the youth in this county.[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 |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Improving relations with teachers | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
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.) |
|---|
| No. We need the schools in our district to receive [sic] the attention they need before we introduce any other strains on the budget. |
| 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. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Studies prove that standardized testing often harm a students confidence and productivity! They are also used to pressure schools to reach unrealistic goals. Each student is unique and most be fostered as an individual. |
| What is your stance on the Common Core State Standards Initiative? |
| The sooner it is gone, the better! |
| 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. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district. Our teachers need incentives and positive reinforcements! They have a tough job and they deserve training and assistance from us, not punishment! |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| Yes. unsure! If this is to reward them for maintaining high standards perhaps. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. Those programs are not the states responsibility! The public schools are the responsibility of the state! |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Only in extreme cases! Students deserve to make mistakes and to be given time to grow, mature, and make better choices! We can not give up on students who have a difficult time behaving or performing. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers Technology, training, student teacher ratio, parent invilvement [sic], mentors and interns, classroom tools, and support from the administration are all equally important! |
Additional themes
Doordan answered the following questions from the Cecil County Campaign for Liberty:
| “ |
Do you oppose Maryland’s maintenance of effort law which requires Cecil County to fund at least the same per pupil allocation of tax dollars as the prior year? No, I do not oppose Maryland’s Maintenance of Effort law. I believe this law is designed to at the very least secure funding per pupil attending the public schools for the upcoming year. This allows teachers and administrators to plan curriculums and projects based on something guaranteed from budget year to budget year rather than finding out in late spring the budget had been severely cut or reduced as it has been repeatedly in years past. Even with the MOE in place the schools are working with less money then they asked for, and MOE does not cover special needs, unforeseen expenses, or inflation on costs associated with educating the children. No company can thrive or survive for very long on a break even budget. If we consider the county public schools to be a company like any other, we must understand that MOE allows them to plan a curriculum equal to last years but not improving the education for students who must be helped to compete with other children across the globe. Are we preparing our children in this county for tomorrow if we are only providing them with yesterday’s technology and curriculum? If elected to the Board of Education, will you make a motion to opt out of the controversial Common Core program? No, I will not! I will encourage informational nights county wide to encourage parents, educators, and concerned citizens to fully understand the implications of the Common Core. I believe the CC promotes critical thinking strategies in young learners which they will retain throughout life. Common Core only seems difficult to understand right now because it is so newly introduced, it was introduced without a lot of informational sessions to provide those of us who learned differently how to understand it, and use it to help our you g people. It makes no sense to go through this process again. We must move forward, become more comfortable with the Core standards and applications, and help young people to be prepared for life after high school. Critical thinking is never something I would opt out of! Learning to use and share the Common Core with as many people as possible will be my priority if elected to the school board. Do you support “Fair Share” laws that require all educators to contribute to union representation and negotiated benefits? I am unfamiliar with these laws and require additional time to research more fully what impact this has on our county. Will you support a property tax reduction for citizens that choose to homeschool or enroll their children in private school, thereby reducing the burden on Cecil County Public Schools? No, I absolutely will not. I pay for the police department even if they are never called to my house. I pay for county roads in Cecilton even though the last time I was there was 2011. I support fire and rescue services even though to date I have not needed them. This county is not “Burdened” by public schools. The children being educated in our schools are our county’s future. We must promote the quality education of all children even if we are not using the services. All citizens in this county, this state, and this country pay taxes which do not always benefit the tax payer directly. But the tax payer does not get to direct his or her taxes toward the areas he or she deems most fit. We all pay taxes and those taxes support our way of life. Most importantly, A well educated community benefits us all! Public schools are each citizens right and responsibility. Would you support an effort to privatize custodial, cafeteria and maintenance services in order to save taxpayer dollars? Yes, but I would require additional date and resources to decide whether or not supporting this effort would be beneficial. At the moment we already use some privatized services in this county. I would want to look at these and see how they benefit the county. Our county employees in these areas also understand the work they do on our buildings, property, and in our schools better than anyone else. I believe a joint effort is in our county’s best interest. Will you commit to never introducing a budget that funds the Cecil County Public Schools above the state mandated Maintenance of Effort while in office? No!!! Why would I commit to such a thing? The MOE does not take into account countless variables which effect [sic] the budget and actually create a deficit from year to year. We can fund schools at MOE and still have them working on a budget cut severely from the year before. I will consider the suggestions of the superintendent, the school board, the financial experts, the citizens who are most effected [sic] by the public schools, and I will make sure we are providing the best quality education we can to our students in public schools. Would you request the introduction of legislation that would create a school voucher program or give a tax reduction to families that homeschool or enroll their children in private school? Again, absolutely not! This makes no sense! Should I support legislation which gives me a tax reduction on the things I do not use? No, because someone I know does use them. Our dollars are not allocated to the things we most use or benefit from. We are in a nation that provides support to a number of areas which we will never use. I vote to send a message about the things that are important to me. Our representatives then pass legislation to promote a better life for us living in this country. They are charged with researching and developing measures that best support me, and all. Will you oppose any efforts to eliminate local control from school boards? I will consider this should it become apparent after I am elected. For instance, If local control of some area would be better suited if given to some other agency or department?! I am not power hungry. I just want what is best for my own children, and all children in this county. My sons play basketball with the YMCA. Their teams are made up of children who are home schooled, privately schooled, and public schooled. The Y uses gyms and facilities within the public schools. If our public schools suffer, the Y would be unable to provide our children with places to practice. My sons would not have a suitable outlet for their unending energy in the winter. Do you support “Right to Work” laws which state that no one should be forced to join a union as a condition of employment? I know nothing about this topic. I will need more time to research this and develop an understanding of whether I support it or not. In closing, Thank you very much for giving me an opportunity to share my thoughts with you. As I said before, I was not given the opportunity prior to this. I know my answers may not jive perfectly with all citizens. But being given the opportunity to share is important to me. I am not hiding anything. I am thoughtfully considering all questions asked and I look forward to any opportunity to talk with the citizens of this county. I appreciate you considering me for this survey.[9] [8] |
” |
| —Erin Doordan (2016) | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Erin Doordan' 'Cecil 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, "Cecil County 2016 Presidential Primary Election Local Candidates List," February 10, 2016
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Erin Doordan," accessed April 11, 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, "Erin Doordan's responses," February 26, 2016
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Cecil County Campaign for Liberty, "Erin Doordan," accessed April 11, 2016
| 2016 Cecil County Public Schools Elections | |
| Cecil County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | District 1: Incumbent, William Manlove • Kevin Emmerich District 2: Erin Doordan • Jim Fazzino • Ron Lobos |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
