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Erin Knowles
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Erin Knowles was a candidate for District 3 representative on the Calvert County Board of Education in Maryland. Knowles ran for the seat in the primary election on April 26, 2016. Knowles lost to Kelly McConkey in the general election on November 8, 2016.[1]
Biography
Knowles earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from Washington Adventist University. She worked with Choice Hotels International from 1999 to 2010. Knowles is a foreign exchange local coordinator with the American Councils for International Education.[2]
Elections
2016
Three of the five seats on the Calvert County Board of Education were up for general election on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on April 26, 2016, with the top two vote recipients in each district advancing to the general election. Challengers Stephen Jones Jr. and Dawn Balinski advanced to the District 1 general election by defeating incumbent James Piatt. Balinski defeated Jones in the election. The District 2 race featured incumbent Tracy McGuire and challenger Nancy Vaeth Highsmith after Casey Smith was defeated in the primary. McGuire won re-election against Highsmith. In District 3, incumbent Kelly McConkey defeated challenger Erin Knowles. McConkey and Knowles defeated Monica Lee Silbas in the primary.[1]
Results
| Calvert County Public Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kelly McConkey Incumbent |
60.99% | 24,470 |
| Erin Knowles | 38.63% | 15,499 |
| Write-in votes | 0.38% | 151 |
| Total Votes | 40,120 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
| Calvert County Public Schools, District 3 Primary Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kelly McConkey Incumbent |
58.73% | 10,152 |
| Erin Knowles |
28.08% | 4,854 |
| Monica Lee Silbas | 13.19% | 2,281 |
| Total Votes | 17,287 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Unofficial 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Calvert 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 $935.00 and spent a total of $928.85 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[5]
District 1
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Jones Jr. | $400.00 | $413.69 | -$13.69 |
| Dawn Balinski | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
District 2
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracy McGuire (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Nancy Vaeth Highsmith | $0.00 | $14.00 | $1,204.01 |
District 3
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly McConkey (incumbent) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $6,560.56 |
| Erin Knowles | $535.00 | $501.16 | $33.84 |
March 22 filing
Candidates received a total of $3,395.00 and spent a total of $1,492.15 as of April 19, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[6]
District 1
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Piatt (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Stephen Jones Jr. | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Dawn Balinski | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
District 2
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracy McGuire (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Nancy Vaeth Highsmith | $1,000.00 | $905.99 | $94.01 |
| Casey Smith | $2,395.00 | $586.16 | $1,808.84 |
District 3
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly McConkey (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Erin Knowles | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Monica Lee Silbas | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
Campaign themes
2016
Knowles' campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:
| “ |
1. QUALIFICATIONS: How does your experience prepare you for the duties of this office? Erin L Knowles: As a parent of children attending schools in the county, I have a vested interest to make sound and reasonable decisions for our children’s futures. Also, as an active volunteer in schools, I see the needed resources for students and teachers. As an exchange student coordinator, this has given me a great deal of respect and insight into successful academic programs utilized in other countries. 2. PRIORITIES: What are your priorities for this office? Erin L Knowles: Among my priorities of being in office, less standardized testing, better review on budget allocations, how can we improve moral of the teachers and get our schools to regain top status. Having a better community based support system and building better relationships with community leaders. Review the possibilities to ensure teacher’s are getting the support needed to be successful in their jobs. 3. BUDGET: How would you change spending in the school budget? Erin L Knowles: I would review our spending compared to similar districts, especially with regard to teacher salary and compensation in remaining competitive with other districts in our state. Find ways we can spend money more effectively that reflects the best options for the students. Examine short and long term debts to assess what projects will be impacted to our operating expenditures over the next 5 years. 4. COMMON CORE: What will you do to ensure continuing student readiness for the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards? Erin L Knowles: The state of Maryland as a whole does a very good job in preparing students for college. I will continue to make sure the State standards are internationally competitive, so that our students remain viable in the college and career markets. Support dual enrollment at community college to allow students to attend at discounted rates and graduating with college credits. 5. COLLEGE ALTERNATIVES: How will you better address the needs of students who are not immediately college bound? Erin L Knowles: While programs like AP classes and dual enrollment serve to help students get a jump start on college, similar apprentice programs should be incentivized for those not college bound. We have a highly skilled diverse workforce right here in the county, I would push for apprenticeship tax credits for businesses that allow students to gain on the job experience during a part of their school day. 6. ILLEGAL DRUGS: What will you do to protect students from the substance abuse threat in our county? Erin L Knowles: We need to have prevention programs that address all forms of drug abuse, and not single out particular demographics. Drug education should be offered not only thru the school system, but partner with family doctors and hospitals to foster community collaboration. This is a community challenge that needs community involvement and reinforcement to foster well informed decisions by our students. |
” |
| —Erin Knowles (2016), [8] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Erin Knowles' 'Calvert 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, "Calvert County 2016 Presidential Primary Election Local Candidates List," February 10, 2016
- ↑ Citizens for Erin Knowles, "Resume," March 22, 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
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Citizens for Erin Knowles, "Q&A on the issues," March 22, 2016
| 2016 Calvert County Public Schools Elections | |
| Calvert County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | District 1: Dawn Balinski • Stephen Jones Jr. • James Piatt District 2: Incumbent, Tracy McGuire • Nancy Vaeth Highsmith • Casey Smith |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
