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Jacqueline Fischer
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Jacqueline Fischer is a former at-large member of the Washington County Board of Education in Maryland. She first served on the board from 2002 to 2006 and returned to the board in 2010.
Fischer 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. Fisher won another term in the general election.
Fischer resigned from the board on October 6, 2020, after a series of social media posts.[1]
Biography
Fischer earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Frostburg State College. She later earned a master's degree from Western Maryland College. Fischer worked for 34 years as a high school teacher in the district prior to her retirement. She and her husband, George, have one child.[2]
Elections
2014
The June 24, 2014, primary ballot included incumbents Jacqueline Fischer and Karen J. Harshman as well as challengers Mike Guessford, Henry House, Mindy Marsden, Ryan Richard Miner, Peter E. Perini Sr. and Stan Stouffer. All of the primary candidates except House and Marsden faced off in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Results
General
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Mike Guessford |
19.6% | 17,242 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karen J. Harshman Incumbent |
18.2% | 15,995 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jacqueline Fischer Incumbent |
18.1% | 15,919 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter E. Perini Sr. | 17.5% | 15,398 | |
| Nonpartisan | Stan Stouffer | 15.9% | 13,966 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ryan Richard Miner | 10.4% | 9,150 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 268 | |
| Total Votes | 87,938 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election results for Washington County," December 2, 2014 | ||||
Primary
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Mike Guessford |
16.7% | 6,296 | |
| Nonpartisan | Karen J. Harshman Incumbent |
15.5% | 5,840 | |
| Nonpartisan | Stan Stouffer |
13.8% | 5,208 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jacqueline Fischer Incumbent |
13.2% | 4,963 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ryan Richard Miner |
11.4% | 4,287 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter E. Perini Sr. |
11.2% | 4,212 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mindy Marsden | 11.1% | 4,184 | |
| Nonpartisan | Henry House | 7% | 2,651 | |
| Total Votes | 37,641 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Washington County," July 16, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Fischer had reported no contributions or expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections, as of June 4, 2014.[3]
Endorsements
Fischer has not received any official endorsements in this election.
2010
| Washington County Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Karen J. Harshman |
20.4% | 17,062 | |
| Nonpartisan | Paul Bailey |
19.8% | 16,532 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jacqueline Fischer |
18.7% | 15,604 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dottie Gruhler | 15.1% | 12,630 | |
| Nonpartisan | Wayne M. Kretzer, Jr. | 13.6% | 11,364 | |
| Nonpartisan | Russell Williams | 11.6% | 9,727 | |
| Nonpartisan | James W. Staley | 0.5% | 419 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 193 | |
| Total Votes | 83,531 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2010 Gubernatorial General Election results for Washington County," accessed June 6, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2014
Fischer explained her themes for the 2014 campaign in an interview with The Herald-Media:
| “ | 1. In your opinion, what is the role of a school board member? Board members’ duties fall into three categories — legislative, administrative and judicial. In its legislative role, the Board creates the policies which govern the functioning of the school system. Administratively, the Board oversees the budget, makes educational decisions based on data, decides on facility needs of the system, and hires and evaluates the superintendent. In its judicial role, the Board hears appeals of the superintendent’s decisions brought by students and employees. 2. With the cost of brick-and-mortar schools so high, what should be done to accommodate student growth overall and in specific areas? One day, a new high school will be necessary to address enrollment growth. However, we can delay that occurrence by creating “boutique” or small specialty schools (like BISFA) which draw students from each existing high school. Expanding existing programs and creating new ones that partner WCPS with HCC allow students to complete graduation requirements and earn college credits while attending classes at HCC. Online courses will allow students to work from home or elsewhere. 3. What more should Washington County Public Schools do to prevent bullying, including cyberbullying? Bullying is often a result of what children experience at home. Parents should be a part of the solution. Schools and/or PTAs could offer programs to help parents recognize bullying and understand how to teach their children the wrongness and hurtfulness of bullying. The National PTA’s “Connect for Respect” is one such program as is the school system’s PBIS program. Once identified, the bully must be handled with proper interventions along with appropriate punishment. 4. What can the school system do to improve literacy among elementary school students? The expression, “first we learn to read and then we read to learn,” sums up how crucial literacy is. As Board members, we must encourage and advocate for programs that put books in the hands of new mothers and for programs that find mentors for children who are struggling with reading and writing. WCPS’s revamped summer literacy program is a positive step, but only if parents are committed to having their children attend. 5. Do you have any concerns about the Common Core State Standards, now referred to as Maryland's College and Career-Ready Standards? Why or why not, and what could the local board do about any concerns that you might have? I have no concerns about the Standards themselves. They were devised by teachers across this nation to address U.S. students’ lackluster scores on international tests, employers’ complaints that workers lack critical skills and communication abilities, and the increasing need for college freshmen to take remedial classes. My concern is the number of related initiatives teachers are being asked to accomplish all at once. Board members must advocate for additional time waivers.[4] |
” |
| —The Herald-Media, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Jacqueline + Fischer + Washington + County + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Local DVM, "Washington County Board of Education member resigns after social media controversy," October 4, 2020
- ↑ Washington County Public Schools, "WCPS Board Member: Jacqueline Fischer," accessed June 6, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Herald-Media, "Washington County Board of Education candidate - Jacqueline Fischer, incumbent," June 1, 2014
| 2014 Washington County Public Schools Elections | |
| Washington County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Jacqueline Fischer • Mike Guessford • Karen J. Harshman • Henry House • Mindy Marsden • Ryan Richard Miner • Peter E. Perini Sr. • Stan Stouffer |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
