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Karen J. Harshman
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Karen J. Harshman is an at-large member of the Washington County Board of Education in Maryland. She was first elected to the board in 2010. Harshman 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. Harshman won re-election to another term in the general election.
Biography
Harshman worked for 30 years as an English teacher in the district prior to her retirement. She and her husband, Mike, have two children who graduated from district schools.[1]
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
Harshman reported $697 in contributions and $75.77 in expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections, leaving her campaign with $621.23 on hand as of June 4, 2014.[2]
Endorsements
Harshman was endorsed by the Washington County Teachers Association ahead of the primary.[3]
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
Harshman explained her themes for the 2014 race in an interview with The Herald-Mail:
| “ | 1. In your opinion, what is the role of a school board member? The role of the School Board member is to hire a superintendent who will serve the county with the leadership needed to provide the best education possible for our children. A Board member should solicit input from the community and share that input with the other Board members. He/she is responsible for evaluating the superintendent and his decisions and holding the superintendent responsible for his employees and his choices. 2. With the cost of brick-and-mortar schools so high, what should be done to accommodate student growth overall and in specific areas? Enrollment is difficult to project. Building schools with the same basic plan would save on design costs. Adding wings for increased population would be less expensive than starting a new school from scratch. Portable classrooms detached from the schools with no restrooms are not the best solution for overcrowding. Currently, new programs such as Middle College housed at HCC and magnet programs in less-populated schools allow students to move into these less-crowded areas. 3. What more should Washington County Public Schools do to prevent bullying, including cyberbullying? Bullying has no place in this world and needs to be reported and dealt with quickly and appropriately. Requiring counseling sessions for anger-management or sensitivity training for those involved in bullying may provide a better understanding of why the child or adult feels the need to bully others. Often, the bully has low self-esteem and low self-worth. All corrective measures should focus on the bully’s removal from contact instead of excluding the victim. 4. What can the school system do to improve literacy among elementary school students? Literacy is our greatest concern. Children who reach third grade and cannot read are playing catch-up while classmates move on. Placing struggling children in smaller classes would allow more individual attention. These students do not always attend summer literacy programs. Using the school year to reach those who need assistance by providing smaller classes may address their needs and cost less than running a summer program. Assigned summer reading should be mandatory for all students. 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 was teaching at North High when WCBOE agreed to adopt the Common Core Standards. Teachers were very apprehensive. As soon as the standards appeared, I reviewed the English section fearing that non-fiction would depose the poetry and fiction I had taught. The basic standards reflected what we had been teaching. I think the main objections are the extensive record keeping, the short time provided to prepare for the changes and lack of teachers’ input.[4] |
” |
| —The Herald-Mail, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Karen + Harshman + Washington + County + Public + Schools"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington County Public Schools, "WCPS Board Member: Karen Harshman," accessed June 4, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed June 3, 2014
- ↑ Washington County Teachers Association, "Your Recommended Pro-Public Education Candidates," accessed June 23, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Herald-Mail, "Washington County Board of Education candidate - Karen J. Harshman, 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 |
