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Kirsten Coombs
Kirsten Coombs was an at-large member of the Howard County Public Schools Board of Education in Maryland. Coombs assumed office in 2016. Coombs left office on December 7, 2020.
Coombs ran for re-election to the Howard County Public Schools Board of Education to represent District 4 in Maryland. Coombs lost in the primary on June 2, 2020.
Biography
Coombs earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland-College Park. She later earned her M.B.A. from the University of Maryland University College. Coombs is an accountant. She and her husband, Luke, have one child.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: Howard County Public Schools, Maryland, elections (2020)
General election
General election for Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 4
Incumbent Jen Mallo defeated Sezin Palmer and Julie Hotopp in the general election for Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 4 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jen Mallo (Nonpartisan)  | 51.6 | 16,747 |
| Sezin Palmer (Nonpartisan) | 47.3 | 15,365 | ||
| Julie Hotopp (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) | 0.4 | 131 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 219 | ||
| Total votes: 32,462 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 4
The following candidates ran in the primary for Howard County Public Schools Board of Education District 4 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jen Mallo (Nonpartisan) | 33.0 | 5,672 |
| ✔ | Sezin Palmer (Nonpartisan) | 27.5 | 4,719 | |
 | Kirsten Coombs (Nonpartisan) | 22.6 | 3,882 | |
| Matt Levine (Nonpartisan) | 11.1 | 1,899 | ||
| Mike Sheer (Nonpartisan) | 3.1 | 533 | ||
| Daniel Margolis (Nonpartisan) | 2.8 | 475 | ||
| Total votes: 17,180 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
A dispute over the Howard County Board of Education's decision to renew the contract of Superintendent Renee Foose in February 2016 defined the race for three out of seven board seats. All three seats up for election in 2016 were held by board members who approved a four-year contract for Foose. The superintendent faced scrutiny from local groups and state officials over a perceived lack of transparency into district decisions. A swing of all three seats from incumbents to challengers interested in reforming board policies created a majority that does not favor Foose's proposals.
The general election was held on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on April 26, 2016, with the top six vote recipients advancing to the general election. Incumbents Ann DeLacy, Ellen Flynn Giles, and Janet Siddiqui filed for re-election. They faced challengers Corey Andrews, Marcelino Bedolla, Kirsten Coombs, Vicky Cutroneo, Christina Delmont-Small, Mavis Ellis, Robert Wayne Miller, and Pravin Ponnuri in the primary. Siddiqui, Coombs, Cutroneo, Delmont-Small, Ellis, and Miller ran in the general election. The primary resulted in losses for DeLacy and Giles, opening board seats taken by opponents of Superintendent Foose in November 2016. Coombs, Delmont-Small, and Ellis won election with Siddiqui finishing in fourth place.[2]
Results
| Howard County Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-Year Terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Kirsten Coombs |
23.56% | 81,482 |
| Christina Delmont-Small |
19.51% | 67,466 |
| Mavis Ellis |
16.87% | 58,341 |
| Janet Siddiqui Incumbent | 15.55% | 53,762 |
| Vicky Cutroneo | 12.71% | 43,935 |
| Robert Wayne Miller | 11.71% | 40,484 |
| Write-in votes | 0.09% | 311 |
| Total Votes | 345,781 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
| Howard County Public Schools, At-large Primary Election, 4-Year Terms, 2016 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kirsten Coombs |
17.59% | 34,200 |
| Christina Delmont-Small |
15.25% | 29,654 |
| Mavis Ellis |
12.64% | 24,571 |
| Janet Siddiqui Incumbent |
12.12% | 23,564 |
| Vicky Cutroneo |
8.85% | 17,200 |
| Robert Wayne Miller |
7.16% | 13,916 |
| Corey Andrews | 6.73% | 13,087 |
| Ann DeLacy Incumbent | 6.25% | 12,158 |
| Ellen Flynn Giles Incumbent | 5.84% | 11,355 |
| Pravin Ponnuri | 4.71% | 9,157 |
| Marcelino Bedolla | 2.85% | 5,548 |
| Total Votes | 194,410 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Unofficial 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Howard County," accessed April 26, 2016 | ||
Funding
Candidates for public office in Maryland had until March 22, 2016, to submit their first contributions and expenditures 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 $3,373.05 and spent a total of $2,929.28 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[5]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janet Siddiqui (incumbent) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $4,709.75 |
| Kirsten Coombs | $795.00 | $1,678.02 | $2,476.29 |
| Vicky Cutroneo | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Christina Delmont-Small | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2,220.40 |
| Mavis Ellis | $1,043.05 | $0.00 | $3,012.80 |
| Robert Wayne Miller | $1,535.00 | $1,251.26 | $983.39 |
March 22 filing
Candidates received a total of $27,928.38 and spent a total of $29,236.32 as of April 19, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[6]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann DeLacy (incumbent) | $3,175.00 | $931.78 | $2,763.17 |
| Ellen Flynn Giles (incumbent) | $0.00 | $1,602.90 | $10,142.87 |
| Janet Siddiqui (incumbent) | $0.00 | $6,490.68 | $4,134.75 |
| Corey Andrews | $1,368.38 | $1,249.57 | $118.81 |
| Marcelino Bedolla | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Kirsten Coombs | $2,745.00 | $5,371.89 | $2,585.33 |
| Vicky Cutroneo | $11,350.00 | $7,000.00 | $4,350.00 |
| Christina Delmont-Small | $6,975.00 | $0.00 | $6,975.00 |
| Mavis Ellis | $715.00 | $1,710.25 | $989.75 |
| Robert Wayne Miller | $1,130.00 | $568.13 | $658.97 |
| Pravin Ponnuri | $470.00 | $4,311.12 | $617.21 |
Endorsements
Coombs earned the following endorsements prior to the 2016 primary:[7][8]
- The Baltimore Sun
- Howard County Education Association
- The People's Voice
- State Delegate Eric Ebersole (D)
- State Delegate Terri Hill (D)
- State Delegate Clarence Lam (D)
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kirsten Coombs did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Coombs' campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:
| “ |
Testing – When I found out that scores for the March/May PARCC tests would not be available until the fall, I was bothered by the implication that these tests are not used to help our daughter. Plus, HCPSS did not provide a transparent process in deciding the timeline to release the results Any test that is administered should help guide instruction in the classroom. Instead, these time-consuming tests will not have any impact on students for at least another school year. Our school system should lead, not follow, in finding a better test. HCPSS has also instituted the MAP tests three times per year. While this provides more real-time information to teachers and administrators, parents have not received information on HOW results are being used. Some educators are using them to plan but some are NOT. In summary, our system is spending valuable classroom time preparing for tests that do not translate into helping our children. Tests that teachers use to determine subject mastery at the end of the unit should be the primary assessment tool. Budgetary Decisions Based on Data That Is Public – Does expanding the Elementary School Model make sense for all of our schools? Does making schools technologically “smart” with printable whiteboards contribute to higher student engagement? With an increasing student base, should staff outnumber teachers? How does our daughter benefit from new programs? Financial investments should not just be assessed on a monetary basis. When a new program is piloted, focus groups should be held to determine stakeholder takeaways. Parents and other stakeholders should be informed of the cost/benefit of new programs and what is being changed or ended. Results of pilots should be circulated amongst the Board and fully discussed before expansion. Speaking of the Budget, Transparency – Howard County is home to many government and contract employees. We are very familiar with competitive bidding for new contracts at the federal and state levels. This should be happening consistently in our school system as well. Unfortunately, in recent years, this has not occurred. The Board of Education should provide oversight and assure transparency when spending taxpayer dollars. Special Education Services – I believe that Howard County has an obligation to provide every child with a free, appropriate public education. Our school system must embrace all children, including children with special needs. The process for obtaining necessary special education services should be transparent, efficient, and above-all equitable. Howard County must commit to providing adequate resources for Special Education Services, especially in staffing. At one time, Howard County was a national model for special education, but today, many parents are frustrated by a lack of communication and an opaque process for obtaining services. I wish to turn Howard County back into a model system which provides high-quality services and ensures that every child receive an excellent education.[9] |
” |
| —Kirsten Coombs (2016)[10] | ||
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Kirsten Coombs for Board of Education, "Meet Kirsten," accessed April 15, 2016
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Howard County 2016 Presidential Primary Election Local Candidates List," February 10, 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
- ↑ Kirsten Coombs for Board of Education, "Endorsements," accessed April 15, 2016
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Howard County school board endorsements," April 14, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Kirsten Coombs for Board of Education, "Issues," accessed April 15, 2016
| 2016 Howard County Public Schools Elections | |
| Howard County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Ann DeLacy • Incumbent, Ellen Flynn Giles • Incumbent, Janet Siddiqui • Corey Andrews • Marcelino Bedolla • Kirsten Coombs • Vicky Cutroneo • Christina Delmont-Small • Mavis Ellis • Robert Wayne Miller • Pravin Ponnuri |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
