Mavis Ellis
Mavis Ellis was an at-large representative on the Howard County Public Schools Board of Education in Maryland. Ellis ran for the seat in the primary election on April 26, 2016. She won in the general election on November 8, 2016.[1]
Biography
Ellis earned her B.A. in psychology from Fisk University. She also received a master's degrees in educational psychology and administration from the University of Wisconsin and Bowie State University, respectively. Ellis became a pupil personnel worker in 2001. She was elected to the National Education Association's Board of Directors for Maryland from 2010 to 2013 and 2013 to 2016. Ellis was also elected to the Maryland State Education Association concurrent to her National Education Association service.[2]
Elections
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.[1]
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
Ellis received endorsements from the Howard County Education Association, The Baltimore Sun, and The People's Voice prior to the primary election.[7][8]
Campaign themes
2016
Ellis' campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:
| “ |
Equity We need to focus on things that can bring success to our our neediest students…like regular school attendance; restorative justice practices to reduce suspensions and disciplinary referrals; and positive academic performance programs. Staff supports and training on positive interventions and mentoring should be evaluated to ensure that they are effective and that each staff person can find the good in every child. There are no bad children, only children facing challenges that educators can work to solve. Transparency The school system’s communications with parents on any issue impacting student health should be immediate, comprehensive, and ongoing until the issue is resolved. Parents and the community should have access to information including: the issue, the assessment of the issue, the specific action undertaken to resolve the issue, and the final outcome. I think we have a very divided Board of Education that does not allow for enough input for the community that elected them. I have heard it said that BOE serves the children, but who is more concerned about the children than their parents? And, who is more concerned about the HCPSS Budget than the taxpayers of Howard County? They should all have more of a voice on decisions. Special Education It is clear that that information on IEPs and 504s were not fully understood by some of the current Board of Education members. I think it is important to educate the Board on these basic issues and educate them on why shifting the burden of proof to the school system is so important to families. Special Education is more than a dollars and cents issues when it comes to the lives of the Howard County students. As a Pupil Personnel Work, for almost 15 years, advocating for students with special needs and their families I am uniquely qualified and will work to bridge the gap between Howard County Public School System and the special education community. [9] |
” |
| —Mavis Ellis (2016), [10] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "Howard County 2016 Presidential Primary Election Local Candidates List," February 10, 2016
- ↑ Mavis Ellis for Howard County Board of Education, "About," accessed April 15, 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
- ↑ Mavis Ellis for Howard County Board of Education, "Home," 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.
- ↑ Mavis Ellis for Howard County 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 |
