Prince George's County Public Schools elections (2016)
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Five of the 13 seats on the Prince George's County Board of Education were up for general election on November 8, 2016. A primary election was held on April 26, 2016, for seats in Districts 5 and 8. In District 5, challengers Raaheela Ahmed and Cheryl Landis advanced to the general election by defeating incumbent Verjeana Jacobs and Robert Johnson. Incumbent Edward Burroughs III and challenger Stephanie Hinton advanced to the District 8 general election by defeating Carlton Carter. Ahmed and Burroughs won their respective races. David Murray defeated Raul Jurado for the open seat in District 1. Incumbent Patricia Eubanks defeated challenger Abel Olivo in District 4, while incumbent Alexander Wallace defeated challenger John Richardson in District 7.[1]
The district was dealing with the aftermath of the August 2016 termination of a federal grant for the county's Head Start program. A federal investigation revealed violations of the grant by Head Start teachers including inappropriate disciplinary methods and lack of supervision. Five board members, including Burroughs and Jacobs, called for the resignations of board president Segun Eubanks and board vice president Carolyn M. Boston following the investigation. Learn more about the investigation and aftermath here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Prince George's County Board of Education consists of 13 members. Nine members are elected by district to four-year terms, three members are appointed by the county executive, and one member is appointed by the county council. There was a primary election on April 26, 2016, and a general election took place on November 8, 2016.
Board candidates submitted their statements of organization and certificates of candidacy with the county elections office by February 3, 2016. Each candidate was also required to submit a filing fee of $25 to the county. State law required candidates to be registered voters and residents of the district.[2]
County residents had to register to vote for the primary election by April 5, 2016. The county offered early voting in the primary from April 14, 2016, to April 21, 2016. The deadline to register to vote in the general election was October 18, 2016. Early voting for the general election took place from October 27, 2016, to November 3, 2016.[3]
Candidates and results
District 1
Results
| Prince George's County Public Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 David Murray |
72.02% | 25,493 |
| Raul Jurado | 27.15% | 9,611 |
| Write-in votes | 0.83% | 295 |
| Total Votes | 35,399 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Raul Jurado | David Murray 
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District 4
Results
| Prince George's County Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Patricia Eubanks Incumbent |
69.97% | 21,844 |
| Abel Olivo | 29.01% | 9,055 |
| Write-in votes | 1.02% | 319 |
| Total Votes | 31,218 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Patricia Eubanks
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Abel Olivo | ||
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District 5
Results
| Prince George's County Public Schools, District 5 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Raaheela Ahmed |
57.26% | 31,878 |
| Cheryl Landis | 42.44% | 23,628 |
| Write-in votes | 0.3% | 168 |
| Total Votes | 55,674 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
| Prince George's County Public Schools, District 5 Primary Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Raaheela Ahmed |
36.53% | 9,624 |
| Cheryl Landis |
30.64% | 8,072 |
| Verjeana Jacobs Incumbent | 22.79% | 6,004 |
| Robert Johnson | 10.05% | 2,648 |
| Total Votes | 26,348 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Unofficial 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Prince George's County," accessed April 26, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Raaheela Ahmed
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Cheryl Landis | ||
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Defeated in the primary
| Verjeana Jacobs | Robert Johnson | ||
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District 7
Results
| Prince George's County Public Schools, District 7 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Alexander Wallace Incumbent |
60.62% | 21,862 |
| John Richardson | 38.12% | 13,747 |
| Write-in votes | 1.26% | 455 |
| Total Votes | 36,064 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Alexander Wallace
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John Richardson | ||
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District 8
Results
| Prince George's County Public Schools, District 8 General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Edward Burroughs III Incumbent |
67.09% | 28,696 |
| Stephanie Hinton | 32.50% | 13,901 |
| Write-in votes | 0.41% | 176 |
| Total Votes | 42,773 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential General Election Results," accessed December 14, 2016 | ||
| Prince George's County Public Schools, District 8 Primary Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Edward Burroughs III Incumbent |
59.89% | 11,165 |
| Stephanie Hinton |
25.35% | 4,726 |
| Carlton Carter | 14.76% | 2,752 |
| Total Votes | 18,643 | |
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Unofficial 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Prince George's County," accessed April 26, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Edward Burroughs III
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Stephanie Hinton | ||
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Defeated in the primary
| Carlton Carter | |
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Maryland elections, 2016
Prince George's County's school board election appeared on the ballot with races for U.S. president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, state courts, and local courts.
School board primaries in Prince George's County shared the ballot with the state's presidential and congressional primaries.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Maryland school board elections in 2016:[3]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| February 3, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| March 22, 2016 | First campaign finance deadline of election |
| April 14, 2016 | First day of early voting for primary election |
| April 21, 2016 | Last day of early voting for primary election |
| April 26, 2016 | Primary election |
| October 27, 2016 | First day of early voting for general election |
| November 3, 2016 | Last day of early voting for general election |
| November 8, 2016 | General election |
| November 22, 2016 | Final campaign finance deadline of election |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
The Washington Post endorsed David Murray, Patricia Eubanks, Cheryl Landis, Alexander Wallace, and Stephanie Hinton on October 16, 2016.[4]
Campaign finance
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.[5] 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.[6]
October 28 filing
Candidates received a total of $16,308.71 and spent a total of $22,497.55 as of October 30, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[7]
District 1
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raul Jurado | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| David Murray | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
District 4
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patricia Eubanks (incumbent) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Abel Olivo | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
District 5
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raaheela Ahmed | $4,721.00 | $12,749.77 | $444.46 |
| Cheryl Landis | $5,085.00 | $6,184.17 | $6,629.76 |
District 7
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Wallace (incumbent) | $2,648.25 | $523.25 | -$2,147.71 |
| John Richardson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
District 8
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Burroughs III (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Stephanie Hinton | $3,854.46 | $3,040.36 | $814.10 |
March 22 filing
Candidates received a total of $16,427.00 and spent a total of $10,909.89 as of April 18, 2016, according to the Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System.[8]
District 1
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raul Jurado | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| David Murray | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
District 4
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patricia Eubanks (incumbent) | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Abel Olivo | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
District 5
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verjeana Jacobs (incumbent) | $900.00 | $1,419.71 | $1,585.32 |
| Raaheela Ahmed | $4,227.00 | $2,281.87 | $1,945.13 |
| Robert Johnson | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Cheryl Landis | $7,300.00 | $6,141.74 | $7,560.44 |
District 7
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Wallace (incumbent) | $4,000.00 | $1,066.57 | -$2,391.37 |
| John Richardson | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
District 8
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Burroughs III (incumbent) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Carlton Carter | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
| Stephanie Hinton | ALCE | ALCE | ALCE |
Past elections
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2014General: District 2
General: District 3
General: District 6
General: District 9
Primary: District 2No primary election was held as only two candidate filed to run for the seat. Primary: District 3
Primary: District 6
Primary: District 9
2012
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What was at stake?
Candidate survey
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Election trends
Four of the five incumbents with expiring terms in 2016 filed for re-election. Verjeana Jacobs was the lone incumbent to lose in the April primary. The 2016 election only featured two seats with primaries, though each seat was contested in the general election. Jacobs placed 7.9 percent behind second-place finisher Cheryl Landis in the primary, while District 7 incumbent Edward Burroughs III placed first in the primary with a 34-percent margin over Stephanie Hinton.
School board incumbents in the 2014 election fared better in the primaries compared to incumbents in 2016, with three of the four board members winning at least 50 percent of the vote. This fortune did not extend to the general election, however, as two of the four incumbents were defeated. Peggy Higgins lost the District 2 general election by 7.1 percent, while District 3 incumbent Amber Waller was ousted by a margin of 0.8 percent. All four seats up for election in 2014 were contested in the general election.
Call for board resignations after Head Start funding loss
On August 22, 2016, five school board members sent a letter to Prince George's county executive, Rushern Baker III, calling for the resignation of board President Segun Eubanks and Vice President Carolyn M. Boston following the loss of a federal Head Start grant. The letter—signed by Beverly Anderson, Edward Burroughs III, Zabrina Epps, Verjeana Jacobs, and Sonya Williams—cited inadequate action by Eubanks and Boston for the loss of a $6.5 million federal grant. Baker responded to the letter by expressing his trust in the board president and vice president to the local media.[9]
Background
The Administration for Children & Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, terminated the federal grant on August 12, 2016. The department conducted a review of the county's Head Start program in April 2016 and June 2016 following complaints by a parent about a teacher's treatment of her three-year-old son. A complaint filed by the parent in January 2016 recounted a December 2015 incident where a teacher took mobile phone pictures of the child after a bathroom incident. Photos of the child in soiled clothing mopping the floor in front of other students were sent to the parent along with messages stating "LOL" and "He worked that mop tho." Federal program administrators determined multiple violations by the county program including failure to use positive methods of child guidance, breaching the student's confidentiality, and failure to report the incident within 48 hours of discovery. The parent filed a formal complaint to a family services worker on January 12, 2016, but the program director did not file a child abuse reporting document until January 20, 2016.[10]
The federal investigation into the December 2015 incident led to the discovery of additional incidents in June 2016. A teacher instructed two students to hold boxes over their heads as punishment for breaking classroom rules. Another incident involved a student remaining unsupervised for 50 minutes after leaving school following a visit to the nurse's office.[11]
The full letter from the Administration for Children & Families is included below:
You can navigate the document by zooming in or out with the + and - buttons or by using the vertical scrollbar to change pages.
Aftermath of investigation
Federal officials selected an education nonprofit to provide replacement funding for the 2016-2017 school year, but the fallout from the investigation continued into the beginning of the school year. In September 2016, the district fired three teachers and recommended firing three additional teachers involved in the incidents.[12] The five members who supported the resignations of Eubanks and Boston told NBC Washington that they were not informed of the federal investigation until the grant was terminated. Burroughs was the most vocal critic of the board's leaders, arguing that additional issues could be obscured by district officials and that the board lost the public's trust.[13]
About the district
Prince George's County Public Schools is based in Upper Marlboro, the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland. Prince George's County was home to 904,430 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[14] The district was the second-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 125,136 students.[15]
Demographics
Prince George's County underperformed in comparison to the state of Maryland in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.8 percent of Prince George's County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 36.8 percent for Maryland as a whole. The median household income in Prince George's County was $73,623, compared to $73,538 for the state of Maryland. The poverty rate in Prince George's County was 9.4 percent, compared to 9.8 percent for the entire state.[14]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Prince George's County Public Schools' 'Maryland'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Prince George's County Public Schools | Maryland | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Prince George's County 2016 Presidential Primary Election Local Candidates List," February 10, 2016
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Requirements for Filing Candidacy," accessed February 10, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Maryland State Board of Elections, "2016 Presidential Election Calendar," accessed February 10, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "For Prince George’s County school board," October 16, 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 18, 2016
- ↑ NBC Washington, "Five Members of Prince George's County School Board Call for Chair, Vice Chair to Resign," August 23, 2016
- ↑ NBC Washington, "Prince George's County's Head Start Program Loses $6.5M Grant After Federal Investigation," August 17, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "How a Maryland school system lost its Head Start grant," September 3, 2016
- ↑ NBC Washington, "3 Employees Fired, 3 Recommended for Firing After Prince George's County's Head Start Program Loses $6.5M Grant," September 1, 2016
- ↑ NBC Washington, "Some School Board Members in Prince George's Say They Were Not Informed About Head Start Investigation," August 18, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 United States Census Bureau, "Prince George's County, Maryland," accessed April 24, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Maryland State Board of Elections, "Voter Registration Activity Report," March 2014
