Richard S. Vallaster III

Richard S. Vallaster III

Education

Bachelor's

Bridgewater College

Graduate

Mount St. Mary's University

Personal

Profession

Entrepreneur

Contact

Personal website

Richard S. Vallaster III was a candidate for an at-large seat on the Frederick County Board of Education in Maryland. He advanced from a primary election on June 24, 2014, to face seven other candidates for four available seats in the general election on November 4, 2014. Richard S. Vallaster III lost the general election on November 4, 2014.

Biography

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Vallaster earned a B.S. in sociology and communications from Bridgewater College. He later received his MBA from Mount St. Mary's University. Vallaster is an entrepreneur. He volunteers his time with local organizations including the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce and the Frederick Festival of the Arts. Vallaster and his wife, Jodi, have one young child.

Elections

2014

See also: Frederick County Public Schools elections (2014)

The June 24, 2014, primary ballot included incumbents Colleen E. Cusimano, April Fleming Miller and Brad W. Young as well as challengers Liz Barrett, Jonathan C. Carothers, Mike Ferrell, Millicent Hall, Kenneth Kerr and Richard S. Vallaster III. Board member Jean A. Smith did not file for re-election. All of the primary candidates except Carothers faced off in the general election on November 4, 2014.

Incumbents Brad W. Young and Colleen E. Cusimano, along with newcomers Liz Barrett and Kenneth Kerr, won the general election.

Results

General

Frederick County Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Liz Barrett	15.5%	35,673
	Nonpartisan	Brad W. Young Incumbent	14.2%	32,632
	Nonpartisan	Colleen E. Cusimano Incumbent	13.6%	31,147
	Nonpartisan	April Fleming Miller Incumbent	12.9%	29,700
	Nonpartisan	Ken Kerr	12.9%	29,657
	Nonpartisan	Mike Ferrell	11.4%	26,104
	Nonpartisan	Millicent Hall	10.4%	23,984
	Nonpartisan	Richard S. Vallaster III	8.9%	20,470
	Nonpartisan	Write-in	0.2%	422
Total Votes				229,789
Source: Frederick County Board of Elections, "2014 Gubernatorial General Election Results," accessed December 20, 2014

Primary

Frederick County Public Schools, At-Large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Liz Barrett	15.3%	16,235
	Nonpartisan	Brad W. Young Incumbent	14.9%	15,830
	Nonpartisan	Colleen E. Cusimano Incumbent	12.9%	13,765
	Nonpartisan	April Fleming Miller Incumbent	12.3%	13,044
	Nonpartisan	Ken Kerr	12.2%	12,942
	Nonpartisan	Millicent Hall	9.5%	10,131
	Nonpartisan	Mike Ferrell	8.7%	9,250
	Nonpartisan	Richard S. Vallaster III	8.4%	8,967
	Nonpartisan	Jonathan C. Carothers	5.9%	6,270
Total Votes				106,434
Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Frederick County," July 16, 2014

Funding

Vallaster reported $900.00 in contributions and $974.54 in expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections, leaving his campaign with $74.54 in debt as of June 9, 2014.

Endorsements

Vallaster received the endorsement of the Frederick County Teachers Association (FCTA) prior to the primary election.

Campaign themes

2014

Vallaster explained his themes for the 2014 race on his campaign website:

“	Generative Thinking Strategic thought should be based on information and research, not personal feelings. If FCPS wants to continue to remain competitive and dynamic, the board must begin to think generatively. Boards across the country are tasking themselves and their entire organizations to think in new ways, challenge convention, embrace possibility and create new permutations and realities where none existed before. Understanding the Role of a Board Member Having served on and worked with numerous boards in the nonprofit and education world, I am an advocate for creative thinking. Board members need to strike a balance between their fiduciary responsibilities and how to best fulfill their mission to serve the students of Frederick County. I have been professionally trained on how to be an effective board member. More importantly, I understand what a board member is not to do. Too often candidates run to solve perceived or personal “issues or problems.” They ultimately delve into the day-to-day operations increasing staff workload on pet projects. Highly functioning boards trust the leaders in-place to provide those operations while they serve to set the vision and guide the strategy. I am running to serve the community, not my personal interests. Family and Community Engagement Engagement starts at the family level and expands into our community. Our definitions of “family” and “community” continue to change. We must accurately reflect that in our policies, communications and initiatives. We need to equip our parents with the knowledge and tools to be a part of the learning process. We need education to be a part of every family’s dinner table discussion. Candidate Accountability Many of my opponents took down their sites or drastically revised them so the voters could not compare their promises to their voting record. My website, Facebook and Twitter accounts will remain active all four years if I am elected. Not only does this create accountability, it creates a direct line to voice your concerns to me directly. School Governance The success of any school system requires exceptional leadership at all levels. If we want principals, teachers, administrators and staff to be excellent leaders in their schools and classrooms, the board must lead by example. The BOE election is nonpartisan and we need to take the politics out to work together. Our children’s education should not suffer because a board or particular members cannot resolve their differences to work together. Teachers One thing most citizens can agree with is that teachers have one of the greatest responsibilities in our society. We must do everything we can to support the needs of our teachers while balancing the needs of accountability and Frederick County’s high academic standards and ambitious educational goals. Technology Technology will not replace the classroom experience it will only enhance it. Watching my four year old use an iPad and get frustrated at the Smithsonian when exhibits aren’t touch screen made me keenly aware how I learned in school and the children of today and tomorrow will be completely different. Employers and jobs of nearly every type require some use technology. Colleges are adding Starbucks to their libraries and removing computer labs for just this reason. We must continually fund these efforts to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Strategic Planning All effective organizations start with developing their vision and strategy. Having consulted and developed plans for schools, I applaud the current board in taking the initial steps in developing a comprehensive strategic plan. With a strategic plan, every initiative can be tied back to this document. The board can illustrate our rationale for decisions.	”
—Richard Vallaster's campaign website, (2014)

What was at stake?

Issues in the election

June 2 candidate forum

Frederick Classical Charter School hosted a candidate forum on June 2, 2014 featuring all nine board candidates on the primary ballot. The candidates agreed on general principles related to charter school development including the necessity of parental choice. Most candidates also agreed that the state's approach to charter schools does not provide enough independence for local parents and education officials. Millicent Hall argued that state laws governing charter schools need to remain rigorous to ensure education quality. April Fleming Miller pointed out that the state's strict rules for charter approval yielded three successful charter schools in the county rather than allowing a flood of inadequate charter options. Hall, Kenneth Kerr and Liz Barrett received endorsements from the Frederick County Teachers Association (FCTA) but asserted their independence from outside influences during the forum. Incumbents Miller, Colleen E. Cusimano and Brad W. Young stated earlier in the forum that the FCTA was actively opposed to charter school expansion in the county.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Richard + Vallaster + Frederick + County + Public + Schools"

Richard Vallaster News Feed

See also

• Frederick County Public Schools, Maryland
• Frederick County Public Schools elections (2014)

External links

Suggest a link

• Frederick County Public Schools
• Campaign website
• Facebook campaign page