Md. Democratic Party targets ‘extreme candidates ‘ in local school board races

The Maryland Democratic Party will spend “tens of thousands of dollars” targeting at least 18 school board candidates that it says are looking to bring a “hateful” and “right-wing agenda” to schools.

It is a first for the party, which has never before involved itself in the nonpartisan races for local board of education seats. But party leaders said the move is needed to fight the “extremist” agendas espoused by candidates in 11 counties, eight of which it’s putting resources into – Anne Arundel, Calvert, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, St. Mary’s and Talbot. It is also warning voters against eight other candidates in Allegany, Cecil and Washington counties.

“I think this is something new for Maryland. We haven’t had extremist school board candidates like this in the past,” Charlene Dukes, first vice chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, said Wednesday.

“So when individuals now who are really articulating far right rhetoric and wanting to control the curriculum in schools, they promote dangerous policies like book bans and targeting marginalized students,” Dukes said.

Party funds will be used to hire workers to canvas and knock on doors, urging voters to not elect 26 candidates who Democrats say support “rewriting history, discriminating against your kids and book bans.” The party will also provide resources to local central committees to help candidates who support “Democratic and inclusive values.”

But Democrats are not the only ones backing candidates in the normally local races. The Calvert County Republican Central Committee is endorsing three school board candidates: Melissa Goshorn, Paul Harrison and Joseph Marchio, who are among the candidates opposed by the Democratic Party.

And Democrats say some of the candidates are affiliated with local chapters of Moms for Liberty, an organization with GOP ties that was formed in 2021 to focus on local school board races. In several states where Moms for Liberty have been active, such as Florida, Utah and West Virginia, they have helped pass state laws to either ban books or created local pressure to have books removed during the 2022-23 school year.

Suzie Scott, the chair of the Moms for Liberty Maryland Legislative Committee, welcomed the party’s involvement, which she calls a sign of “desperation.”

“That makes me smile because we are having an impact. That’s great to see,” Scott said Tuesday.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has called Moms for Liberty an “anti-government organization” that advances “a conspiracy propaganda, and spread hateful imagery and rhetoric against the LGBTQ community.”

But school board candidates targeted by the Democrats are more likely to describe their agenda as one of returning to school basics and increasing parents’ control of their kids’ education.

Former state Del. Trent Kittleman (R), 79, was part of the Howard County Moms for Liberty chapter but said she stepped aside after “left wingers” smeared the group’s reputation, especially on the issue of books. After losing reelection to the House in 2022, she decided to trade on her name recognition in the western part of the county and run for school board because of her five grandchildren in the school system.

Kittleman said some of her top issues are school safety, special education and repairing old school buildings. As a delegate, she voted against the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s sweeping education reform plan, because she thought it does not provide enough flexibility for local school systems.

“It’s an unfunded mandate that puts a fiscal burden on the locals,” she said.

Jaime Brennan stepped down as chair of the Frederick County chapter of Moms for Liberty so she could run for school board there.

“Test scores continue to decline. Algebra proficiency continues to decline. That’s where the focus should be,” said Brennan, a certified public accountant and a mother of two children, ages 17 and 15.

The party describes Brennan as someone who supports using public money for students to attend parochial schools, based on her “education options” policy proposal.

Brennan served on the board of the Frederick Classical Charter School. She said she believes parents should have the choice to send their children to any school, and Maryland has a limited program — $9 million this year — to pay private school tuition for some low-income students. But Brennan thinks that using public money for a broad-based school voucher program in a state like Maryland “is unrealistic.”

Still, Brennan defends charters, arguing they are still public schools that “do not take away a single dime from public education.” Claiming otherwise is merely “designed to inflame and misinform people.”

Sign of ‘desperation’

Scott, the Moms for Liberty legislative chair, said there’s been a “radicalization” in the schools that began three years ago with COVID-19 vaccine requirements, mask mandates and school closures.

She said state law that requires topics like “gender identity and expression” to be part of the family life and human sexuality unit is “sexualizing our kids.”

“They are forgetting about reading and writing. We want to get back to the basics,” said Scott, whose five children graduated from Harford County public schools.

The school board race most heavily targeted by Democrats may be in Anne Arundel. The party says LaToya Nkongolo, Dawn Pulliam and Chuck Yocum are “extreme” candidates who not only support book bans but are also against those in the LGBTQ community.

In a post Tuesday on X, the party referred to Nkongolo, Pulliam and Yocum as the “Anne Arundel County Hate Slate.” It has repeatedly attacked Yocum over allegations from the early 1990s that he sexually abused a minor while he was a teacher in the county’s schools.

Neither Yocum nor Pulliam responded to phone calls or emails this week seeking comment. Nkongolo, a mental health therapist, declined to comment when reached by telephone Tuesday evening, but sent an email Wednesday morning in response to the Democratic Party’s plan targeting her and other candidates.

“Since the [Democratic Party] email went out, I’ve received an overwhelming number of texts, emails, and calls from Democrats expressing their support, so I know this false narrative is coming from a small minority,” Nkongolo wrote. “The only thing I’m extreme about is improving reading and math scores, especially for Black students, as only 12% are proficient in math. Our students are in an academic crisis, and that’s what my ‘extreme’ agenda is all about.”

The Moms for Liberty organizers say the local and state teachers’ unions are little more than an arm of the Democratic Party, noting that union-endorsed candidates often sport an apple logo on their campaign paraphernalia.

“The teacher’s union here in Maryland has had a stranglehold on the school boards for so long,” Scott said. “We need to have some balance on the school board with those who support parental rights.”

“We are obviously independent of the Democratic Party. We are independent of all political parties. Our members are trying to do what they can to elect pro-public education candidates,” Zwerling said.

“We have been engaged in school board races for a long time, at least in modern history,” she said. “School board races are always going to be exciting for our members. It’s what affects them the most and their communities and their own kids who are in the school systems. We’re going to continue to do that work on behalf of our members.”