Bess I. Altwerger
Bess I. Altwerger was an at-large representative on the Howard County Board of Education in Maryland. She advanced from a primary election on June 24, 2014 and won in the general election on November 4, 2014. Altwerger did run for re-election in 2018.
Biography
Altwerger earned a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. She was an education professor at Towson University for 25 years prior to her retirement. Altwerger is also the founder of Save Our Schools, a local advocacy group that opposes federal education initiatives including the No Child Left Behind Act and Race to the Top. She has two children who graduated from district schools.[1]
Elections
2014
The June 24, 2014, primary ballot included incumbents Sandra H. French and Cynthia L. Vaillancourt as well as challengers Bess I. Altwerger, Corey Andrews, Tom Baek, Zaneb K. Beams, Olga Butler, Allen Dyer, Maureen Evans Arthurs, Dan Furman, Leslie Kornreich, Christine O'Connor and Mike Smith. French, Vaillancourt, Altwerger, Beams, Dyer, Furman, O'Connor and Smith faced off in the general election on November 4, 2014.
Results
General
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Cynthia L. Vaillancourt Incumbent |
15.9% | 44,142 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra H. French Incumbent |
15.4% | 42,810 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bess I. Altwerger |
13.6% | 37,774 | |
| Nonpartisan | Christine O'Connor |
13.5% | 37,561 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dan Furman | 11.9% | 33,114 | |
| Nonpartisan | Zaneb K. Beams | 10.6% | 29,548 | |
| Nonpartisan | Allen Dyer | 9.9% | 27,663 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Smith | 8.8% | 24,449 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 1,152 | |
| Total Votes | 278,213 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial General Election Results for Howard County," December 2, 2014 | ||||
Primary
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Cynthia L. Vaillancourt Incumbent |
13.5% | 15,851 | |
| Nonpartisan | Sandra H. French Incumbent |
12.5% | 14,688 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bess I. Altwerger |
10.9% | 12,733 | |
| Nonpartisan | Dan Furman |
10.1% | 11,880 | |
| Nonpartisan | Zaneb K. Beams |
8.6% | 10,042 | |
| Nonpartisan | Christine O'Connor |
7.2% | 8,477 | |
| Nonpartisan | Allen Dyer |
6.6% | 7,724 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mike Smith |
5.7% | 6,730 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leslie Kornreich | 5.4% | 6,388 | |
| Nonpartisan | Olga Butler | 5% | 5,849 | |
| Nonpartisan | Maureen Evans Arthurs | 4.9% | 5,752 | |
| Nonpartisan | Corey Andrews | 4.9% | 5,744 | |
| Nonpartisan | Tom Baek | 4.7% | 5,482 | |
| Total Votes | 117,340 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2014 Gubernatorial Primary Election results for Howard County," accessed October 18, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Altwerger reported $2,040.00 in contributions and $1,407.06 in expenditures to the Maryland State Board of Elections, leaving her campaign with $632.94 on hand as of August 19, 2014.[2]
Endorsements
Altwerger was endorsed by the Howard County Education Association (HCEA), The Baltimore Sun and Parents Choice of Maryland.[3][4][5]
Campaign themes
2014
Altwerger provided the following responses to questions from the League of Women Voters:
"What do you recommend to address the achievement gap with Latino and African American students?"
| “ | HCPSS statistics demonstrate that the racial gap is really an economic gap. The graduation rate is over 90% for all students when factoring out poverty. To minimize these effects, we need to increase and better utilize resources to significantly reduce class sizes, increase support services and staff, provide rich and individualized curriculum, offer bilingual classes, and form parent partnerships[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"What are the benefits and challenges of the Common Core?"
| “ | The Common Core is an unproven experiment to standardize education with one-size-fits-all demands. It was initiated, developed and funded by corporate entities, rather than by Early Childhood, Literacy and Math Educators who have publicly challenged both the standards and associated PARCC testing. Our teachers must be free to create developmentally appropriate, engaging, personalized curriculum.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"Where can the Board of Education save money?"
| “ | It is the Board's responsibility to advocate for sufficient funding and allocate it wisely. Funds devoted to implementation of Common Core and PARCC testing should be used to enrich arts programs, achieve school equity in resources/technology, reduce class sizes, improve teacher salaries and working conditions and support innovative school programs to increase economic diversity in our schools.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"What policies would you support to prepare students who are not college bound?"
| “ | HCPSS offers all students enrollment in "Career Academies". Students choose among nine excellent "clusters" that will prepare them for careers after graduation. Currently, not all schools offer all of these clusters and many students must leave their home school to complete a cluster at the ARL. We need to increase availability of Academies in each high school, including classes and internships.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"What are the benefits and challenges of universal pre-K?"
| “ | Research demonstrates that rich preschool experiences can offset the effects of poverty on cognitive growth and development. Universal public pre-K education should be a national and state priority. However, it is crucial that programs are developmentally appropriate and nurture the curiosity, creativity, socialization and health of young children. Children learn through play, not skill and drill.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"In an increasingly digital world, how do we provide resources for students who may not have access to computers at home?"
| “ | Increased funding for access to technology in libraries and classrooms is essential. However, my own research on 21st century literacy indicates that mandated curriculum and test preparation limit opportunities to use technology as resources for authentic inquiry and problem-solving, especially in schools with low income students. Equitable resources and greater opportunities for use are critical.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"As a member of the Board of Education how would you define success for a student?"
| “ | It is our collective responsibility to ensure that graduates of our county schools have the knowledge and skills to reach their own personal goals as well as contribute to a more democratic, just and sustainable world. Successful students are prepared to further their academic education, pursue their career goals and participate as intellectually and socially well-adjusted members of society.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"What criteria would you use to evaluate the performance of the superintendent?"
| “ | Superintendents should ensure that our schools foster the emotional, intellectual and social well-being of our students, as well as their academic achievement. Performance indicators should include statistics on student involvement in school activities/programs, school suspensions, student violence, attendance and graduation rates, parent involvement, and teacher retention and satisfaction.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"What initiatives would you introduce to improve the school board's ability to hear from parents on a regular basis?"
| “ | To increase contact with teachers, students and families, Board members should establish a presence in schools and communities. Members should attend school activities, student performances and events, visit schools to observe instruction, schedule lunch meetings with teachers and students, and regularly attend PTA meetings. The Board also needs to hold more open meetings and community forums.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
"How do you ensure that schools have the flexibility to implement programming for special education students?"
| “ | All system level program and funding decisions for special education should be made collaboratively with the schools that have intimate knowledge of their student populations. A task force in each school composed of administrators, classroom teachers, specialists, para-educators and family members should determine the optimal instructional conditions for meeting the learning needs of each student.[6] | ” |
| —Vote 411 Voter Guide profile for Bess I. Altwerger (2014)[7] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Towson education professor seeks seat on Howard school board," May 13, 2014
- ↑ Maryland Campaign Reporting Information System, "View Filed Reports," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Teachers union announces recommendations for Howard Board of Ed. race," April 24, 2014
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Howard County Times' endorsements for school board race in the primary election," June 18, 2014
- ↑ Parents Choice of Maryland, "Voting Guide for Howard County," accessed October 20, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 7.9 Vote 411 Voter Guide, "Howard Board of Education," accessed October 18, 2014
| 2014 Howard County Public Schools Elections | |
| Howard County, Maryland | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Bess I. Altwerger • Corey Andrews • Tom Baek • Zaneb K. Beams • Olga Butler • Allen Dyer • Maureen Evans Arthurs • Sandra H. French • Dan Furman • Leslie Kornreich • Christine O'Connor • Mike Smith • Cynthia L. Vaillancourt |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
