The deadline to file for candidacy for the Harford County Board of Education closed Tuesday, and only one incumbent filed to retain her seat, making way for a new set of school leaders in the county.

The Harford school board consists of six elected members and three members appointed by the county executive. Elected members represent different areas of the county, split up into districts A through F. All elected seats are nonpartisan.

Although all board members except District C’s Carol Mueller were eligible for reelection, District D representative Melissa Hahn is the lone board member who chose to file.

District A

Incumbent Denise Perry’s seat will be up for grabs. Three candidates, Donna Blasdell, Shernice Mundell and Dani Paez, are battling to represent the Edgewood and Joppatowne area on the board.

Mundell, 48, of Edgewood, is an Air Force veteran and a financial clearance specialist with Johns Hopkins Health Systems.

Her campaign focuses on a culturally responsive and inclusive curriculum, student discipline reform, restorative and preventive practices, and mental health and student support services.

Paez, 29, also of Edgewood, is a first-generation American. She envisions a school system that uplifts every student, supports educators and serves families through fairness, transparency and opportunity.

Her campaign priorities include ending book bans and protecting educators and librarians, providing free breakfast and lunch for every student, and strengthening transparency.

Blasdell did not respond to a request for campaign information.

District B

The board’s current vice president, Wade Sewell, is not running again. Sewell was chosen as vice president again at a meeting two weeks ago, marking his second time serving in the role.

Three candidates have filed to run for District B, which includes Fallston and some of Bel Air: Dominic Heath, Christian Licier and Keri Geibler.

Heath, 41, of Fallston, said he’s running to give back to his community. He is a survivor of childhood leukemia and currently works in supply chain management in the pharmaceutical industry. He said he will prioritize school safety, transparency and district performance at the state level.

“The parents of Harford have grown tired of the back and forth between the county executive and the school board, backdoor decisions and a lack of transparency,” he said in an emailed statement. “I believe if we can get talking to each other and work together, we can get things done.”

Licier, 48, also of Fallston, is originally from Puerto Rico. He has worked in education for 24 years, seven at Edgewood High School. He has served as an assistant principal and principal within Baltimore City Public Schools. Currently, he’s an agent aspirant for State Farm.

“My motivation is to help Harford County become one of the top school districts in the United States by restoring focus on academic experiences for our children,” he said.

Geibler, 52, of Fallston, is the dean of students at Notre Dame Preparatory Middle Level. She has about 30 years of experience in both public and private school systems as a teacher and administrator.

Three foundational issues for her campaign are focusing on fair pay and retention of “exceptional” teachers, raising student achievement and growth with investments in proven methods and technologies, and ensuring opportunities for students that include postgraduate education and vocational programs.

District C

Appointed board member Liliana Norkaitis was one of four candidates who filed to fill the open District C seat, but she was chosen earlier this month by County Executive Bob Cassilly to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of former school board President Aaron Poynton.

Now, there are three candidates running — Joe Fleckenstein, Cathy Kowalewski and Shawn Ryan.

Fleckenstein, 54, of Bel Air, has lived in the county for most of his life. He has worked as a defense contractor since 2004 and has worked on Aberdeen Proving Ground North since 2013.

Key points of his campaign are listening to the concerns of parents and grandparents, trimming the “fat” from the school system budget and raising standardized test scores.

Kowalewski, 64, of Forest Hill, has worked in education for 42 years at all levels from prekindergarten to college. She started her career as a teacher, then became a school counselor, and later served as a licensed school psychologist in Harford schools. She plans to retire soon.

“I understand how schools work in all aspects and have seen both the positive aspects of our schools and areas which can be enhanced,” she said.

Issues at the forefront of her campaign are physical safety and bullying; academic achievement; smaller class sizes; accountability from staff, students and families; and transparency.

Ryan, 41, of Bel Air, works within digital marketing and serves as a youth baseball coach. He attended elementary, middle and high school in Harford County.

He recalled the county being known as “one of the best places in Maryland to raise a family.” He said he believes the county can get back to that, but only if it’s willing to “confront hard truths and demand better.”

He’s running on getting “back to basics.” He wants the district to be held accountable and admit to mistakes. He also aims to be a present and accessible board member.

District D

Hahn, the only incumbent running for reelection, has served one term on the board. She had served as its vice president, but she was removed from her position after she called for the resignation of former Superintendent Sean Bulson following the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old inside Joppatowne High School.

“While I am proud of the progress we have made, there is still much important work ahead to ensure every student in Harford County has access to high-quality education,” Hahn said in a Facebook post announcing her reelection bid.

There’s only one person running against her, Rachelle Johnson.

Johnson, 42, of Jarrettsville, is a business owner with a background in finance and operations. She’s the mom of neurodiverse children, she said, and has firsthand experience navigating public education.

Academic excellence, accountability and transparency, and safe and supportive schools are three key issues for her. She wants to strengthen foundational skills in reading and math, provide clear oversight, measurable outcomes and responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources, and maintain safe and well-managed learning environments.

District E

Incumbent Carol Bruce did not announce a bid for reelection.

Three people, Aaron Boyle, Matt Jones and Robert Wagner, filed to represent Aberdeen and some parts of Bel Air on the board.

Boyle, 42, of Aberdeen, is an Army geospatial engineer and civilian geographer.

Top issues for him include more focus on data-driven practices, working with school communities and other organizations to ensure conducive learning environments, and introducing peer-led mediation and conflict resolution.

Wagner, 68, of Bel Air, served on the Harford County Council, at one point as its president, dating back to 1990. He said he is running to help restore control over the school system’s budget to the Board of Education. He said the board “needs to be strong and be provided a highly detailed version of the budget.”

Jones did not respond to a request for campaign information.

District F

Incumbent Diane Alvarez is not running for reelection. To fill the opening, Joseph Alton Jr. and Kawaniee Flowe have filed for candidacy. District F covers the Havre de Grace and Belcamp area.

Flowe, 58 of Belcamp, is a retired military veteran. For 27 years, she served as an emergency, trauma and critical care nurse in the Air Force before retiring in 2012. After retirement, she worked as a nurse practitioner in the county. Currently, she works as a federally employed nurse.

Her top priorities include adequately funding the school’s budget, removing politics, restoring the voices and concerns of people in the community, and treating board members with respect for their differences.

“Whether I win or lose, I will continue to work in this community and for our youth and bring the members of my district together for impactful, solution-focused conversations and action,” she said.

Alton, 54 of Havre de Grace, is a Major and deputy chief of police for the City of Havre de Grace.

Top priorities for Alton are promoting a safe and secure learning environment, providing a voice for the community and maintaining an open mind when evaluating decisions that need to be made.

Harford residents will cast their votes for school board members during the gubernatorial general election on Nov. 3. Primary elections for other county positions, such as the County Council, will take place in June.

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