Chuck Yocum
Running for school board in Anne Arundel County District 3
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 5)?
61
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Retired from Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
Master of arts -- West Virginia University.
Why are you running for the school board?
During a 36- year career with the school system, I watched Anne Arundel County Public Schools go from one of the top systems in the state to mediocre at best. I saw the test scores that are atrocious to say the least. I decided the best way to invoke change was not to sit on the outside and complain but to take my experience and put it to use on the board.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
Thirty-six years in public education. I have a 35,000-foot view of our system and its needs. Having been in the classroom, serving on the business side of the system and back to instruction, I know where the deficiencies are and how to correct them.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
Poor test scores are the most important issue, followed very closely by a lack of discipline. It’s time to get back to the fundamentals of learning and regain control of the classroom.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
Any individual who, at their community level, stands up for the betterment of the people with whom they live and serve.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the General Assembly in 2021, is a 10-year plan that includes increased education funding to support early childhood education, increased teacher starting pay, college/career-readiness standards for high school graduates, and expanded services to multilingual and impoverished families, among other goals. Please tell us your views on the Blueprint and how it will affect your school district.
The Blueprint is a multi-billion dollar boondoggle that will provide zero results in student performance, much like the “all-day kindergarten” program of years ago. It is a financial burden, an unfunded mandate, that is already undergoing scrutiny due to its burdensome debt and unrealistic expectations.
Some school districts nationwide are placing new limits on the use of cellphones in middle and high schools. What do you think should be the policy on student use of cellphones in your district, and why do you support that policy?
I agree with our superintendent’s policy on cellphone use. They should not be seen outside of lunch periods. The ONLY exception, considering our teachers do not have enough technology in the classrooms, would be for research of a topic of discussion at that moment.
Are you satisfied with your school district's efforts to ensure the safety of its students? What, if anything, should be done to improve school safety in your district?
Anne Arundel County Public Schools have worked hard to ensure safety. But as with all lapses, it’s not necessarily the facility but human error. Every individual in a school must be honed in on anything unusual that could lead to catastrophic events.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries? If so, what kind of books should be removed, and who should make those decisions?
Books that are age- inappropriate with graphic sexual content and illustrations should be removed. A decision should be made by a committee consisting of school staff, parents and the mental health community.
Some school districts enact policies allowing transgender and gender nonconforming students to use their preferred pronouns while at the same time not informing those students' parents about that decision. What is your opinion of such policies?
Students should be referred to by the name in the teacher's roster/gradebook. Parents, having the ultimate responsibility both legally and financially for their students, should absolutely be informed about anything going on with their students in the system.
