Quiet, monotonous meetings once left largely unattended have become battlegrounds for political issues all across the country. Mask mandates, book bans, social justice issues and other national debates have made it to the boardroom. And districts in Delaware’s largest county have been no stranger to unruly debates, packed meetings and sharp tensions.
Now, such a trend continues to trickle down to local elections.
New Castle County hosts the heaviest competition in school board races this year — as Appoquinimink, Red Clay and Christina public schools post contentious races for open seats.
Pushes to strip mask mandates and return to in-person learning dominated rooms in the pandemic. Other student-rights issues, like giving transgender students access to bathrooms or affirming anti-discrimination policies, have also become politically charged in New Castle’s school-board discourse.
Delaware PTA expects to focus on a few major issues this election, the group told Delaware Online, like health and safety in schools, learning loss recovery, school funding and boosting family engagement. However, general opposition to social justice themes — from banning books, challenging critical race theory or other representation — are expected to appear in new packaging, members said, from discussions of a “Parent Bill of Rights” to concerns of “indoctrination.”
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All of these hot-button issues have, however, brought more eyes to school boards.
“That’s a good thing,” said Sadé Truiett, the PTA’s vice president of advocacy, back in March. “We want people involved in our school boards, for people to really be speaking about the things that matter to our kids in our schools.”
School board races are considered nonpartisan, though the races have become increasingly rife with political discourse and party influence.
This year’s election comes on Tuesday, May 9. We took a look at the backgrounds of candidates across the ballot. Keep exploring this voter guide from Delaware Online/The News Journal to learn more.
How do I vote in Delaware school board elections? The basics
Voters must be at least 18 years old and live in the district where they hope to cast a ballot. Proof of ID and address will be requested, which could come as a driver’s license, ID card or U. S. mail with street address. Being registered to vote in state and federal elections is not required, nor is having children in schools.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., May 9, with various locations across each district. Voters can also request an absentee ballot.
Learn more about your district below.
[Go to: Appoquinimink, Christina, Red Clay, Smyrna ]
Appoquinimink School District
At-Large seat
Tashiba A. Graham, 40, Townsend
Background: Tashiba Graham is vice president of operations and innovation for a healthcare system in Pennsylvania. The mother of two has a youngest son in the Appoquinimink School District.
Issues: According to Graham, the focus of her campaign is advocating for students with special needs, school safety and teacher retention. She shared her intention to introduce regular assemblies to combat bullying and violence in schools and address general mental wellness among students.
Graham has stated her support for paying teachers and staff members a more competitive salary and improving incentives for new candidates while also evaluating what factors are working to keep staff members in the district. Engaging family members on resources available for students is another priority of hers.
In response to ACLU-DE voters guide questionnaire regarding national movements restricting certain curriculum material, Graham remains adamant that policies must be put in place to keep the district’s curriculum factual and comprehensive and protect the rights and inclusion of LGBTQ+ students. Graham has been supported by Appoquinimink Educational Support Professionals, First State Action Fund, ACLU of Delaware and more.
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Timothy W. Johns, 57, Middletown
Note: This candidate did not return any requests for contribution from Delaware Online/The News Journal.
Background: Timothy Johns is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Heaven’s Gate Ministries, which he runs with his wife, Monique, in Newark. As co-founder, Johns oversees nonprofit charity work and established a leadership institute, where he has worked as an educator for 12 years. The U.S Army veteran is a father of four adult children.
Issues: Johns says he’s mainly concerned with bridging the achievement gap between students of different backgrounds and accessibilities, while setting students up for success in the global marketplace with leadership skills.
Johns has stated during a public Q&A session that he believes conversations related to sexual orientation and gender identity are “family matters” and should be left out of the classroom. He proposes setting up a public forum where debates about curriculum censorship can take place and be evaluated fairly.
Restorative justice is another hallmark of Johns’ campaign, he told ACLU-DE in its voter guide, which includes training staff members and SROs about de-escalation techniques. He also proposes enhancing parent participation within the district by holding parent education classes focused on child development and communication.
Raymond J. Petkevis, 45, Middletown
Background: Raymond Petkevis is a real estate broker for Keller Williams Realty around the Middletown area and recently started a position as Delaware’s principal broker for REAL, a virtual-based real estate company. His two children are students in Appoquinimink.
Issues: Petkevis has mainly expressed concerns about violence in schools, citing outreach from community members worried about student safety. To combat this, reevaluating measures of rule enforcement and the district’s code of conduct have been suggested by the candidate.
The district’s teacher shortage and dwindling test scores are intertwined with issues related to violence in the district, according to Petkevis. In response to Citizens For Delaware Schools’, he also recommended potentially soliciting funding from local developers to go toward the district’s resources and implementing financial responsibility into the curriculum for high school students.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- Alfred G. Waters Middle, 1235 Cedar Lane Road, Middletown
- Bunker Hill Elementary, 1070 Bunker Hill Road, Middletown
- Marion E. Proffitt Training Center, 118 S. 6th St., Odessa
- Middletown high, 120 Silver Lake Road, Middletown
- Old State Elementary, 580 Tony Marchio Drive, Townsend
- Olive B. Loss Elementary, 200 Brennan Blvd., Bear
- Townsend Elementary, 126 Main St., Townsend
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Christina School District
District C
Christine Gilbert, 54, Newark
Background: This Delaware native has lived in Newark alongside her husband of 27 years since 1997, according to her campaign website. The alumna of Red Clay Public Schools holds a bachelor’s degree in dance, as well as another bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s in education from the University of Delaware. Gilbert is a certified teacher, with experience from K-12 special education to high school English Language Arts, though currently a stay at home mother to her four children. Her two daughters and two sons attended private schools in Delaware.
Issues: “Let me be clear,” wrote this candidate on her Facebook page, operating as a landing pad for other campaign materials. “The school’s role is to educate, NOT indoctrinate. Reading, writing, mathematics (not Common Core), true history (not Critical Race Theory or whatever name they’ve morphed it to).”
Gilbert said plummeting test scores in the district motivate her to run, alongside hopes to boost graduation rates and college readiness. She lists safety, effectiveness, curriculum and transparency as her priorities on her website. Among top-of-mind issues, she also noted parents and guardians “will have their voices heard.”
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Douglas Danger Manley, 38, Newark
Background: Manley works at a cybersecurity startup as a software engineer, an industry and occupation he’s found himself in for about 17 years. The Newark resident is also a volunteer firefighter with Mill Creek Fire Company, where he’s been for the past decade. He’s now its president, after having served on the board for three years.
Managing a $3-4 million budget with Mill Creek, Manley told The News Journal/Delaware Online he’s used to dealing with a fixed amount of funding from state and local governments — which leave a “need to squeeze every bit of value out of that funding as we can to provide our services.”
Issues: Manley has no children, and he sees that as an asset. He says this will allow him to maintain a public-service perspective. The candidate shared his focus on supporting resources for Christina School District, sharpening communication and community engagement. He also said protecting students will be a priority, especially gay or transgender children — but he hopes the district “focuses on its mission of education and doesn’t get lost in the mire” of various culture wars.
District E
Y.F. Lou, 36, Newark
Background: The single father of two children, enrolled in Christina, works with the state’s health department, where he said his work focuses on improving healthcare for the most vulnerable in long-term care facilities. He also serves as a volunteer firefighter for Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Company. Lou’s family moved to Delaware from China when he was young, an experience the candidate believes will allow him to advocate for Christina’s diverse student body, as he said in a late-March candidate forum. He attended public school in Lewes, graduated from University of Delaware, and has been a full-time Newark resident since 2012. Lou also attended both University of Southern California and John’s Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health for graduate degrees.
Issues: With an 8-year-old at West Park Elementary — and a 5-year-old headed there in the fall — Lou finds himself motivated by three key issues: safety, community engagement and a goal to “broaden our students’ horizons.”
For Lou, safety includes keeping guns out of schools, “fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students especially those most vulnerable,” as well as monitoring environmental health and safety, such as lead. Community and stakeholder engagement, as he put it, focuses on how the pandemic created opportunities to capitalize on for information sharing and family engagement. In terms of broadening horizons, the candidate hopes to see more support of art programs to keep students “curious and innovative.”
Yong Peng, 53, Newark
Background: Peng works for the federal government as a software engineer, having previously worked for companies like Delmarva Power and Bank of America. Peng, in one candidate forum, called himself a “happy immigrant” focused on giving back to Delaware. Peng was born in China and came to the U.S. to study. The 15-year resident of Newark has a doctorate in physics, having worked in research and teaching at a few universities before his current line of work. Peng said he has also worked as a math tutor in Wilmington.
Issues: Peng said he sees a “crisis in public education.” Two issues are top-of-mind for the father of two. One, he perceives too much focus on topics that are “ignoring the core curriculum,” which are reading, writing and math. He didn’t elaborate. Two, he believes school policies are failing at “enhancing the parent’s right to oversee their children’s education.” Peng said his daughter used to study in Christina School District, though no longer, and now he is running for the future of the community.
Polling places, open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- Pulaski Elementary School, 1300 Cedar St., Wilmington
- The Bancroft School, 700 N. Lombard St., Wilmington
- Brader Elementary School, 350 Four Seasons Parkway., Newark
- Christiana High School, 190 Salem Church Road, Newark
- Downes Elementary School, 220 Casho Mill Road, Newark
- Keene Elementary School, 200 Cpl. Steven J Ballard Way, Newark
- Maclary Elementary School, 300 St. Regis Drive, Newark
- Marshall Elementary School, 101 Barrett Run Drive, Newark
- Mcvey Elementary School, 908 Janice Drive, Newark
- Newark High School, 750 E Delaware Ave., Newark
- Shue-Medill Middle School, 1500 Capitol Trail, Newark
- Wilson Elementary School, 14 Forge Road, Newark
Red Clay Consolidated School District
District A
Aje English-Wynn, 34, Wilmington
Background: This Delaware native works as a research analyst with the city of Wilmington, within the mayor’s office. Before that, English-Wynn worked in the Department of Labor as a deputy principal. This career, the candidate said, meets more than 10 years of experience in mentorship and advocacy connected to K-12 education and the community. A “proud alumna” of Red Clay schools herself, English-Wynn also has a young child entering the district this fall. She said the Wilmington district prepared her for later degrees from Wilmington University and Delaware State.
Issues: The alumna said the impact of both “a supportive community and quality education” are keys to students succeeding. She noted three issues motivating her campaign: equity and access, parent engagement and support for educators.
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John Shulli, 50, Wilmington
Background: Born and raised in Wilmington, Shulli returned to his home state after 26 years in the U.S. Army and Department of Defense — 22 of which were spent overseas. He works in a civilian job on A.I. policy for the Pentagon, as well as teaches part time as a colonel in the Army Reserve. He graduated from John Dickinson High School before attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona.
Issues: Shulli said he’s motivated to run by the “severe” learning loss faced since the pandemic and highlighted in state and district’s statistics. The district must, as he sees it, “restore our children’s academic standings so they can compete in a local, regional, national and global jobs market.”
District D
Carlucci Coelho, 53, Wilmington
Background: Coelho said he came to the U.S. hoping to work as an artist. He has worked in real estate since 2017, as well as the nonprofit sector. He earned a two-year degree in fashion business, according to his website, alongside a parallel degree in costume and set design while studying in Portugal. Though he doesn’t have kids enrolled in the district, Coelho said he’s been close to the community for over 30 years. Coelho also ran for state representative as a Republican last year, but did not secure a win in District 13.
Issues: Coelho stressed that he is against any kind of bullying, citing that protecting safety in schools is paramount in his platform. Another motivating issue is budgeting, making sure money is distributed “to those schools and programs who need the most.” He also said he supports strong academics alongside more vocational training in every school.
In other background, in response to a question for the ACLU-DE voter’s guide about the teaching of U.S. history and whether students have the right to learn free of viewpoint-based censorship, Coelho said parents should have “the choice of accepting or denying what their own kids have the right or not to read. These children have parents who have different views about life and we must respect all parents views.” Also when running for state representative, the candidate expressed support for a failed 2022 bill aimed at barring transgender athletes to compete in school sports, saying: “Woman sports is woman sports.”
Jose Matthews, 27, Elsmere
Background: Matthews has represented District D on the Red Clay School Board since 2018. Working in the healthcare field in different capacities over the last six years, his day job is working a community liaison for Rockford Center, a community mental health organization. The incumbent lives in Elsmere with his husband, who is a teacher.
Issues: Matthews said he wants to keep up his work. In his first term, he said, the board tackled many issues related to equity around the pandemic, one being transparency. He said he “was one of the biggest supporters on the board to make sure we continue to provide a Zoom option both to watch the meetings and to participate in public comment.” If elected, he hopes to continue to offer that access.
Red Clay has fallen behind other northern New Castle County districts, Matthews said, in terms of keep up with building maintenance and competitive salaries. He plans to make that competitiveness a priority, even if it means the district’s first referendum in nearly a decade. He also aims to maintain a focus on family and parent engagement.
Polling places, open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- Activity Center at Hockessin PAL, 7259 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin
- AI DuPont High School, 50 Hillside Road, Wilmington
- Baltz Elementary School ,1500 Spruce Ave., Wilmington
- Cab Calloway School of Arts, 100 N. DuPont Road, Wilmington
- Dickinson High School, 1801 Milltown Road, Wilmington
- Forest Oak Elementary School, 55 S Meadowood Drive, Newark
- Joseph E Johnson School, 2100 Gilpin Ave., Wilmington
- Marbrook Elementary School, 2101 Centerville Road, Wilmington
- McKean High School, 301 McKennans Church Road, Wilmington
- North Star Elementary School, 1340 Little Baltimore Road, Hockessin
- Warner Elementary School, 801 W 18th St., Wilmington
Smyrna School District
At-Large seat
Marie Fontaine St. Pierre, 39, Smyrna
Background: A Realtor for nearly six years, Fontaine St. Pierre has a 17-year-old son who attends Smyrna High School. For four years, she’s handled zoning variance requests on the town of Smyrna’s Board of Adjustment. She’s a member of the Alpha Beta Gamma sorority at Delaware Technical Community College, the Holly’s Club and the Boys and Girls Club board.
Issues: Fontaine St. Pierre decided to run for the board because she wants to serve as “a liaison between parents, teachers and the community, providing the best resources for our children’s education, and allowing parents to have the most influence in their children’s life.” She wants to recognize and prioritize instructors’ interests and concerns.
She said the most important issues in the district are continuing to push for high-quality, intellectually-rigorous education to prepare students for the competitive labor market, providing safe schools, confronting bullying and cyberbullying and expanding self-esteem initiatives for students.
As for controversial issues such as critical race theory, transgender policies and parental involvement in a district’s curriculum choices, she said, “An inclusive educational system offers various advantages, including enhanced educational quality for all students and assisting students in becoming more responsive to an inclusive attitude. This could also help with behavioral issues, self-esteem, social skills, and community involvement. All students have the right to a challenging core education and outstanding instruction from well-trained educators. Students should be allowed to have an open and honest discussion about America’s past, and they deserve to see themselves and the issues that impact them reflected in their classrooms and books.”
She encourages parents to attend board meetings to address issues and share comments and insights.
Bobbi Jo Webber, 44, Kenton
Background: A farmer for over 25 years along with her husband on their family’s farm, she has two children, a son who is a freshman at Smyrna High School and a daughter in sixth grade at Clayton Intermediate School. She’s volunteered for 10 years at Sunnyside Elementary and at Clayton Intermediate School, running fundraisers, helping teachers in classrooms and hosting free field trips at her family’s farm.
Issues: Webber wanted to run for school board to improve safety, success of students, transparency and teacher compensation. She believes teachers and staff should hold students accountable for misconduct and follow through with consequences, but also favors hiring constables “who will help pull some of that responsibility off of the teachers so that they can focus on education.” She wants the administration to notify parents “about important issues that occur in the schools – the good and the bad.” She favors competitive pay: “We cannot lose these amazing educators we have to neighboring districts because of financial reasons.”
In regard to issues like critical race theory, transgender policies and parental involvement in a district’s curriculum choices, she said, “All races and groups should be represented in our classes. Our students should be exposed to a well-rounded curriculum. Bias and unfounded opinion do not belong in the classroom.”
On transgender policies, Webber said, “I believe that students can express themselves in a way that they feel is appropriate, although personal expression cannot become a distraction for other students. I do not approve of transgender students using the locker room or restroom of their choice of gender. I feel it could develop into an unsafe and distracting situation for other students.”
In curriculum decisions, she said parents and community members should have their opinions represented, but they also need to trust educators to make decisions that will benefit students’ education.
Polling places, open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.:
- Smyrna Elementary, 121 S. School Lane, Smyrna
- Smyrna Middle School, 700 Duck Creek Parkway, Smyrna
- Kenton Ruritan Club, 249 S. Main St., Kenton
