Two seats are open this year on the Carroll County Board of Education, in a race with six candidates - two of them incumbents.
Several of the candidates share similar goals for the school system of about 28,000 students: reducing class size, finding ways to attract teachers and, particularly at this time, working within a tight budget to maintain and improve schools.
The top four vote-getters in Tuesday's primary will advance to the November election. School board elections are nonpartisan, and members are elected to four-year terms.
The school board primary is open to all registered voters, including those who are unaffiliated with a party.
The candidates
The following is based on biographical information that the candidates provided.
Cynthia L. Foley, 51, is seeking a second term on the board. The Westminster resident and mother of four serves as board president.
Her issues include: cutting excess spending to prevent teacher and resource losses; achieving testing goals for the No Child Left Behind Act and Maryland's High School Assessment graduation requirement; and renovation and modernization of older schools.
Jeffrey L. Morse, 53, was appointed to the board last summer, to complete Thomas Hiltz's term. Morse, who lives in Taneytown, has two children. He teaches biology at Littlestown High School in Littlestown, Pa.
His issues include: reducing middle and high school class sizes; balancing new construction with renovation and modernization; and using available space in the northern Carroll high schools to develop a "College in the High School" program with Carroll Community College.
Barry D. Potts, 56, of Manchester has been president of the Carroll County Education Association for more than four years. Before that, the father of three Carroll graduates taught in county elementary schools for 27 years.
His issues include: expanding openings and offerings in the Career and Technology centers for students interested in trades; reducing class size and educators' noninstructional responsibilities; and seeking private donations to build the Education Foundation to meet student needs where the budget falls short.
Jennifer Seidel, 36, lives in Mount Airy. The mother of two works as an independent contractor, writing lesson plans and other teaching materials. She worked in Montgomery County public schools as an elementary-school teacher and later as a consultant.
Her issues include: teacher attraction and retention; school safety; modernization, renovation and additions; curriculum; and communication/community involvement.
Jeff Sheehan, 44, had applied to fill the vacant board seat last year. A father of two, he lives in Westminster and works as an information-technology services consultant for Motorola Inc.
His issues include: student performance; family participation and career preparation; the operation of schools and relationship between student performance, teacher retention and class sizes; and balancing budget expenditures to meet current needs and prepare for future educational needs.
Draper S. Phelps, who also filed as a candidate, did not respond to a request for information or comment.
In January, a District Court judge granted Phelps' parents a protective order against their son, who his father said was "mentally unstable," according to court records. Phelps, 28, lived at his parents' Westminster home for four months in the past year, court records said, but he has an address in Baltimore.
arin.gencer@baltsun.com