Place of residence: 3289 Prices Distillery Road, Ijamsville Date of Birth: June 28, 1930 Place of birth: Oak Park, Ill. Current Occupation: Retired after 20 years U.S. Marine Corps (two years in Vietnam) and 18 years as business manager, Smithsonian Institution ($100 million annual sales, oversight of 425 employees) Education: B.S., U.S. Naval Academy; MBA, University of Chicago; MPA, American University Community Association: Knights of Columbus; home schooling of grandchildren, nine years Professional Association: The Marine Corps Association, USNA Alumni Association, Catholic League Family: Wife of 49 years, Patricia; seven children; 35 grandchildren Campaign office: 301-831-9365 Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

Frederick Board of Education

Joe Chmelik

Ensure that the thrust of the Board of Education’s actions is excellence in education with strong, unremitting emphasis on the basic subjects: English (grammar, rhetoric, logic), history (emphasis on U.S. history), geography, math, science, art, and music.

Increase the involvement of parents. Too many mothers and fathers have the attitude that school is like a car wash where you drop the child off at one end and pick him up at the other. They do not realize that to get a good student, you have to be involved in the washing.

Ensure fiscal responsibility, including oversight of expenditures.

How would you rate the performance of the current school board: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

Poor. Recently, the board assigned school teachers to teach 4-year-olds about inappropriate adult behavior. This is a parental responsibility. In so doing, they have encouraged parental abrogation of their responsibilities, causing The Frederick News-Post to comment on the many children riding without seat belts and wandering alone in big box stores, reinforcing the fact of parental neglect. Amazingly, the News-Post agreed with the board. Don’t they understand how crucial parental involvement is in the education of children? Are teachers responsible if children die unbelted in an auto accident or are kidnapped in a big box store?

How would you rate the job performance of Superintendent Linda Burgee, excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

Poor. She has not clearly and convincingly explained the responsibilities of her teachers vs. the responsibilities of parents. We should not ask schools to take on basic socialization and basic academics. Not following this advice has likely contributed to very high remedial rates at Frederick Community College.

Are charter schools a good idea? Why or why not?

Charter schools are an excellent idea because they give parents a choice. This encourages parental involvement and gives students in marginally performing schools an opportunity to improve their own performance.

Is the county funding for schools too much, about right or too little? If too little, where would you find additional money?

The number of bureaucrats in school systems has grown dramatically. There are 4,600 of them in the federal Department of Education. I am an advocate of the Principle of Subsidiarity, as described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: ‘‘A community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order.”

Do Frederick County schools have too many bureaucrats? What are the costs of administering No Child Left Behind? These activities need to be examined. Building and renovation costs are also high on my list of fiscal culprits.

Numerous studies have shown that more dollars do not guarantee better schools. The key is to remember that the essence of a good school isn’t money. Most of the problems plaguing schools in this country — low standards and expectations, not enough discipline, a lack of focus on academics — are largely unrelated to spending.

Do you think the current system for renovating and building schools is adequate or does it need changing?

I think far too much attention is given these activities (especially by the media) and the focus of excellence in education suffers because of it. I do not advocate complete disregard of facilities, but let’s keep it in perspective. Let’s keep the primary emphasis where it belongs: on the curriculum, teachers, and parents.

What do you think about the board’s relationship with the community?

As a member of the community, I only know what the community newspapers tell me about actions of the board because meetings are not recorded. Therefore, I really don’t have a relationship with the Board of Education, especially since we don’t have any children in schools. The board should record their meetings and make them available to the public.

Do the commissioners have too much, too little or not enough oversight of the school system?

My experiences in management have taught me that if you control the purse strings (the money) and the people of any organization, you have control of the organization. Since the commissioners control the purse strings, it is extremely important that they be kept informed of the needs and the problems of the school system so they can exercise informed allocation of dollars, which also affects control of the people.

What should the school system do to improve performance by minority students?

To improve the performance of minority students, you have to get their parent(s) involved in the education of their children. Your parents’ attitudes and efforts are more important to your child’s academic success than family income or the number of diplomas hanging on your wall.

Parents are the first and most important teachers of their children. If we have learned anything in the last three decades, it is this: schools cannot take the place of moms and dads.

Do you think the school system is doing enough to meet the needs of special education students?

Having discussed special education with a member of the board, it appears that the needs of these students are being met. Talking to a parent of a special needs student, there are some improvements that need to be addressed.

Are the schools safe for students and teachers? If not, what should be done?

When police officers were assigned several years ago to ensure the security of our high schools, we admitted that our schools were not safe places to send our children. We are no better than inner city schools, which also have metal detectors.

Thirty years ago, our Supreme Court took God out of our schools, and it appears that He has been replaced by fully armed guards. Though we may disagree with this decision, we are wedded to the rule of law so we can’t replace God.

Therefore, we have to look at the upside and the downside of having police officers. As a member of the board, I would ask for other reports involving guards (noting especially their frequency) to answer the question: Do we need fully armed guards on a full-time basis in all our high schools?