Making a Difference.
Your Values.
Your Voice.
I’m Dana Schallheim, and I represent District 5 on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education.
As a public school parent, I’m running for re-election so I can continue fighting for the highest quality education possible for all of our children. Every student deserves an excellent education that prepares them to pursue whatever path they choose after graduation.
I am proud to have the support of our teachers in this election and to have been voted Best Elected Official in the 2024 Best of Anne Arundel County Awards. With your support, I’ll continue working to be an advocate for all our children.
Dana Schallheim - Anne Arundel County School Board
About Me
I’m a public school parent, an experienced leader, and I’m proud to be your common sense voice on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education.
I’ve always believed in serving others and putting my values into action. For decades, I’ve been an active community volunteer: I was recognized by AACPS for volunteering more than 300 hours during the school year before I joined the Board of Education, I led a highly successful fundraising campaign for the Children’s Organ Transplant Association raising $80,000 for a child who needed a kidney transplant, and I was the once the Volunteer of The Year for the Mississippi state chapter of the ACLU. While serving on the Board of Education, I continue to volunteer regularly in my child’s school.
Before becoming an at-home parent, I was an energy consultant working on behalf of the federal government and private utility clients, developing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. That experience has helped me lead AACPS’ work to improve energy efficiency in our schools - saving money and improving the environment. I hold two degrees in business, including an MBA from the University of Brighton in England.
In 2018, I ran for the Board of Education to make our Board more transparent and accessible to parents, and to make our schools better, safer, and fairer for all students. I’ve proudly worked to raise pay for teachers, improve oversight of your tax dollars, and expand mental health support and career and technical education opportunities for students.
My husband and I are proudly raising our daughter in Severna Park.
My Record
It’s about our kids.
I’m a parent, not a politician — prior to my 2018 election I’ve never run for office before, and I’m not going to run for office again. My goal for these past six years — and the next four — has been to make our schools the best they can possibly be. Here’s what I’ve done:
We have gone from last in the state in salaries for new teachers to fourth-best. Paying teachers more is the right thing to do - and it has helped us reduce the number of vacancies while recruiting the best educators in the state to teach our children.
Dr. Bedell is one of the best Superintendents in the country, and is taking our school system from good to great. Test scores increased in 7 out of 8 areas in his first year, and we expect to see more growth under his leadership. I’m proud to have helped in efforts to recruit and hire him.
Everywhere I go, I hear from students, teachers, and families how important mental health is. We have increased funding and added new mental health support staff for schools every single year I’ve been on the board.
Created scholarship for students enlisting in the military & fought for JROTC magnets
I want every student to be prepared for the path of their choosing after college, and that includes military service. When my good friend and fellow Board Member Candace CW Antwine passed away, I led the creation of the Candace Antwine Military Service Award in her honor, one of the only scholarships in the country to be awarded to graduating students joining the military. And I led the fight for our JROTC program to become a magnet program with transportation, making it more accessible to students across the county.
As Chair of the Budget Committee, I improved our systems for monitoring and reporting on how money was being spent to ensure that every dollar we get is spent wisely. It’s your money and the school system must be a good steward of it.
Enhanced policies on bullying, food allergies, & special education
We strengthened policies requiring schools to investigate and report bullying within 48 hours, made schools safer for students with food allergies, and worked closely with parents of children with special needs to improve our policies so that our most vulnerable students get the support and resources they deserve, including an inclusive learning environment.
I’ve been proud to advocate for resources to expand our Career & Technical Education programs available to students, including supporting our amazing Centers for Applied Technology. Students should be prepared for any path they want after graduation, whether that’s college, a trade, or the military. Offering strong career education — including in high-tech jobs — to all students is critical.
What’s Next?
As you can see, we’ve accomplished a lot these past six years, but there is much more to do.
We need to continue increasing the number of school counselors and psychologists until we meet the recommended ratio of mental health workers to kids.
We need to continue raising teacher pay, from first year teachers to veteran educators, making sure AACPS remains competitive with other districts and states so that we can attract the best teachers.
We should always be challenging ourselves to improve our curriculum and programming in line with the latest research so that our children are receiving the best education possible.
And, unfortunately, we have to work hard to keep partisan political fights and culture wars away from our school board. I will never vote to ban books or support any of the radical, distracting policies that have been passed in states like Florida and, shockingly, been introduced before our Board. These political issues distract from what matters most: building the schools our kids deserve.
Endorsements
Delegate Ben Barnes
Delegate Sandy Bartlett
Clerk of the Circuit Court Scott Poyer
Former Board of Education Student Member Josie Urrea
Former Board of Education Student Member Drake Smith
Former Board of Education Student Member Bunmi Omisore
Former Board of Education Student Member Zach McGrath
Former Board of Education Student Member Eric Lin
Former Maryland Democratic Party Chair Susan Turnbull
Get Involved
"Nothing good comes easily. Sometimes you've got to fight!"
– 311, "Amber"
When I first ran for Board of Education, I had never been a candidate before and was running against an experienced politician who held the seat. I won because my community came out and supported me, and that’s how I’ll win this time, too!
You can help me by:
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Knocking on doors
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Making phone calls
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Sending letters to voters
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Writing letters to the editor
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Putting up a sign in your yard
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Volunteering at the polls during Early Voting or Election Day
Please sign up here and let me know how you’d like to help!
Donate
Raising money is my least favorite part of campaigning, but it’s important that I have the resources I need to get my message out. I’m grateful for every donation — even $10 helps! — so if you’d like to contribute, you can do so below.