My name is Joe Fleckenstein, and I am a candidate for the Harford County Board of Education, in District C!

I am proud to call Bel Air and Harford County my home and have spent more than 75% of my life in our county.  As a 1989 graduate of Bel Air High School and an attendee of Homestead Wakefield Elementary and Bel Air Middle Schools, I experienced outstanding teachers, coaches, and faculty during my formative years.  My Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. History teacher, eleventh-grade Chemistry teacher, and high school track and field coaches stood out to me as teaching professionals who promoted excellence, dedication, focus, and provided encouragement.  It was a blessing to have instructors who could blend hard work with empathy during my thirteen years as an HCPS student. 

After attending Harford Community College and later graduating from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland with a B.A. in Business Management, I worked many weekends and evenings in retail and spent two years employed with a specialized trade association.  In the early 2000’s, I found my home in the Defense industry as a contractor, where I still work today.  My career has been marked with providing excellent customer service and administrative skills to hundreds of employees and visitors to our Aberdeen Proving Ground campus. 

I am running for the Board of Education because the HCPS system is currently in a state of decline. My parents, faith, and experiences have prepared me as a solid listener and leader in addressing this matter.  I bring people and organizational skills, along with loyalty, integrity, and trust, to a school system that faces several issues and challenges:

1. Library Materials: There are multiple books within HCPS libraries that can be considered explicit and obscene. I’ve read excerpts from these books at previous Harford County Board of Education meetings to expose the inappropriate literature that activist-minded individuals believe is helpful to students.  I am committed to advocating for the removal of these books, once they have gone through a streamlined Book Evaluation Review process.

2. MCAP Testing Concerns: In 2022, Maryland lowered the standards of the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) by reducing test times and changing test criteria. Despite HCPS performing better than some counties, it still falls short of meeting our children’s needs.  In 2023-2024, approximately 40% of students failed in English Language Arts, while close to 70% failed in Math.  Millions of hard-working taxpayer dollars are being wasted each year in the production of less than mediocre results.

3. Traditional Skills & Knowledge: Technology is extremely important without question. But students today in HCPS are not being sufficiently taught much needed traditional and classical skills and subjects. Industrial arts (i.e. woodworking; basic automotive care), personal finance, cursive-writing, map-reading, effective public speaking, and the foundations of our American Constitution are no longer held in the high regard that previous generations experienced. We must take this content seriously, and I will work to incorporate such materials into our curriculums.

4. Voluntary Mentoring Programs: It’s easy for a child to lose his or her way today. We need men and women across our community, from all walks of life to step up and provide guidance and direction for our youth when parents need the extra assistance for their children.  I am calling on Harford County men and women, but particularly strong men of good character, to voluntarily mentor students in need of guidance, especially at the middle and high school levels. 

It’s all about the Basics, and we can move Beyond to greater heights with a commitment to common sense and excellence.  This will lay the foundation for academic achievement, safe schools, and teachers empowered to teach by utilizing their God-given gifts.  Together, we can create a more promising future for our children!

Thank you for your support – I’m excited to work together to serve our children!