A Loss For Our Community

On July 16, our community lost a devoted public servant and staunch advocate for our students and school system when Candace C.W. Antwine, Board of Education member who represented District 1, passed away unexpectedly. Candace was not only my colleague but also a dear friend.

To say I am heartbroken and devastated is an understatement. My heart goes out to her son, Joey, a Meade High School graduate, and to her family and friends. While her six-year term on the board was cut short after only two years and seven months, she made an indelible mark on the school system.

Candace focused on the health of the school system, promoting inclusion of our diverse student body, eradicating bullying and bias, supporting our military families and those who often didn’t have a voice. Whether you agreed with her votes or not, no one can say that she didn’t always put the students first. Her death is a loss for the entire community.

I will always be proud of the work Candace and I, along with our other board colleagues, accomplished over the last couple of years. Candace’s perspective was always needed. A diverse school system requires diverse representation on the board in all aspects. Candace not only represented her district well but also fought for all students from all corners of the county. She served on multiple board committees as well as on several Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) committees.

I am currently developing meaningful and lasting ways to honor her memory and carry her work forward to benefit the students of Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Proceeding on the path she helped forge with her colleagues, myself included, is the only way I can get through this tragedy and heal - hardly a replacement for her presence, collaboration and friendship.

While each member is grieving in his or her own way, I already see encouraging signs that this tragedy will help all of us recognize the need to hit the reset button and remember that we are all on the same team, with the same goal: to ensure that all AACPS students receive a world-class equitable education.

Now the Anne Arundel County Council has quite the task ahead of them as they work to appoint someone to serve the remainder of Candace’s term. The county council unanimously passed Resolution 40-21 on July 29, which sets forth the process to select a successor to Ms. Antwine for the District 1 seat on the Board of Education.

Here are the highlights of that resolution:

• • The application period for District 1 residents who wish to apply opened on August 2 and closes on Wednesday, September 1.
• • The county council will hold at least one hearing with public interviews of the applicants before moving to a roll call voting process.
• • If no applicant receives a majority of the votes on the first ballot, a subsequent roll call vote will be held that will consist of all applicants receiving votes on the previous roll call vote. This will continue until an applicant receives a majority of the votes.
• • The county council will then confirm the applicant by passage of a resolution.

Materials related to the application process are posted on the Anne Arundel County website. May Candace’s memory forever be a blessing.