# Howard County Board of Education (non-partisan)

**In one sentence:** The board sets local public-school policy; Howard County voters may vote for up to two candidates for countywide seats. [1][2]

## The candidates

### Mark E. Covington
- **Background:** Says he is a retired educator with degrees in health education and school administration. [3]
- **Top stated priorities:** Full school funding, student mental health, safe buildings, and support for teachers. [3]
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** His campaign reports work as a teacher, principal, administrator, and university lecturer, plus service on school advisory and budget committees. [4][5]

### Linda Frascarella
- **Background:** Describes herself as a financial manager who worked for Howard County schools and holds a master’s in teaching. [6]
- **Top stated priorities:** Full school funding, building repairs, and changes allowing more students to join extracurricular activities. [3]
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Her campaign reports PTA involvement, school volunteering, and service on local League of Women Voters and Sierra Club boards. [7]

### Lanlan Xu
- **Background:** Describes herself as a health-policy executive with doctoral degrees from Indiana and Georgetown universities. [3]
- **Top stated priorities:** Protect classroom staff, provide earlier student support, improve transparency, and plan for school facilities. [3]
- **Record or experience relevant to this office:** Reports service on the school system’s Operating Budget Review Committee and PTA Council Legislative Committee, plus testimony on school funding and staffing. [3]

## Where they differ

- **Spending choices:** Covington would not cut current instructional programs and wants to review classroom screen use; Frascarella would protect spending closest to students; Xu would streamline administration and freeze nonessential contracts without proven results. [3]
- **Policy focus:** Covington emphasizes fair school-boundary changes and artificial-intelligence safeguards; Frascarella wants changes to discipline and activity-eligibility rules; Xu emphasizes earlier help for struggling students and stronger special-education services within county schools. [3]
- **Measuring results:** Covington stresses surveys, fairness, and transparency; Frascarella names full funding of the superintendent’s request; Xu lists academic growth, attendance, staffing, and timely disability services. [3]

## If you care most about...

- **School funding** -> Covington calls for full funding without instructional cuts; Frascarella supports fully funding the superintendent’s request; Xu proposes grants, partnerships, and operating savings to protect classrooms. [3]
- **Student support** -> Covington seeks expanded mental-health services; Frascarella opposes out-of-school suspensions for nonviolent offenses; Xu seeks earlier academic and mental-health help. [3]
- **Public access** -> Covington proposes more meetings and surveys; Frascarella suggests easier-to-find reports and a newsletter using existing staff; Xu supports a community communication advisory committee. [3]

## What we could not verify

Independent confirmation of all work-history claims and claimed results: **Not found in sources checked**. Candidate profiles and policy answers above are their own claims, not independently verified findings. [3] Differences in emphasis do not establish that other candidates oppose those ideas.

## Confidence

**Medium.** Official sources support the office structure and candidate list; the comparisons rely mainly on candidates’ published answers. [1][2][3][8]

## Sources

[1] Howard County Board of Education - HCPSS - https://www.hcpss.org/board/

[2] Education §3–701 - Maryland General Assembly - https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=ged&section=3-701&enactments=false

[3] Howard County school board 2026 election candidate profiles - The Baltimore Sun, candidate questionnaire - https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/05/20/howard-county-board-of-education-candidates-2026-election/

[4] Meet Mark - Covington campaign - https://www.covingtonforboe.com/about

[5] Mark Covington for Board of Education - Covington campaign - https://www.covingtonforboe.com/

[6] Linda for Board of Education - Frascarella campaign - https://vote4frascarella.com/

[7] Meet Linda - Frascarella campaign - https://vote4frascarella.com/about/

[8] 2026 General Election Local Candidates List, Howard County - Maryland State Board of Elections - https://elections.maryland.gov/elections/2026/general_candidates/2026_GG_all_counties_candidatelist.html#howardcounty