VP of SGA Running for Washington County School Board Seat

Benjamin Forrest, the Vice President of the Student Government Association at Frostburg State University, is an official candidate on the Washington County, MD ballot for the November 2020 election. Forrest is seeking a seat on the county’s Board of Education. The race is non-partisan. Forrest is a registered Republican.

Forrest, a senior in the Political Science Department, comes from a long line of educators, including his mother, Beth Simcox Forrest who is a 1st grade teacher at Smithsburg Elementary School.

When Forrest first came to Frostburg, he was an education and math double major before taking Dr. Stephen Simpson’s classes. He told Ben, “you need to be a political science major,” and Forrest changed course. That is, except for in his free time where he continued to work as a substitute teacher in Washington County beginning in January of his freshmen year of college.

“There are a lot of substitute teacher vacancies and shortages in the county,” says Forrest, “and [being a substitute teacher] gave me a great opportunity to interact with students and teachers all over the county.”

Moreover, Forrest’s passion for policy, which developed over his time at FSU, is where education meets political action. “I have been involved with governance here to a significant degree,” says Forrest. Indeed, Forrest was a Freshman Senator on SGA in the 2016-2017 school year, the Student Affairs Chair in 2017-2018, and SGA President last school year before stepping down to Vice President this school year to allow current President Jenna Puffinburger an opportunity to lead.

“I’ve done a lot of work with advocacy at Frostburg and have had extensive involvement with education policy,” says Forrest, “I’ve been on the Maryland Youth Advisory Committee which has helped me to see how we can include student voices in decision making.” Empowering young voices in the conversation about education is an expressed passion of Forrest’s.

Of course, Forrest’s own youth is a consideration in his candidacy. “If you look at the current school board in Washington County, the median age is 65.” Forrest will turn 22 in April, but considers his age an asset. “I am a recent product of the county school system and have a great perspective to offer.” Forrest graduated from North Hagerstown High School in 2016.

The Washington County Board of Education race seeks to fill four positions with seven candidates. Three of those running are incumbents; however, recent developments between the Board and Educational Support Personnel regarding labor negotiations puts those candidates at risk.

Forrest has followed these developments and considers himself to be pro-Union. “It’s important to talk about these things, and I’m the kind of person who will tell you where I am on something,” he says. His time as a substitute teacher “has given me an on-the-ground experience and I’m ready to effect change and have a larger conversation about education policy.”

Whether the voters in Washington County connect with Forrest’s message will be revealed in November. Until then, Forrest is working on graduating and finishing his term as Chair of the University System of Maryland Student Council. “I’m looking forward to really getting focused on the future,” says Forrest.