2026 Candidate Spotlight: Meet Matt Jones

BEL AIR, MD — Matt Jones has entered the race for Harford County Board of Education. Patch posed questions to each candidate running for office.

Below you will find Jones' responses, verbatim:

Name: Matt Jones

Age on Election Day: 40

Place of residence: Bel Air, MD

Email address: friendsofmattjones@gmail.com

Campaign website/Facebook page: www.ElectMattWJones.com and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560329830567

Do you have any previous political experience? If so, please state and explain how that experience will influence your time in office if elected.

I do not have any formal political experience, nor am I a career politician. This is my first election.

What do you believe is the single-most important issue facing voters in the district you’re looking to represent? How do you intend to address those issues?

It is hard to say what I think the single most important issue for voters is in regards to the Board of Education. There are so many valid issues that should be front row, center. Whether it is higher salaries for faculty and staff (in order to appeal to hiring more educators and retaining them), or creating a safe space for our children to attend school, where equality and inclusion are an implication and not a privilege for some.

Even something as simple as classroom size and accessibility to free meals for all students can make a huge difference. I am also vehemently against the banning of books, or any form of censorship from educational materials that our students should have the right to seek out.

Teachers should also feel empowered to create their own curriculum as long as it falls within state and local regulations, without the threat of external pressures. These are just a few of the issues I am running my campaign on, and I am always willing to address any other issue that is important to my constituents.

In regards to addressing these issues, I plan to work my fellow Board members to come up with realistic and reasonable solutions that fall within the budget that is set.

Hopefully, I will be able to build professional relationships with other elected officials from both sides at all levels of government so that we can all work as a team in a collective effort. Some of this will take time, but my goal is to implement some of the Board’s efforts within the first year of office. And, of course, the input and participation of residents of Harford County will be the key to our success.

How do you differ from other candidates running against you?

I am a unique candidate for the Board of Education in District E because unlike one of my opponents, I am not a career politician with endorsements from over a decade ago, and unlike my other opponent, I do not have a child in the Harford County Public School System (I don’t have children at all).

I literally have nothing to gain or benefit from in this election. I am running because I care about the future of our students in Harford County. I believe they are the biggest investment in this county, and I will fight for their best interests. I have also made it a priority to attend every single forum and public meet and greet that I have been invited to.

I want the public to know that I take this very seriously and am fully committed to this role. The best way to prove that is demonstrate my commitment by constantly being present so that I may address any and all concerns at each function. I am always happy to stay around after the event has concluded to meet privately. To-date, I am the only candidate in my area, District E, who can say that.

How would your work experience benefit the goals/objectives you’ve outlined in your campaign and/or the office you’re seeking?

Working with students and kids in general is nothing new for me. While my current occupation (working for the Federal Government) has nothing to do with Harford County Public Schools, previous roles have prepared me for this moment. In my early 20’s I volunteered at the 4-H summer camps, and was also a year-round Teacher’s Assistant at a school that specialized in serving kids with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

I studied Early Childhood Development in school, and worked for various companies that serviced children and adults with varying degrees of autism and other diagnoses, including The Arc and Trellis Services. Just a few years ago I was a high school substitute teacher for the Harford County Public School System. All of this experience has given me valuable exposure to the school system and a few areas that need to be addressed.

What is your opinion of the work being done by the current office holder, and how will you improve on it? If that is you - how do you plan to continue improving upon what you've already accomplished?

The seat I am running for is currently occupied by Carol P. Bruce. She is retiring after her term ends this year. She has done a phenomenal job representing her constituents and addressing all of their concerns, and I can only hope to successfully follow in her footsteps and make her proud.

Unfortunately, because of some of the other members on the Board, she has not been able to be as successful as she would like to have been. I am hoping this election cycle brings about enough change that the Board can go back to being productive and respected within the county. It is time we are reflected in a positive light in the media, and not made famous from scandal and controversy.

How do you feel about the school system in your area and what improvements would you like to see be made?

The school system in my district, and in the County as a whole, is struggling. We are expected to perform at high standards and be praised for a multitude of accomplishments, but we have consistently been denied proper funding. Politics has caused our student population to suffer, and it is time we start prioritizing our schools, our educators, and our students.

They deserve more from us. How can we expect our students to take us seriously when we ask them to be the best they can be, when we aren’t even performing at an acceptable level? Accountability is key, and we need to start working together, putting our differences aside, and understand that we all have the same goal- to make sure our students have the highest quality education possible in order to have the best opportunities made available to them upon graduation.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I would like for our voters to know that while I didn’t formally grow up in Harford County, and only moved here when I was 20, I was still up here most of my childhood. I joined the Harford County 4-H program at the age of 10, and my mom would bring me up here 4-6 days a week.

In my mind Harford County has always been my home. Its’ citizens have always been my neighbors, my friends, and my family. I believe in this County, and I believe in all we have to offer. I love that the race for Board of Education is non-partisan. Our kids’ education should not be defined as Democrat or Republican.

If elected, I will do my best to represent ALL of the students, not just the ones who come from parents that supported and voted for me. I want to hear from everyone. I want my door to literally and figurately be open to hear from the residents of this county. If elected, those residents are who I work for, and I want them to be satisfied with my job performance. I am human, and I have no doubt I will make mistakes, but I will also take responsibility for those mistakes and learn and improve from them.

I want the public to feel comfortable and empowered speaking to me, and I want them to know I am listening. This race is critical. If they want a representative who is dedicated to the students of this County, a true advocate for education, then look no further. I hope they vote for me, Matt Jones, for the Harford County Board of Education in District E.