Board of Education
The office:
SALARY: $18,500 annual base
TERM: Four years, no term limit
HOW ELECTED: The Board of Education is composed of five members who must reside in the districts that they represent and two at large members who may live anywhere in the county. Elections for Board of Education are non-partisan. All registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, may vote in the primary election for the Board of Education, except those who are under 18 years of age. Voters who are currently 17 and have registered with the Democratic or Republican party, can vote for candidates listed on those ballots. However, a recent legal decision prohibits these voters from voting for Board of Education candidates in the primary election. All other voters, regardless of the district in which they reside, may vote for one at large candidate in the primary. The top two vote getters in the at large race will run against each other in the general election. Because Districts 2 and 4 are uncontested, the candidates for these offices will not appear on this primary election ballot.
DUTIES: Members of the Board of Education determine and enforce policies that govern the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). Among other responsibilities, the Board of Education appoints the Superintendent of Schools; initiates, reviews and discusses educational issues; reviews and submits to the County Council annual capital and operating budgets; and receives funding from county, state and federal sources.
The issues:
BACKGROUND: What are your qualifications for this office?
PRIORITIES: What are your priorities for serving on the Board of Education?
OVERCROWDING: What approaches would you support to alleviate overcrowding in schools?
TRADE-OFFS: What are the trade-offs between an emphasis on improving test scores in reading and math or providing a well-rounded curriculum?
OPTIONS: Does MCPS provide enough options for the non-college bound student? Please explain.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN: What is your opinion of making pre-kindergarten education available in public schools?
BACKGROUND: County school product, long time county resident, child in public school system.
PRIORITIES: Boundaries, cost saving measures, replacing federal funding, letting teachers get back to teaching the subjects instead of teaching to take a standardized test.
OVERCROWDING: Restructuring of boundaries, hiring teachers, temporary classrooms until schools can be built.
TRADE-OFFS: Real life doesn’t have you taking a test for a paycheck. It is fine to take the test to get funding, but for that to be the emphasis is not correct. Our county school system should teach a well rounded curriculum that prepares our students for the next step in …
OPTIONS: No response.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN: Absolutely available to everyone.
BACKGROUND: I am a parent of two MCPS graduates. I have been active at all levels of PTA: school, cluster, and countywide. With a degree in Economics, I understand the financial constraints of MCPS. As an attorney, I know how to read and draft policies for maximum effectiveness.
PRIORITIES: Ensure that the middle school reform effort is successful by designing a curriculum that challenges every student. Encourage student achievement through meaningful programs to involve parents and engage the community. Develop a fiscally responsible budget that is transparent to taxpayers. Eliminate unnecessary testing to provide more time for teaching.
OVERCROWDING: The BOE, working alongside our Annapolis delegation, must advocate for increased state funding to allow us to renovate schools more rapidly. We should study extended schedules, which will provide greater use of existing capacity. Finally, projections for stable enrollment may allow us to significantly decrease our reliance upon portables.
TRADE-OFFS: There should not be trade-offs. MCPS must review the curriculum and redefine how reading and math are taught with a focus on fundamentals and no unnecessary testing. Incorporating math and reading skills into the areas of science, social studies, art, music, and P.E. will improve test scores.
OPTIONS: No. MCPS needs to improve its career preparation programs for students who are interested in job opportunities upon graduation. The Edison program is very successful and similar programs should be included along with countywide career pathways to create more options for our students in every high school.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN: We need to invest in our children at an earlier age by expanding our preschool programs. Enhancing early child development appears to improve a child’s ability to learn at later stages. Early education not only improves a child’s cognitive ability, but it increases the productivity of later educational initiatives.
BACKGROUND: I have a formal education in engineering and have taught school [Vocational-Technical and Community college], I have served as volunteer as MSI coach, advisory committees for MCPS and Montgomery College, County Libraries system, Citizens Advisory Board and Board of ELETRICAL Examiners, etc. I have 30 years of engineering experience.
PRIORITIES: (1) Hold MCPS to be more fiscally accountable in this time of economic uncertainty and yet will maintain our public schools academically excellence in reading, writing, math, science, art, and information technology. (2) Improve vocational training and emphasize civic education and responsibility in early childhood education.
OVERCROWDING: I support the slow growth in our county, this would help alleviate overcrowding in our schools in the long run. Meanwhile, we need to have additional teacher-aids in these over crowded classrooms to assist students with their understanding of studying material.
TRADE-OFFS: I think that our teachers can do both and the MCPS should have in place procedures for all teachers to adhere to this – e.g. to teach the curriculum and bring out the highlight of what could be on the tests. Students need to practice what they’ve learned.
OPTIONS: No. This is the main reason I want to get involved in MCPS. Perhaps NCLB is too restrictive
on its goal in that it focuses on the academic achievement and not enough emphasis on vocational/ careers courses for other non college bound students.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN: It’s an excellent idea, the earlier we start them in learning the better prepared they will become. Parents must compensate MCPS for this effort, just as if they are providing child care at private caring sources. Children from economic deprived sector should be exempted from payment.
BACKGROUND: My qualifications include 24 years professional experience in nonprofits focusing on health and education, 20 years as a school advocate, and knowledge of Montgomery County Public Schools. I’ve served on local and state committees and held elected PTA positions. I bring energy, commitment, and a strong voice to the Board.
PRIORITIES: Close the achievement gap and expand academic gains for all students; use information from tests to improve instruction; provide academic and developmental supports; create schools that respect differences in learning styles and cultures and have high expectations for all; and partner with parents and communities to maximize achievement for all.
OVERCROWDING: We need short-term and long-term solutions. Innovative strategies, such as two teachers in a class to reduce the teacher-to-student ratio without building more classrooms, need to be examined. Analyses of demographics and home sales will help develop a forecast to prepare longer-term solutions.
TRADE-OFFS: A well-rounded curriculum is the best way to improve test scores, particularly in reading. We need to embed reading instruction within a rich curriculum that develops the vocabulary and background knowledge essential to good reading. We must use test results to improve instruction for those who take the tests.
OPTIONS: A comprehensive high school education prepares students for both the workforce and postsecondary education. All graduates must be literate and prepared to be productive members of a global society. The Edison Center provides advanced technical education to too few students. The county needs more apprenticeships and partnerships to increase opportunities.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN: Quality pre-kindergarten education in public schools benefits students. Exposure to a rich environment provides children the chance to develop the necessary social and academic skills that contribute to academic success. With changes in demographics in Montgomery County, this initiative would meet the needs of a growing number of residents.
CAMPAIGN WEBSITE: http://www.rob4boe.com/
BACKGROUND: As a teacher I have worked as a 6th grade team leader and also a middle school science resource teacher. I was also elected as the Grand Knight of the Fr. Rosensteel Knights of Columbus, which is the largest council in Maryland. I was also a chair officer for 3 years.
PRIORITIES: My number one priority is to reduce teacher workload. In this data driven era teachers have less time to spend with students. My goal is to allow teachers to have more time for planning and implementing lessons for students. Giving all stake holders a voice is another goal.
OVERCROWDING: Until funding is available for new school construction there are only temporary ways to deal with overcrowding. I believe portable classrooms are a much better alternative to using lunchrooms, libraries, and storage areas.
TRADE-OFFS: There is no trade-off. For the sake of improved test scores our curriculum has been combined with the state curriculum. Students quickly learn the basics and then it’s off to the next subject. The students are losing time to work in their own areas of interest and the arts.
OPTIONS: MCPS has only one tech school to serve all of the high school aged students. Either it needs to be a full time school that any student could chose to go to or there needs to be another option for our students.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN: While the idea of making pre-kindergarten education available in public schools is intriguing. The amount of funding necessary in order to make it happen is not obtainable at this time for the county.