With just over two weeks to go until election day, all six candidates for seats on the Montgomery County Board of Education met on Monday, Oct. 21, for a forum at Walter Johnson High School.
“We’ve worked three months on questions and we really want you to see their true colors, and we really want you to see what they stand for, so you vote in an educational way,” WJ parent and event organizer Deborah Berger said.
The forum, sponsored by various community organizations and PTAs in the WJ community, drew over 50 community members to the WJ auditorium, where candidates discussed issues like antisemitism, taxing policies, opt-out policies from certain books and curricula, the $1.3 million settlement with former superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight, a recent scandal over MCPS’s management of their electric school bus contract and county housing planning.
More specifically to WJ, candidates also discussed issues like the overcrowding and the construction of an auditorium at Woodward High School, which some WJ students are slated to attend starting as soon as 2027, as well as the related boundary study.
The full recording of all the candidates’ responses is available online. The six candidates are running for three of the eight seats on the Board this November. The At-Large seat, currently held by Board Member Lynne Harris, is being challenged by Rita Montaya. The District 2 seat is being contested between two newcomers: Natalie Zimmerman and Brenda Diaz. Finally, the District 4 seat is between the incumbent Shebra Evans and challenger Laura Stewart.
“The school system touches every resident in the county, whether they have kids in it or not. A strong public school system is the strongest driver for economic development and it’s how we prepare our next generation,” Harris said.
Despite the misconception, voters do not vote for just the Board candidates in their district and may vote in all three races. In a major election year where the presidential and national elections draw headlines, Board candidates emphasized the importance of down-ballot races, including the Board of Education.
“Everyone should care about local races, especially the Board of Education because the education budget is about half of where our tax dollars go in Montgomery County, and it’s also what attracts people to this county. So our school system needs to stay competitive so that we can stay competitive,” Stewart said.
