Lazo holds slight lead over Diaz in contentious Montgomery County school board race

Three new faces will join the Montgomery County school board as it works through high-stakes decisions about campus closures, tight budgets and academic programs.

On Wednesday morning, Omar Lazo was running slightly ahead in the at-large school board race, one of the most highly charged in Montgomery County.

Lazo, a businessman and Montgomery College trustee, faces Brenda Diaz, a former Montgomery County Public Schools teacher who resigned after violating the mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mail-in and provisional ballots have yet to be fully counted, Lazo noted in a statement Wednesday morning, but his campaign held a lead of nearly 4,500 votes.

“While the results are not yet final, I am optimistic that our lead will hold — and hopefully grow,” he said.

Lazo had the support of the influential teachers union’s Apple Ballot, many sitting local leaders and Gov. Wes Moore. Still, Diaz was stiff competition, tapping into parental dissatisfaction and slamming the status quo.

Diaz attracted tens of thousands of dollars worth of opposition spending from a super PAC that labeled her “too extreme” for the deep-blue county.

By Wednesday afternoon, she weighed on social media and similarly cautioned that the count isn’t over. She asked voters to check on their ballot status.

To her supporters, she said: “We built something real.”

“You did this because you are tired of not being heard by the very people whose duty is to listen to you and to give your children an excellent education,” she said.

Sally McCarthy had a decisive lead over Cassandra “Cassi” Sung for the District 3 seat. McCarthy, a longtime PTA leader, maintained a hefty bank account and a long list of endorsements during her campaign. She had captured 67% of the vote, as of Wednesday morning’s count.

Board president Grace Rivera-Oven ran unopposed to keep her District 1 seat. In District 5, Elma‑Lorraine Diggs ran unopposed.

The winners will serve four-year terms on an eight-member board, which includes a student representative. As board members, they will oversee Maryland’s largest school district, with roughly 152,000 students.

The board votes on the district’s budget, evaluates its superintendent and sets policy. In a county known for its strong public school system, it’s been a launching pad for higher office.

Members are paid $25,000 annually.