In recent months, Montgomery County school board members have cried on the dais. They’ve faced a room of angry parents chanting, “Shame!” They’ve had to cut hundreds of staff positions.
The challenges of the job haven’t stopped several candidates from seeking a seat on the board overseeing Maryland’s largest school district, which is charged with educating more than 155,000 students.
There are elections for four of the board’s eight seats in the June 23 primary, though only two of them are competitive.
Board president Grace Rivera-Oven is running unopposed to keep her District 1 seat. And in District 5, Elma‑Lorraine Diggs is the only candidate seeking to replace Brenda Wolff in the June primary.
Meanwhile, Karla Silvestre and Julie Yang are departing the school board to run for the Montgomery County Council, leaving open an at-large seat and District 3 position.
Though school board races are technically nonpartisan, allegations of extremist agendas are showing up in these two contested races.
Read More
The next school board will confront an array of challenges. The current board faced a difficult budget this spring, as the district grappled with a $36 million hole. But officials warn next year will be even harder.
Plus, they are expected to consider closing some elementary schools and make hard choices about school security, artificial intelligence and persistent achievement gaps.
The board — which includes one student, five district-based members and two at-large members — 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.
School board members serve staggered four-year terms and are paid $25,000 annually. After the June primary, the top vote-getters advance to the November general election.
Candidate support
The most recent campaign finance reports show heavy-hitters in Montgomery County’s two contested school board races.
In the at-large race, businessman Omar Lazo and community leader Wylea Chase have each amassed thousands of dollars for their campaigns.
Brenda Diaz, a former MCPS teacher, has less to spend than her competition.
Lazo’s nearly $10,000 balance was bolstered by $3,000 from David Trone, who is running in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District race. Chase has roughly $6,000 to spend, including a $400 donation from Friends of Jheanelle Wilkins, a delegate representing Montgomery County. Diaz had about $2,000 cash on hand.
Endorsements are also flowing in. Lazo has the support of the teachers union’s Apple Ballot, as well as outgoing County Executive Marc Elrich, several county council members and Rivera-Oven.
Chase was endorsed by former County Executive Ike Leggett, outgoing District 5 board member Brenda Wolff and other community leaders.
Diaz, meanwhile, was the recent target of an attack ad. Strong Maryland, a super PAC, blasted out videos and graphics on social media that label her too extreme for Montgomery County. Diaz formerly taught in MCPS but resigned from the district in 2022 after violating the mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the District 3 race, political consultant Brett DiResta and longtime PTA leader Sally McCarthy far out-raised Cassandra “Cassi” Sung, who works for a law firm.
Sharon Creed, an MCPS mom, has raised less than $1,000. Andrew Frykman, who just turned 18, amassed about $2,000.
DiResta has about $13,000 to spend, while McCarthy has roughly $15,000 cash on hand. McCarthy also has the influential Apple Ballot endorsement and is backed by Gov. Wes Moore.
Why are they running?
Several candidates said they want to repair strained trust between Montgomery County Public Schools leadership and the district’s families.
They are also highlighting their personal connections to MCPS as their motivations for taking on the job.
In District 3, Sung’s daughter is just starting kindergarten — and Sung said that gives her a unique viewpoint.
“Having an outside perspective sometimes can be the most eye-opening thing there is because, ‘We’ve always done it this way’ is my least favorite thing to hear,” she said.
McCarthy pointed to her deep roots in MCPS; she’s the child of district teachers, a graduate of the system and sent her kids through local public schools.
She’s also a former PTA leader who took on roles in the districtwide parent organization, including as the Capital Improvement Program budget chair.
“My expertise helps me a lot,” she said. “I don’t have to sit and learn local budgeting.”
DiResta — a Democratic consultant, professor and MCPS dad — said he’d bring personal experience and political skills to the board.
“It’s palpable that people are frustrated with the system,” he said. “People with means are opting out. The next county school board is going to be faced with a number of difficult decisions, but they’ll have to take a deeper look at what’s driving people out of the system.”
Frykman, a Montgomery College student, said he offers the point-of-view of a new graduate.
“The experience that I’ve had going through MCPS is very fresh,” he said. “Having the most recent perspective of the classroom is really beneficial, and utilizing that for not just informed voting but informed governance is really important to me.”
Creed, like Diaz, has been targeted by ads labeling her as a far-right candidate who is connected to the local Republican party. She rejects that label.
“I’m the only Republican,” she said. “That’s why they do not want me to win.”
In the at-large race, Lazo is also highlighting his breadth of experience. He’s on the Montgomery College Board of Trustees. He was active in the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence, as well as a member of the Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
It’s also personal for him, with his daughters in MCPS.
“We can’t lose track of educational excellence,” he said.
Chase has a long history of advocacy, and said people have encouraged her to run for years. After praying about it with her family, she said she was ready to step up because she doesn’t see enough urgency at this critical juncture.
Her work within the district prepared her for this role, she said. As a Black woman, she’s used to fighting for expanded access for children of color, she added, informed by her own kids’ experiences within MCPS.
“I’ve been working with superintendents since I got to this district in 1998,” she said. “I not only work with organizations, but I work boots on the ground with folks.”
This is Diaz’s second attempt at a board of education seat. She’s been outspoken about her views that MCPS is failing its fiduciary duties and isn’t making sufficient academic progress. She sent her older children through MCPS but now homeschools her youngest daughter because she felt the district wasn’t serving her well during “Zoom school.”
Diaz is perhaps best known as the teacher who left MCPS for violating the mask mandate.
“It definitely was not easy for me to go against the mask mandate,” she said. “I was attacked pretty heavily from multiple fronts.”
She acknowledges that she’s been labeled as “some far-right extremist.”
“All I was doing,” she said, “was just protecting my bodily autonomy and my constitutional freedoms.”
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.