Montgomery County Board of Education

A: The Blueprint is a major opportunity AND a real challenge for our school district. The Blueprint is about making long overdue investments in equity in directing more funding to students who need it most as well investments in teacher development. But implementation has been difficult as we navigate staffing shortages, shifting funding formulas and concerns about long term sustainability. There are real tensions between the state’s ambitious goals and our local capacity to deliver on those goals consistently. As a BOE member, I would continue doing what I currently do, which is focus on execution. The Blueprint isn’t hurting us because of it’s vision but it can if not implemented well. To do that we just align resources with our current realities, supporting our educators and being really transparent with our communities about the trade offs. We also must have accountability for results.

A: I do support restrictions on personal devices during school time. I think it’s a real distraction for students and can absolutely have a negative impact, especially when their attention is diverted from classroom instruction. I think that the question/answer around screen time is tricky as it depends greatly on the class and lessons. I believe that screen time is absolutely necessary in schools, in keeping our kids up to date in preparing them for the larger world around college and career; we can’t avoid it. I would personally, love to see the assigning and reading of WHOLE novels, more use of paper instead of devices, and having a balanced approach to use of devices. I believe that our students can learn that appropriate balance in school and this should absolutely be a part of the curriculum.

A: Improving math achievement is an imperative, especially given our own disaggregated data showing the low proficiency rates for our Black and Brown students especially. I think that one of the things that could help is truly leaning into our math content specialists/coaches for targeted support for our teachers. Also, requiring more than two days of professional development for teachers when the new math curriculum is rolled out; even having dedicated quarterly check-ins for teachers would go a long way as they become acclimated with the new math curriculum that will be introduced by MCPS and voted on by the BOE during the April 30th meeting. I believe that our teachers voices need to be included in the decision around the implementation of the math curriculum, early and often! I also believe that providing support to parents/caregivers that would allow them to support their students at home, would also go a long way. This would involve our district leaning into trusted community stakeholders who are more than willing to support our students and parents.

A: Declining enrollment is real but closures and redistricting must be handled with transparence, data and community voice should be reflected back in decisions made. I would push (and have) for a clear, publicly accessible framework that includes enrollment trends, facility conditions, program access, and the impact on equity before any proposals move forward. Engagement must be early, multilingual and actional. Not just informational. Closures should be a last resort, we need to think outside the box, which is what I was tasked with as a member of a School Reform taskforce under former Superintendent Smith just just before Covid. We were exploring right-sizing buildings, co-locating services, looking at high-demand vs. low-demand programs that attract and retain families, etc. We have to rebuild trust to bring families back. We have to demonstrate value, which means strong early literacy, rigorous and culturally relevant curriculum, safe and supportive school climates, and consistent communication. This needs to include career and college pathways (we need programs such as CollegeTracks in more than just 4 schools!) and wraparound supports. We don’t just want families recruited, we want them to stay.

A: While I believe that parents/caregivers absolutely deserve a meaningful voice, I don’t believe that they should have veto power that could result in censorship or the erasure of diverse perspectives. School libraries should reflect the full range of our students’ identities, histories, and experiences while remaining age appropriate and educationally sound. I would advocate to strengthen and not replace the current process. This includes being transparent with our communities about how/why books are selected and who is making those decisions. I support a diverse review committee that includes educators, librarians, and parent reps so families are at the table early in a proactive manner and not just when concerns arise. We can and should have balance that honors parent/caregiver voice while protecting our students’ rights to learn and see themselves reflected back.

A: The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future has worthwhile goals: expanding pre-K access, strengthening professional development for teachers, and supporting high-poverty schools. Five years since its passage, enacted over Governor Hogan’s veto in 2021, the honest assessment is that it has not delivered on its academic promise, at least not in Montgomery County.

The Montgomery County Taxpayers League’s Gordie Brenne said it clearly: the Blueprint is “an unfunded mandate” and its implementation by MCPS has been “too top down.” The data supports him. Reading and math proficiency remain essentially flat despite years of Blueprint spending. Resources have concentrated heavily at the elementary level while middle and high school students have been largely left behind. What concerns me most is how MCPS has used the Blueprint implementation as cover for decisions disconnected from student outcomes, for example when MCPS and MCEA sought a permanent exemption from Maryland’s 180-day school-year requirement. The MCCPTA education committee chairs rightly called this out as prioritizing administrative convenience over learning time. As a whole, the Blueprint’s goals are not the problem. Accountability-free implementation is. As a Board member I will require that every Blueprint dollar received by MCPS be tied to measurable academic outcomes for every student in every school at every grade level.

A: Yes — and the evidence is no longer debatable that the technology introduced harms children’s capacity to learn.

As Karen Vaites, founder of the Curriculum Insight Project, has documented extensively: screen-based learning has coincided with falling literacy rates across the country. Fortune put it plainly in 2026 when it stated, “America’s math and reading scores tanked after schools ditched textbooks for screens.” Sweden, once a global leader in ed-tech adoption, reversed course entirely and returned books to classrooms after documenting the damage. Tennessee just moved to prohibit digital devices in elementary schools entirely. The research is in. The experiment failed. I will push MCPS to remove Chromebooks from elementary and middle school classrooms and return to textbooks, workbooks, paper, and pencils. The evidence for limited to no technology at these grade levels is overwhelming. Plus, the cost savings from ending the Chromebook program can go directly back to classroom materials and teacher support. At the high school level, Jonathan Haidt’s research in “The Anxious Generation” makes the case clearly: personal cellphones must be removed from the school day entirely. I advocated for this in my 2024 campaign and I am advocating for it again. Phone-free schools produce more focused students and measurably better mental health outcomes. Screen time in class for elementary and middle schoolers should be minimal to none. The AI age requires our children to be focused, critical thinkers. To accomplish these goals, our children deserve books, not browsers.

A: Only 22% of MCPS students pass Algebra I. In 8th grade math, MCPS has landed dead last among comparable districts. This did not happen by accident. It happened because MCPS abandoned explicit, systematic math instruction in favor of discovery-based approaches, handed every child a Chromebook, and adopted Eureka Math, a Common Core-aligned curriculum so convoluted that parents cannot help their own children with homework. I saw this firsthand as a tutor. Parents sitting at the kitchen table, completely lost, because the methods bore no resemblance to how math is actually taught and learned. When you cut parents out of their child’s learning, the achievement gap widens. Every time.

The Southern Surge states transformed their outcomes through explicit instruction, knowledge-rich curriculum, and accountability. The numeracy research points in the same direction. My platform: return physical math textbooks parents can actually follow. Implement explicit, systematic instruction — facts, procedures, and fluency before application. Remove Chromebooks from elementary and middle school math entirely. Require memorization of math facts starting in elementary school. Adopt Singapore Math or a comparable evidence-based curriculum. Return midterms and final exams so we have honest data on mastery. Finally, teacher professional development must build real math content knowledge in teachers with real-life application in the classroom to help our students.

A: The Wootton closure is the perfect case study in how not to handle declining enrollment. The Board saw falling numbers, decided consolidation was the answer, ignored documented data manipulation, dismissed thousands of parents, and permanently closed a 55-year community anchor — all without genuine community input. That approach is wrong every time, regardless of the enrollment numbers.

Neighborhood schools are not just buildings. They are the anchors of their communities. Popular sovereignty means the people most affected by a closure decision have the loudest voice in it. That should never be the superintendent, the union, or a Board that rubber-stamps MCPS policies and proposals on consent agendas without debate. On recruitment: parents are leaving because they have figured out that MCPS is not their only option. Private schools and homeschool programs are growing because they offer what MCPS has stopped delivering — high academic standards, clear behavioral expectations, and responsiveness to families. MCPS can win families back, but only by actually raising its standards, not just promising to. It also needs to offer genuine variety within the public system: classical education, Montessori, outdoor and nature-based learning, arts-focused schools, and yes, serious conversation about charter schools. Families deserve options that reflect the wide diversity of how children actually learn and the wide diversity of our community. Give parents real choices within the public school system and academic excellence across all of them. Keep the schools we love and are invested in open. The enrollment slide will stop once we put those two guiding principles in effect.

A: Montgomery County is home to one of the most religiously and culturally diverse communities in the country — Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, secular, and everything in between. Parents in this county navigate that diversity every single day — kindly, respectfully, and according to their own values, faith, and traditions. They do not need the school system to do it for them, especially without their knowledge or consent.

Library book selection should reflect genuine community input and center on transparent, inclusive processes where parents have a real voice at every stage, not decisions handed down by committees without community awareness or accountability. The Mahmoud v. Taylor case grew directly out of the Board’s decision to eliminate parental opt-outs without notice or discussion. Muslim, Catholic, and Orthodox families — our neighbors and friends as well as taxpayers in this county, had to take their own school board to the Supreme Court to be heard. That should never happen. It cost taxpayers $1.5 million and it cost the community its trust. Montgomery County parents already know how to talk to their children about a diverse world. They do it every day. A Board that respects families trusts them to do exactly that and never makes that conversation harder by going around them.

A: I believe the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is helping school districts, particularly in building stronger pathways for students beyond high school. In my role as Chair of the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board, we have been directly involved in implementing parts of the Blueprint, including training career counselors in our high schools.

This work is creating a real opportunity to ensure students receive guidance that is both culturally proficient and aligned with real-world opportunities. Students deserve access to counselors who understand diverse backgrounds and can guide them toward either higher education or meaningful career pathways, including apprenticeships and workforce training. While implementation always comes with challenges, the focus on career readiness, equity, and expanded student support is a step in the right direction. The key is making sure these resources are effectively deployed so every student benefits, not just a select few.

A: I support reasonable restrictions on student cellphones, grounded in the concept of “off and away” during instructional time. The goal is to protect learning without placing an added disciplinary burden on our educators.

At the elementary level, personal devices should be very limited. Students should not need phones during the school day, and any screen time should be teacher-directed and purposeful. In middle school, students are developing independence, but structure is still critical. Phones should remain off and away during class, with limited access during non-instructional times. Clear expectations help students build responsible habits. In high school, the approach should focus on accountability and real-world readiness. Phones should still be off and away during instruction, but students can have more flexibility during transitions and lunch. Technology can be valuable when used intentionally. Across all levels, consistency is key. Policies must be clear, practical, and supported by administration so teachers are not left to enforce them alone.

A: MCPS must treat math achievement as an urgent priority. While Montgomery County outperforms the state, only about one-third of students are proficient in math, and that is not acceptable. We need earlier intervention, stronger tutoring, and better use of student data to identify gaps before students fall behind.

At the elementary level, we must strengthen foundational skills like number sense, multiplication, fractions, and problem solving. In middle school, we need targeted support before students reach Algebra, where many begin to lose confidence. In high school, we should expand pathways that connect math to careers, technology, trades, finance, and college readiness. I would also focus on professional development for teachers, consistent curriculum implementation, and ensuring families understand where their children stand. Many times parents are unable to decipher where their children stand.

A: Campus closures and redistricting should never be the first option, but we cannot ignore enrollment trends and building utilization. In Montgomery County, decisions must be driven by data, transparency, and meaningful community engagement from the start.

Transparency means clearly sharing data, criteria, and timelines, and communicating in ways that reach all communities. We must offer multiple opportunities for input at different times and formats so working families can participate. True engagement requires actively reaching underrepresented communities, not just relying on those who typically show up. I would evaluate enrollment projections, facility conditions, transportation, program access, and equity, ensuring we do not place the greatest burden on underserved communities. Redistricting should improve use of space, reduce overcrowding, and strengthen academic opportunities. If closures are considered, families deserve early notice and clear explanations of alternatives. To recruit families back, MCPS must rebuild trust through strong academics, safe schools, and consistent communication.

A: Parents should have a voice, but not unilateral control, in how school library books are selected. In Maryland, the Maryland State Department of Education sets standards, while local districts like MCPS select materials, and that responsibility should remain with trained educators and media specialists.

We can improve transparency by clearly communicating how books are selected, making criteria public, and ensuring families understand how to raise concerns through a fair process. We should also expand opportunities for input through advisory groups that reflect our diverse community. It is essential that materials respect all students and families. Schools play a role in building character and preparing students for the real world, which includes understanding and respecting different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. The goal is balance: respecting families, relying on professional judgment, and maintaining a transparent process that ensures all students feel seen, respected, and prepared to succeed.