2020 Montgomery County Board of Education Primary Election Voters Guide

Served as a Commissioned Officer for the United States Army Transportation Corps (10 years)
B.A. in Information System from City College of New York

Seeks to ensure that parents in the county have a meaningful and equitable voice in the educational choices for their children
Improve educational outcomes for all children in the country using meaningful data-driven input from all local families
Seeks to provide an inclusive agenda including parents, community members, and educators

Dalbin Osorio

Endorsed by Naral Pro-Choice Maryland PAC
Endorsed by CASA in Action

Advocates the need to invest in retaining and promoting the teachers that have worked diligently to develop themselves professionally so our students can receive a quality education from quality teachers
Advocates taking some of the land available in the county and build new schools in those areas, with an emphasis on building new community schools so students can learn where they live
Seeks partnership with our teachers to ensure that we are innovating regarding curriculum development and that we are using a culturally relevant curriculum

Darwin Romero

Senior loan officer

Advocates partnership with them to better prepare the future workforce of Montgomery County in the areas of science, technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship providing real work experience that will give students a competitive advantage
Promotes the need for more teachers who look like the students they serve; we need more administrators who truly understand the cultural differences and are sensitive to the needs of our diverse student body
Advocates to provide access to thought leaders that will inspire and lead our youth to start their own companies

Jay Guan

Served on the Montgomery County Public School advisory committee
Endorsed by Former Board of Education President Mike Durso
M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Johns Hopkins University

Advocates for tailored business classes (such as those at Sherwood High School) for immigrant communities, particularly students whose family is considered low income and are immigrants
Seeks to explore innovative infrastructure utilization such as shared use of facilities (i.e., classrooms) with Montgomery College and other public facilities
Supports emphasizing science and data literacy

Lynne Harris
(Winner)

Served as PTA President of Highland View Elementary School (2017-2020)
Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA) Board of Directors (2011-2020)
J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law

Supports providing central office oversight for courses to ensure students receive the same content, and that content prepares them for exams
Seeks to review field trips for all schools, to provide equitable opportunities and funding, especially in the middle and high schools
Supports providing an experienced peer mentor for every new teacher

Mitra Ahadpour

Link

Twitter

Bio

Serves as Principal Deputy Director at the Office of Translational Sciences at FDA
Launched a successful tobacco awareness education program in middle schools
M.D. from the University of Maryland

Supports the End the drug use in MCPS that is impacting students’ physical, mental, social, and intellectual well-being
Supports to transform our educational norms for all students to be successful through evidence-based best practices
Supports better resources and training for teachers in special education programs

Paul Geller

As a leader of Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA), organized members to offer comprehensive testimony for the Recordation Tax in 2016
Served as Montgomery County’s Science Fair Co-Chair (2012-18)

Seeks to make sure solar panels are placed atop every school that would benefit from them, saving MCPS millions of dollars annually in Operating Budget costs
Advocates to give each Principal the latitude to make needed changes to tailor the curriculum and learning process for their school
Advocates signals along major routes would remain green for a set length of time

Pavel Sukhobok

Link

Bio

Founder of Makuyu Education Initiative, to help underprivileged children in Makuyu, Kenya escape the cycle of poverty
Co-founded tutoring center Potomac Oak Tutoring, specializing in debates, academic tutoring, and test-prep
J.D. from George Washington University

Advocates that MCPS should start holding parental workshops to educate the parents on the ins and outs of our education system, including what it takes to get into college. College planning should start in middle school
Cites that the board should make it clear that improper classroom behavior will not be tolerated, and teachers should be encouraged to act when someone disrupting a class
Opposes the current Board of Education redistricting plan

Stephen Austin

Founder of Facebook group Montgomery County MD Neighbors for Local Schools
FARM school alumni
B.A. in Studio Arts from University of Texas

Advocates optimizing real estate holdings more effectively, innovative partnerships on underused holdings, along with the improved operational efficiency
Seeks to improve budget efficiency, to free up more funds for teacher and staff hiring
Seeks return accountability to parents and the community

Sunil Dasgupta
(Winner)

Serves on the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA)
Serves as a member of the Montgomery Planning Board’s Schools Technical Advisory Team
Teaches political science

Seeks to develop a fair and transparent method for a systemwide review and adjustment to school boundaries, due to “stay abreast of population and demographic shifts” to address rebalancing efforts

Cameron Rhode

Collins Odongo

Lumpoange Thomas

Montgomery County Board of Education Primary Election for District 4

Ehren Park Reynolds

Bio

Bio is not available.

Initiative

Bio is not available.

Shebra Evans
(Winner)

Serves as President of the Board of Education since 2018
Chair of the Maryland Association Board of Education (MABE) Equity Ad Hoc Committee
Financial Analyst in the Cable and Energy industry

Initiative

Advocates continued expanding public and private partnerships in support of our schools and students, in the early learning care and education of preschoolers
Support increasing outreach for family engagement and involvement with a concentrated focus on engaging our hard to reach communities
Seeks to address disparities in student outcomes by closing gaps in opportunity and achievement

Steve Solomon
(Winner)

Radio Host
B.A. in Economics from University of Maryland

Initiative

Advocates teaching kids in high school that there are many opportunities out there in the world, and expand programs like Thomas Edison High School of Technology
Advocates that no school should be without heat, working equipment, or be deteriorating from old age. All schools should be safe and modern
Advocates hiring the best teachers and service workers and keeping them here with competitive salaries and benefits

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For the official 2020 Primary Election results for Montgomery County, check out Maryland Board of Elections.

Montgomery County Board of Education Primary Candidates by Topic

Candidates on Accountability

At-Large – Anil Chaudhry

Seeks to ensure that parents in the county have a meaningful and equitable voice in the educational choices for their children
Improve educational outcomes for all children in the country using meaningful data-driven input from all local families
Seeks to provide an inclusive agenda including parents, community members, and educators

Advocates clear communication of the Board of Education’s intent and decision-making rationale
Supports rigorous audits to ensure resources are utilized effectively and judiciously
Advocates to explore other methods and tools, such as social media

At-Large – Sunil Dasgupta

Supports providing easy access to comprehensive Open Data that is current, detailed, and user-friendly, allowing comparisons between schools and clusters
Supports providing central office oversight for courses to ensure students receive the same content, and that content prepares them for exams
Advocates that the MCPS should partner in that review, and use it as a tool to assess how current school boundaries are serving our students

Seeks to develop a fair and transparent method for a system-wide review and adjustment to school boundaries, due to “stay abreast of population and demographic shifts” to address re-balancing efforts

Candidates on Budget and Operations

At-Large – Paul Geller

Seeks to ensure new schools are Net Zero Energy – buildings that generate their electricity: cooling, heating, and illumination through solar panels, geothermal fields, and solar tube lighting
Seeks to make sure solar panels are placed atop every school that would benefit from them, saving MCPS millions of dollars annually in Operating Budget costs
Seeks to pursue a resolution to the endless backlog of projects MCPS has been struggling with for decades, through renovating existing buildings

At-Large – Stephen Austin

Advocates optimizing real estate holdings more effectively, innovative partnerships on underused holdings, along with the improved operational efficiency
Supports BOE needs innovative budget solutions

Seeks to ensure students, teachers, and staff have safe and modern facilities to meet the needs of an expanding student population
Supports continuing to provide fiscally responsible budgets that promote equity in the distribution and allocation of resources

At-Large – Mitra Ahadpour

Advocates that no school should be without heat, working equipment, or be deteriorating from old age. All schools should be safe and modern
Seeks to expand community use of school facilities

Candidates on Curriculum

At-Large – Dalbin Osorio

Seeks partnership with our teachers to ensure that we are innovating regarding curriculum development and that we are using a culturally relevant curriculum
Seeks to push policy to reduce the number of standardized tests that MCPS offers

Supports to transform our educational norms for all students to be successful through evidence-based best practices

At-Large – Paul Geller

Seeks to reduce standardized testing requirements across the board

At-Large – Pavel Sukhobok

Advocates that all children in MCPS should be tested for learning differences at a young age by neutral psychoeducational testing professionals and students’ eligibility should hinge upon need, not affluence
Advocates to bring academic rigor back to MCPS
Seeks new grading policy

Candidates on Community Relations

At-Large – Pavel Sukhobok

Advocates to create incentives for teacher home visits and door-knocking campaigns to reach families in high-needs schools with low engagement, and schools being considered for major program changes, construction projects or boundary reviews
Seeks to require that schools offer at least one morning and one evening parent-teacher conference session at a location in the community that is transit-accessible
Proposes a required teacher, family and student input for Key Facility Indicators that determine which schools receive additions and new buildings

Cites that MCPS should start holding parental workshops to educate the parents on the ins and outs of our education system, including what it takes to get into college. College planning should start in middle school
Advocates the BOE should work closely with county and state legislators to address the effects of outsourcing that has depressed the incomes of many areas of Montgomery County
Proposes that MCPS can do more to educate the parents, particularly immigrant parents, who may have come from very different educational systems abroad

Support increasing outreach for family engagement and involvement with a concentrated focus on engaging our hard to reach communities

Candidates on Extracurricular Programs

At-Large – Darwin Romero

Advocates partnership with them to better prepare the future workforce of Montgomery County in the areas of science, technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship providing real work experience that will give students a competitive advantage
Seeks to provide access to thought leaders that will inspire and lead our youth to start their own companies

Seeks to expand the reach of certain in-demand programs and courses to alleviates program capacity issues in the programs
Supports the Market and Expand future-ready programs like the Aviation and Aerospace Programs
Seeks to encourage and equip our kids to be entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow

Supports providing LEARNING RECOVERY OPTIONS that are effective and student-centered. Identify students who need summer courses and additional support next fall to catch up
Supports providing LEARNING RECOVERY OPTIONS that are effective and student-centered. Identify students who need summer courses and additional support next fall to catch up
Advocates following the science. School should look different when we return: daily temperature checks. hand washing breaks, continuous cleaning, and social distancing

Seeks to ensure students, teachers, and staff have safe and modern facilities to meet the needs of an expanding student population
Advocate for additional enrichment opportunities for students that extend beyond the classroom

Candidates on Inclusion, Special Needs, and Cultural Issues

At-Large – Darwin Romero

Promotes the need for more teachers who look like the students they serve; we need more administrators who understand the cultural differences and are sensitive to the needs of our diverse student body
Advocates to focus on increasing diversity, building alliances and partnerships, and creating opportunities

At-Large – Mitra Ahadpour

Supports protecting the rights of undocumented and newly arriving immigrant students. Train teachers, staff, and administrators to ensure that their unique needs are met, inside and outside the classroom
Seeks to expand AP courses and regional IB programs – especially to students of color and special education students automatically enroll students who meet objective criteria
Seeks to ensure office staff in every school can communicate with non-English speakers

Supports local schools and develop innovative strategies to foster inclusion, diversity, equity, and civility
Supports better resources and training for teachers in special education programs

Cites students should go to school primarily based on geography

Candidates on Health Services and Public Safety

Advocates parent Community Coordinator that can serve as an interface between families, service providers, and the school
Proposes schools doubling as both the meeting place and service center with wrap-around services for vulnerable families
Seeks to develop an operational contingency plan in the event of major social events (e.g., pandemic)

At-Large – Mitra Ahadpour

Seeks to expand mental health programs, including trauma-informed practices and restorative justice, in all schools to better serve all students and end disproportional discipline for students of color
Advocates to train centralized crisis response teams to ensure prompt, accurate, effective communication, and support in emergencies – a standard approach across all schools
Supports the use of social media and student groups to promote the Safe Schools MD Hotline to report violence anonymously, bullying, drug use, and mental health crises

Supports the End the drug use in MCPS that is impacting students’ physical, mental, social, and intellectual well-being
Supports ensuring safe and supportive school environments

Advocates for the need to revise our policy on snow days. Too many times, Montgomery County has changed its mind on a snow day, from a 2-hour delay to closed

Candidates on Pre and Post Education

Supports a central placement and consolidation of certain training courses to regional hubs
Supports expanding early childhood education for high-need communities

At-Large – Pavel Sukhobok

Seeks to ensure that every child has an engaged primary educational contact

Advocates that focus needs to be allocated to both preschool and after school programs to prepare children to learn, before they enter schools and to continue learning after school

At-Large – Stephen Austin

Advocates continued expanding public and private partnerships in support of our schools and students, in the early learning care and education of preschoolers

Candidates on Teach and Staff Support

At-Large – Dalbin Osorio

Advocates the need to invest in retaining and promoting the teachers that have worked diligently to develop themselves professionally so our students can receive a quality education from quality teachers

Seeks to improve budget efficiency, to free up more funds for teacher and staff hiring

District 4 – Sherbra Evans

Supports continued efforts to diversify our workforce with an emphasis on recruitment and retention with emphasis to increase our pipeline of talent
Supports continuing to invest in on time professional development for teachers and supporting staff