The Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) hosted a virtual candidate forum, Sept. 19. Four BOE candidates participated in the debate, each attempting to win votes for the upcoming election on Nov. 5, 2024.

Brenda Diaz, Shebra Evans, Lynne Harris and Rita Montoya were the candidates present. District Two candidate Natalie Zimmerman and District Four candidate Laura Stewart declined to attend the event. 

The BOE consists of eight members who serve four-year terms. It includes two at-large members, five district members elected by all voters regardless of party affiliation or district, and one student member chosen by MCPS students. 

The BOE staggers their four-year terms to ensure continuity in governance. This year, two candidates compete for the at-large position, and four compete for seats in District Two and District Four. The three elected candidates will oversee MCPS’s operating budget of more than $3.5 billion.

Lynne Harris is running for another term in the at-large position. Harris is a former MCPS teacher and parent of an MCPS student. She has also served as a local PTA volunteer and held the roles of president and vice president of the countywide PTA. 

“I decided to run for this office in 2020 because I love the school system and I know it well,” Harris said during the debate. “I went to that first PTA meeting, raised my hand to volunteer for something, and that is how I got started learning about the breadth and depth of this system.”

Rita Montoya is also running for the at-large position. A mother of two MCPS elementary school students, Montoya is an attorney who has previously served as a former PTA president and remains an active PTA volunteer.

During the debate, Montoya emphasized the importance of due diligence in government and school safety.

“A vote for me means we’re going to focus on safe schools with reasonable safety measures, education about hate bias and mental health support,” Montoya said during the debate. “It also means academic rigor, not vigor, we don’t need to stress our students out, we need them to feel re-energized.” 

Brenda Diaz is running for the District Two seat. Originally from the Bronx, Diaz participated in a gifted and talented program at her school before transitioning to a private school, which helped her gain admission to Georgetown University.

According to MoCo360, Diaz said she is running because her life’s purpose is to provide children with a rich, safe and thriving learning environment. 

“These are the things that MCPS can achieve,” Diaz stated during the debate. “If the Bronx in the 1980s can have students that are successful in this way, then there is no doubt in my mind that MCPS can’t achieve that same success for our students today.” 

Shebra Evans is seeking re-election for the District Four seat. A longtime Montgomery County resident, Evans has served on the Board for the past eight years and both of her daughters have attended the county’s public schools. 

Evans expressed in an interview with MoCo360 her commitment to ensuring students receive a high-quality education and believes that experience is necessary to be an effective legislator.

“I’ve gotten involved because of my commitment to equity and excellence,” Evans said during the debate. “We’re doing great in ensuring that our students are able to go on to be college and career-ready.”

President of Montgomery County Taxpayers League Esther Wells sponsored the debate, also co-sponsored by the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, Moderately Moco, Clean Slate Moco, 480 Club and the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County. 

Each candidate had one minute to respond to initial questions from the sponsors and 30 seconds for rebuttals. After the formal questioning period, attendees could ask additional questions.

The debate covered several topics: fund allocation, charter schools, economic development, security issues, MCPS’s operating budget, anonymous reporting, time out of school, mental health and the electric bus contract.

The candidates provided similar responses to most questions, though some disagreements emerged during the rebuttals. 

When asked about the perception that the public school system is “deteriorating,” Diaz and Montoya disagreed with Harris’ response. 

Harris said people perceive problems within MCPS to be unique but believes that MCPS faces the same challenges as other school systems across the country, including issues related to newcomers, emergent multilingual learners and special education support. 

Diaz challenged Harris’s characterization of the issue as a mere “perception,” asserting that it’s an issue that reflects reality. She mentioned that despite Wootton High School boasting a 90% pass rate on the MCAP test, its ninth graders must read only two books during the entire school year, demonstrating inconsistency. 

“We need to bring back midterms. We need to bring back final exams,” Diaz stated during the debate. “We need our students to be challenged in our school system, and they need to be getting grade-level appropriate work.” 

Montoya recognized that MCPS faces challenges similar to those in other districts nationwide. However, she believes this doesn’t mean MCPS should lower its standards. 

“I don’t think we should lower our standards and achievement goals for ourselves just because those around us are not performing the way that they should,” Montoya expressed during the debate. “It’s really important that we set the example for our kids.” 

According to MoCo360, Evans has committed to ensuring students receive a high-quality education and emphasizes that the most important issue in this race is improving student outcomes. Evans is in agreement with Diaz about bringing back final exams. 

“I have daughters that are in college, and it serves our students who want to go the college track to be able to have the practice and experience of being able to study,” Evans said during the debate.

Despite the candidates’ various opinions, they agree on at least one thing. They all want what is best for the MCPS community and students. 

According to a digital booklet by the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), the MCEA will support BOE candidates who listen to their constituents, hold MCPS administrators accountable and collaborate with the County Council to ensure there are adequate resources for providing “first-class” education to students.