MCCF Education Committee Questionnaire: Here each question is followed by the responses of the nine candidates who responded to the specific questions. Candidates are listed in the order used by the Board of Elections.

1. MCCF has taken the position that no MCPS land should be sold or otherwise transferred to another authority unless the sale/transfer is linked to the acquisition of land of comparable size and value, thus preserving MCPS resources for building additional educational facilities as needed. What is your position regarding the surplussing of school property?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: I do not think that the BoE should surplus any school property at this time. It has been enormously difficult for MCPS to accurately assess the school system’s need for space. The 720 portables across the county show how far off we have been in our predictions in the past. Many new schools open at capacity or already overcrowded. Frequently the barrier to relief is lack of land upon which to build. Similarly, implementation of positive initiatives such as all day kindergarten and class size reductions lack needed space. Before the school system can dispose of property in its inventory, it must certify that there is no projected future educational need for the land. Given our track record, I do not believe we are in a position to do that with any degree of certainty. Finally, I support the position taken by MCCPTA opposing any transfer of real property from MCPS to the county without public notice, hearings, and the opportunity for public comments.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: I agree and regret the sale of Montgomery Hills Junior High School, which I attended.

Tommy Le: My position is exactly as that of the MCCF's.

Arquilla Ridgell: I think that the more limitations that you put on MCPS creates an environment that is not conducive to efficient decision making. I think that each case should be carefully reviewed individually.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: No land given to MCPS for educational purposes may be surplussed by MCPS without the authority of the County Executive, the County Council and the Board of Education. There is a process in place for these decisions. All parties involved make the decisions on surplussed property using a variety of sources for information. Among these sources are the school system planning department using its demographic data, information from county sources, input from staff and from the community.

Michael Ibañez: There are competing interests when it comes to the use of school property. My position is to not surplus and to hold on to all school property. Developers should not be allowed to skirt MPDU laws. I would give the edge to affordable housing over school property use but it is not an either or solution. In the final analysis, the right solution is not always the best solution. All solutions in order to be successfully implemented must have the "buy in" and support of the local school community, parents, and students. That means sharing authority when possible, and involving them in the decision making process from the beginning, and not just at the end.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: As long as we routinely utilize trailers as classrooms, MCPS cannot afford to freely relinquish any land. State law provides that land should be surplused only when no longer needed for school purposes. I would favor a change in the law that would ensure that MCPS receives comparable value whenever land is transferred. However, in the absence of a legislative change, given the number of overcrowded schools, the key question is whether there are circumstances where MCPS can determine that any site is no longer needed for school purposes. BOE Policy DNA, which governs these disposals, hasn’t been updated in nearly thirty years, does not include any objective criteria for evaluating proposed disposals and has no process for public input into these decisions. The lesson that we can all take from the Seven Locks debate is that the policy should be structured so that there are clear processes that will be followed that eliminate the emotional aspects from the school property surplusing debate, to the maximum extent practical.

Nancy Navarro: I agree with your position.

Susie Werner Scofield: In general, I agree with this MCCF position, but I could foresee a circumstance in which MCPS may need to sell or transfer a piece of property (especially one that is undersized for school construction) in order to obtain additional funding for a capital project, which I could be supportive of if there is an overall benefit to the school system.

2. Do you believe that the BoE needs additional staff support? If so, how many and for what purpose(s)?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: In providing oversight of the school system, the BoE must act as an independent body. When it reviews the school system’s proposed budget, for example, the BoE’s role is to independently assess the merits of all funding requests and to determine whether we have the right funding priorities.  In order to accomplish this task effectively, the BoE should have its own independent budget analysts and not have to rely upon the same staff who prepared the proposal for answers to questions.   The County Council recently added two budget analyst positions to its staff who will be dedicated to understanding and evaluating the MCPS budget.  I would have advocated for those staff positions to be assigned directly to the BoE. 

In addition, I think that one new staff position should be allocated to the BoE to research and monitor educational trends nationwide.  As the BoE develops new policies or reviews initiatives proposed by MCPS, it should have information about best practices in other school systems and be able to assess whether other schools have already undertaken similar experiments so we can learn from their results.  The BoE’s few existing staff members simply do not have enough time to conduct this type of valuable research.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: It is my belief that the board of education needs to create an intensive emotional and academic crisis center to foucus on students who are In need of these services.

Tommy Le: I have always took the position that our teachers are currently encumbering with many administrative works caused by the No Child left behind Act requirements. These teachers need more teacher-aids in their classrooms, especially with high students to teacher classes. The number of additional support should be determined school by school and by the local principal with inputs from their teaching staff.

Arquilla Ridgell: No, I think that the current staff is sufficient. If there were an Increase It should go to Increasing the response to correspondence from the public. The most important function of the Board should be to respond to the public.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: I have observed and been involved as an employee and as a citizen in Montgomery County Board of Education meetings. I am very aware of the volume of materials to be absorbed for each meeting and for ancillary meetings relating to the BOE. I believe the Board of Education members could benefit greatly from having at least two more persons dedicated to BOE issues to assist members in clearly understanding the content and the implications attendant to the materials developed for the BOE meetings. In this way, BOE members will be able to make even more informed decisions.

Michael Ibañez: I believe current board members are dependent on the superintendent and legal staff for making policy decisions. Members themselves need to have their own opinion and vision. Members need to demonstrate leadership. Members need to know the opinions of the LOCAL school community, parents and their children, teachers, administrators, business owners, clergy, law enforcement, elected officials, and ordinary citizens. I believe whenever possible, decisions should be made at the local level. That means informed, empowered, local authority of schools. If additional staff is needed, that staff should be in the "field" working in and with local communities and schools, and not sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer listening to voice mail.

Hiring "outside" and "independent" employees to keep an eye on MCPS spending and to increase transparency, sounds like a reasonable proposal that your typical taxpaying citizen would support. But I would want to examine the data and analysis from current audits and audits from past years by outside accounting firms before concluding there is a need for hiring non-MCPS analysts.

That gets back to local empowerment. Empowering dozens of parents, teachers, administrators, local community civic and business leaders looking over the books of their local school, repeated at each and every school, would do a far better job in spotting waste and getting more bang for the buck for their school, their children, their customers, and their neighbors than hiring a couple of MBA's that have no personal interests and ties to schools.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: The key staff addition that must occur now is to add a budget analyst that reports to the BoE. Right now all budget information and analysis is prepared by MCPS staff. As the oversight body to the school system, the BoE needs objective analysis of the budget and spending profiles if it is to operate in the best interests of taxpayers and children. I’m not aware of any other position that I would add right now.

Nancy Navarro: Yes the BoE needs additional staff. At a minimum, It would be helpful to have a financial/budget analyst, a program analyst, and administrative assistants.

Susie Werner Scofield: I do believe the BOE could use additional staff of perhaps one position to assist with research and correspondence.

3. Do you believe that public trust in the BoE has diminished over the last few years? If so, what will you do to restore this lost trust?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: I do believe that public trust in the BoE has diminished over the last few years. Trust must be earned through candor and open communication. While I believe that our school system must always celebrate its successes, we must be more candid about our weaknesses. By openly discussing the challenges we face, we can re-establish public trust and begin an open dialogue about the areas in which we, as a school system, must improve. For example, we must engage in open discussion about high school students who are still reading at an elementary grade level as well as the fact that some of our high schools have a 10% suspension rate. Concerns such as these should be the subject of open town hall meetings where the BoE can hear directly from the community about any problems as well as their proposed solutions. There should also be time set aside for open discussion of these larger issues during monthly Board meetings so that the public can witness Board members grappling with these systemic concerns.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: Yes, I do believe this! And if elected I intend to ask for greater community involvement and consult with the public before I act on any major board business.

Tommy Le: Yes. The public trust has diminishing is because the board activities has been operating in the dark, unknowingly to the public, and has been retroactively; for example, the budget changes are routinely made by MCPS and approved by the board retroactively. Our elected school board members need to be approving the distribution of monies prospectively, with few exceptions, rather than retrospectively, and this should reflect the want and need of the community. For MCPS, doing it retrospectively means that our school board has been truly just a rubber stamp for Superintendent Weast. If elected to the school board, I will ensure the board activities be conducted more transparently to the public, I will introduce procedural requirements that when budget items are approved, any school administrators, except when special circumstances would dictate other wise, should not change these items. Inputs from the board and if necessary from the community, parents, and all stake-holders including our teachers, school staff, and parents should always be considered for all significance changes to approved budgetary items. If elected, I will ensure that the board activities will be proactive and prospective; proactively to the community and stake-holders need and prospectively to ensure that the distribution will be used effectively and carefully monitored. An annual report highlighting MCPS and the School Board be compiled and make available to the public.

Arquilla Ridgell: Yes, as with most situations there is lack of communication and support between public and BOE. In my experience, if you ask for public opinion, listen and are responsive usually leads to building a good rapport with the public. I plan to spend a lot of time listening and responding to the public. In my related field, human resources, all I do is constantly solicit input and respond to individuals.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: There have been comments and testimony from community members indicating a concern about the lack of acceptance of viewpoints and the use of the input of community members on BOE appointed committees. To maintain trust, decision making has to be more open to the public. The input of the public which is solicited must be acknowledged and utilized where possible. It is understood that decision making is very difficult. Board members have the obligation to look at the effect of every decision on the entire system-students, parents, staff and community. BOE members have the obligation to make as much information available as possible about decisions. Decisions should be discussed by all Board of Education members even if there are disagreements. When personnel decisions are made, the BOE members must adhere to federal, state and local regulations and must abide by employee contracts. unfairly.

Michael Ibañez: BoE members are in the tenuous position of trying to make decisions that meet the needs of parents, non-profits, advocacy groups, civic organizations, community organizations, business groups, campaign donors, political action committees, and not to mention the needs of students. There is bound to be unpopular decisions and mistakes. But I believe that some decisions and mistakes could have been avoided if policy and curriculum reflected community opinion and values. Policy needs to be flexible to meet the local school culture and climate while at the same time meeting all state education code and statutes. The idea that one size fits all will not work in a diverse school district like MCPS. The BoE would do well to rid itself of a "us versus them" attitude and view the work of the BoE as primarily as leadership in bringing individuals and separate groups into one united community working together in the interest of everyone, especially the children.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: Yes. Last year there was a very divisive debate between the BoE and many representatives of the PTA and MCCF over community involvement Policy FAA. The view of those of us active in PTA was that the revisions the BoE made to policy FAA could drastically diminish involvement of the community, particularly the input of the PTA. We have also seen decisions by the BoE, such as naming of the new school in District 5 that appears to totally and completely ignore the community's wishes, as well as board policy. Individually, some members of the BoE have sought input from the community and have worked closely with those of us on PTA. Some Board members have also championed special interests. An effective Board represents the community and MCPS, in the best interests of the children. But collectively, I think I speak for many of us active in the schools who believe that the BoE has too often ignored our views and opinions. As a PTA activist for 12 years, I won’t forget my roots.

Nancy Navarro: I believe that the public is Interested In rich discussions at the Board table. They want to know that Board Members are making Informed decisions driven by Independent analysis. I will continue to ask the right questions and welcome rich dialogue. I will make decisions based on what Is In the best Interest of children and their families.

Susie Werner Scofield: I believe that there are some community groups that have lost some confidence in the BOE over the past few years. If elected, what I will bring to the Board is an ability to collaborate across lines that may otherwise divide various interest groups and a background that is routed in advocacy for children. My understanding of community groups and my ability to bring these groups to the same table will help with the effectiveness of the Board and the ability of the Board to restore trust.

4. Under what circumstances would you NOT act in accord with the expressed wishes of a large majority of a community in the county?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: BoE members serve as the elected representatives of the community. In their representative capacity, BoE members must solicit and carefully weigh the community's input. Some decisions being made by the BoE, such as the location of schools, have an enormous impact upon the life of the community. When considering these decisions, the BoE should rely heavily upon the expressed wishes of a majority of a community. Other issues coming before the BoE, such as decisions about curriculum design and development, should not be subject to a "wishes of the majority" analysis because they require a level of professional expertise and content knowledge. When considering these issues, Board members should still seek public input but they must be guided by expert advice.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: If I felt that a significant group our population would suffer then I would vote my belief.

Tommy Le: I would always act in the interest of the expressed wishes of the large majority of the county population. For a particular community interest that is not affecting the other areas in the county, I will act in the interest of that particular community. If elected, I plant to recruit a team of high school students from the different part of the county as my staff with purpose to collect issues from the various parts of the county and its schools and I will assess the issues along with the stake-holders input before acting on my decision at the Board Table. I will use part [and if needed, all] of the stipend given to each school board member for this purpose to compensate for the student time and effort.

Arquilla Ridgell: If there were a health or safety concern that was not adequately addressed. Again, as a HR professional and educator, health and safety concerns should always be considered first.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: I would not act in accord with a large majority of the community in violation of employee contracts or federal state or local regulations. I would not act in accord with the community wishes in decisions which would adversely affect one portion of the community or in which funds would be taken from crucial educational programs.

Michael Ibañez: Again, I strongly belief the BoE must share its authority, power, and accountability with local school parents, teachers, administrators, as well as civic and business community leaders whenever possible. When sharing that authority, power and accountability conflicts with state education code and statutes, then the BoE must retain its role as designated by law. Otherwise, I strongly believe the local school community and the BoE must share authority and accountability for forming and implementing policy.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: It is impossible to say now under what circumstances I would not act in accordance with the wishes of a large majority of a community. Suffice it to say that as a BoE member, sometimes one has to do what’s best for the whole of the county even though it may impact a certain segment of the community. Over the years, I have helped orchestrate public demonstrations at board meetings and letter writing campaigns, which I know are effective means of showing a community's position on a subject However, I know that these demonstrations, in all fairness, should not be the only factor that weighs in the decision making process. A BoE member has to be forward thinking and not parochial. An effective BoE member will sometimes make the politically tough decision, knowing that not all communities or affected groups are as vocal or have the same political awareness as others in the county. The question remains how to best determine the wishes of the community and how to refine our system accordingly.

Nancy Navarro: If the action would be in violation of the stated goals of the Board and MCPS.

Susie Werner Scofield: As a general rule, I would always do my best to act in accord with a large majority of the community, but there are several circumstances in which to be wary. Primarily, when considering majority opinion, we should always remember pre-Brown v. Board of Ed., when a majority of the community was not in favor of desegregation and this was wrong. So my answer would be that I would act in accordance with the community's wishes to the extent that those wishes were morally defensible and within the appropriate authority of the Board of Education.

5. Much concern has been expressed about the number of portable classrooms and the quality of the learning environment they provide for so many of our children. How would you address these concerns, given the realities of budgetary constraints and the growing gap between needed school construction and projects that are actually in the pipeline?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: The Board of Education must push for increased state construction funding to allow us to renovate schools more rapidly. Members of the Board of Education, working alongside our Annapolis delegation, must advocate aggressively for Montgomery County’s fair share of state funding, including fully funding the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI) under the Bridge to Excellence law (Thornton). Board members should see their role as vital participants in this advocacy effort.

Also, when we build new schools, the Board should require that planning include capacity to address growing attendance as well as plans already in the pipeline for future development so that we don’t continue relying on portables. Greater attention to expandable core space as well as adequate land for expansion should be routinely reviewed in all construction projects. In some instances it may be necessary, in working with the Council, to build “beyond the peak.”

Projections for declining enrollment within MCPS may create conditions that allow us to catch up and keep up with our capital needs. I support the Superintendent’s commitment to eliminating 350 portables within the next few years.

Given the reality of budgetary constraints, I believe that we must prioritize construction projects needed to remedy health and safety hazards. We should start by immediately assessing the health conditions of portables countywide and target those portables that fail inspection of air quality and mold to be closed first. More stringent inspection procedures should be implemented to discover moisture problems before mold is visible, and air quality should be tested on a regular basis so that our students and school staff are not placed in unhealthy conditions. Similarly, MCPS should regularly evaluate safety risks, such as portables dangerously close to heavily traveled roads. In prioritizing its construction needs, MCPS must be committed to ensuring safe and healthy schools.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: I would consider using a system in which a alternate physical education and arts site could be used to remove 1/5 of the student population daily; this site would do two things bring back the arts and allow for a daily reduction of school population.

Tommy Le: This is a problem with must be spelled with the CAPITAL letter. It has been around from one debate to the other and no solution has been derived. The solution to this problem is money and money and money for school construction and addition. This problem will need all elected officials to put their heads together and find a solution: from community planning, to the setting priorities of how the tax moneys are to be spent. If elected, I will act as a sounding board to get the issue on the table from the county council to the state capitol, and keep on asking our congressional representatives to bring more bacons home. For the short term solution, there should be funding to make the portable classrooms more appealing with restructuring of It’s arrangement with common hall way and more environmentally more pleasant.

Arquilla Ridgell: I attended a MCPS and attended many classes in a portable classroom, so I know what learning in that environment feels like. I would advocate for more ways to increase funding to rebuild, renovate and enlarge MCPS as a priority.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: According to the demographers, the elementary school population is projected to decrease in the next 5 years , therefore the number of relocatable classrooms will naturally decrease. Budgetary constraints and the gap between between needed school construction and remodeling/renovation projects will be determine how the BOE members will make decisions, using a variety of sources of information. The Board of Education, County Council, and the State Delegation should continue to work have the state legislature to return more of the Montgomery County education contribution to the state to MCPS' operating budget . This would free up more funds from the operating budget to place into the capital budget for construction projects.

The BOE must be vigilant about the state of repair, the sanitary and safety conditions of the relocatables placed a our schools.

Michael Ibañez: A small sales tax increase as little as 0.5% that would expire after a limited period of three years could speed up all of the school construction projects. Such a proposal probably would not have support among the council and the public. But it would solve the problem of too little funds for construction badly needed now. Waiting for state funds and increasing annual school budgets will not reduce the long backlog of construction and will only result in more delays with the cost of construction rising each year projects are pushed back.

Another solution would be seeking private and corporate sources of funding and donations of land. Private schools and universities can provide a model that MCPS can modify to raise capital for renovating and constructing new facilities while working within state code and statutes. This is already being done in some public school districts across the country.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: I agree that the total number of trailers is too high. The Superintendent has proposed reducing the number of trailers by half, through a number of planned additions and I support his recommendation, although age is not the sole determining factor. In addition, the planned modernization schedule, to the extent it provides capacity relief, should reduce the number of trailers. The challenge that the BoE has is to accelerate the modernization schedule as much as possible and to advocate with Park and Planning and the County Council for policies that will ensure that new development coincides with available school capacity. We need realistic planning and projections so that our facilities aren’t strained and when kids are placed in trailers, we have a definite responsibility to ensure that each trailer that is placed at a school is clean, safe and functional. In addition, we must collaborate with the County Council and our state representatives to make sure that the state is funding its fair share for modernizations.

Nancy Navarro: We are experiencing a lull in enrollment and this will give us an opportunity to cut the number of portables in half. We must continue to advocate strongly at the state level for appropriate levels of funding for capital needs.

Susie Werner Scofield: Portable classrooms are a fact of life in MCPS for the foreseeable future, and considering budgetary constraints and the need for additional capital projects, we need to look to where capital funds are needed in the long term and where we need to keep temporary classrooms. The portables that we must have should be safe for use on a daily basis, as far as air quality, lighting and access to restrooms, and in an emergency, when we need to be able to reach those students quickly by intercom and for evacuation, so we may need to make some additional expenditures in this area of the capital budget.

6. Some concern has been expressed that the costs of running our school system have continued to increase without producing proportional gains in outcome. How do you believe the BoE can assess which MCPS programs are most cost effective and which are not working? What criteria would you use to determine if/when programs should be eliminated because they have not proven cost effective?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: Greater budget accountability must begin with a budget document that is user friendly and easily understood. The current MCPS budget is dense and difficult to penetrate. It is difficult, for example, to identify how much money has been spent on specific programs to enhance literacy and which of those programs are yielding the best results. The Board of Education must require that the school system’s budget be more transparent.

In order to make maximum use of each education dollar, the Board must ensure that it has access to research documenting whether funds spent have achieved the desired outcomes.

This may require greater involvement of the Department of Shared Accountability -- MCPS’s research arm -- in the budget process. Initial funding requests must clearly specify how successful outcomes will be determined as well as a time frame for assessing success. Direct access to this research will help Board members determine whether specific MCPS programs should be eliminated because they have not resulted in the intended learning outcomes. The Board should make continued funding dependent upon data demonstrating the efficacy of programs.

In addition, when implementing new initiatives, MCPS should first pilot them in a limited number of schools so that costs are contained while the effectiveness of the new initiative is assessed. To be meaningful, however, MCPS must then engage teachers, principals, students and parents in the evaluation of pilot initiatives and not roll out further funding without a thorough assessment of their merits. Too often in Montgomery County, “pilot” simply means the first year of an initiative that will automatically then go systemwide. We must maximize our resources by using the pilot year to study programs - with input from all stakeholders - as a prerequisite to further funding.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: This is simple does the program enhance the quality of the educational experience for a significant number of students? If not, then the program must be considered for termination.

Tommy Le: It would be hard for me to quantify if the current cost of running our school system, and we all know that it has continued to increase. Perhaps the School Board will need to have some outside financial wizards to come in and review how the school operating budget actually is: if it’s excessive, about right, or too little. However, I recognize that the school operating budget has been seen and described using all of these above terms, with one common theme – that is not enough. The school operating budget seems to be an old elephant, and it depends on which side of the elephant you are looking at. I do know, and I am sure that we all do, and that is the school operating budget is almost half of the entire county operating budget on a yearly basis. I do not know where or how the school money is distributed, however, the remain half of the money that the county has collected is for lot of things that will need to be addressed by the County Executive and the County Council: the roads, public libraries, county parks and recreation facilities for our young and elderly populations, health care for the less fortunate and our poor, the pruning of our street trees and our parks, the maintenance of our public facilities, etc… So if elected to the Board of Education, I will look at how the money had been dispensed in the past and will discuss what I have found with the stake-holders and we will go from there. I see, for examples: (1) currently, transportation-buses running full routes on half days when they could take a full day off instead and save a day of gas. With the buses, on half days all the buses make all the runs, even though the kids are only in class 3 hours. This is over 1,500 buses on the roads. If instead of doing training on two half days, they just did it in one full day, no buses would need to run that day. The kids would have a full day off and the teachers would have a full day of training. Parents hate the half days anyway. (2) If MCPS works with parents instead of against them there would be a saving in how much of budget goes to handle litigations. In an earlier year, some parents told me that $800,000 in legal bills for a six-month period had been spent. This to me is symptomatic of a bureaucracy out of control. MCPS needs to start following its own published procedures/ policies and be responsive to inquiries and need from the parents. (3) The MCPS TVs that feature people who are paid by MCPS to go on these TV channels and talk in the different languages with no ones listening in…And beside, if people are willing to live as US citizens, they should be learning our English language. I understand that the Bush administration is now guarding both our north and south borders.

Arquilla Ridgell: (No response to this question)

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: One of the reasons for asking for more staff for the BOE members is the need to investigate the efficacy of pilot, new and continuing programs in MCPS. Support staff for the BOE members would not necessarily do the evaluations, but could be helpful in assisting members in targeting projects to be reviewed. The expertise for evaluation resides in the Office of Shared Accountability. Access to all of the criteria, questions, data and summaries, before publication, is crucial for the required oversight by the BOE members of activities and programs in the school system.

Michael Ibañez: MCPS needs to be cost effective in many areas. One area of cost effectiveness is the cost of academic programs and reforms. Using student tests scores as the measure of the effectiveness of an academic program has its advantages over other measures. In principle, an analysis of the cost of an academic program compared with the associated student test scores could give the dollar amount spent per one test point gain. In this way, the program that has the lowest cost per one test point gain would be the most cost effective program resulting in further funding. The program with the highest cost per one test point gain would be the least cost effective program resulting in elimination. A threshold could be established to determine if a program will be continued or eliminated on the basis of this dollar cost per test point analysis. But like many things in life, this method is too simple to be true. It is simply impossible to attribute the effect of test point gains to a single academic program. Test scores rise because of a multitude of programs occurring simultaneously, and not the result of just one program. Therefore, this method of cost effectiveness of academic programs as proposed by some former BoE candidates is not valid.

I propose using a different method called the value added method. The measure of effectiveness will again be test scores because of advantages over other measures. But unlike before, when the effectiveness of programs is measured, this time the effectiveness of teachers are measured. Why measure effectiveness of teachers and not the effectiveness of programs? By measuring teachers and not programs, the problem of attributing test point gains to multiple simultaneous occurring programs is avoided. Also, other factors that influence test scores such as family income, race, language, culture, and academic deficits can be controlled. But the main reason for doing a cost effectiveness of teachers versus programs is because research shows teacher effectiveness has the greatest influence on student academic achievement than any other factor, including programs, in the school and classroom. Base line test scores are taken for every student at the beginning of the school year. These base line student test scores are then compared with student test scores taken at the end of the school year. Research shows that the most effective teachers produce 1.5 years of academic gain per subject while the least effective teachers produce less than 0.5 years of academic gain per subject. The most effective teachers are recognized and rewarded. The least effective teachers are identified and given the necessary support to become effective teachers.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: The first thing the BoE needs to do is to hire their own budget analyst to perform an independent assessment on the cost of various programs. Right now the BoE relies upon the budget projections and cost analysis from MCPS, which may not provide the most independent and objective reports and analysis. I would use the budget analyst to perform an initial baseline of programs and do a per student, per school cost analysis. In terms of assessing programs, whenever possible I would set up control groups so that one can measure the progress of any program. I would also compare our cost of instruction and our results to similarly configured school districts such as Fairfax County. There really can't be any pre set criteria as to what programs should be eliminated as a discussion of the cost effectiveness right now is subjective until such time as we have hard data from MCPS or comparable cost data from other school systems on which to base our recommendations and actions. However, there can be no sacred cows in the school system if the cost of the instruction exceeds the tangible or intangible benefit. My experience also focuses on high administrative costs that bear analysis now.

Nancy Navarro: We should look at possible tools for accountability and decide which one best fits our system. We need to have concrete ways of evaluating and determining where and why we are investing our dollars.

Susie Werner Scofield: I think we generally can look at an expenditure, such as the reduced class size initiative, look at test scores over several years and see an improvement over time and that it is extremely important to do this whenever possible. If a program/expenditure is able to be evaluated in this manner, and we discover that there is no measurable improvement, then we need to change the program or eliminate the expenditure. However, we need to be very careful in this area because some of our excellence comes from expenditures such as art, music, physical education and outdoor education, that are not always quantifiable in measurable outcomes.

7. What is your view of the authority of the Office of the Inspector General to evaluate practices and policies of MCPS and the BoE?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: On July 10, 2006, the Maryland Attorney General issued an opinion indicating that the Office of the Inspector General has the authority to audit the Board of Education's financial transactions and accounts but may not require the Board to submit to a performance audit without the Board's consent. The opinion draws a distinction between a financial audit, which it defines as a review of the Board's financial statements to determine whether they fairly represent the Board's financial position, and a performance audit, which involves "an assessment of the Board's practices to determine whether it is operating economically and efficiently and achieving its objectives." The opinion goes on to state that if the County Council desires a performance audit and the Board does not agree, the Council may request that the State Department of Education contract for a performance audit of the school system. Pending any further legal action, the Attorney General's opinion is the definitive word.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: I believe an internal power struggle within the county government is useless; however, the board needs an oversight entity especially when it spends 750 thousand on planning and development on a school. I am sure there are plenty of old plans that could have been cookie-cutter used.

Tommy Le: I have in the past called for such an independent review. This is a practice that the Federal Government had instituted the past 2 decades to prevent and mitigate ill spending and waste.

Arquilla Ridgell: I think that it is appropriate and necessary. We have an OIG (Office of Inspector General) at every agency in the federal government. I'm glad that they are a function of every agency. Checks and balances are needed.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: The Office of the Inspector General evaluates financial issues in MCPS. In the past that office has evaluated job categories for efficient use of staff time. Authority to evaluate policies and practices of the BOE and MCPS is a Board of Education prerogative. This solidifies the need for BOE members to have clear and complete information available to them.

Michael Ibañez: I applaud the office's role in the Seven Locks fiasco. But campaign contributions to county council members and the county executive, influence elected officials in voting on matters concerning land use and business contracts that directly and indirectly impact MCPS and the BoE. The inspector general must ensure politics and campaign contributions do NOT drive school district policy.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: I agree with the opinion of the Attorney General that the Inspector General is authorized to audit MCPS financial transactions and accounts, but may not audit performance without the permission of the BoE. However, I believe that independent oversight of MCPS is appropriate. Therefore, I would recommend that the BoE and the IG execute a memorandum of understanding outlining the terms under which the IG could audit performance. We can’t have too many knowledgeable resources monitoring the education of our children.

Nancy Navarro: I agree that the IG should have the authority to look at financial aspects of the system. On the other hand, the Board should protect and exercise its responsibility to provide oversight and accountability for MCPS's performance.

Susie Werner Scofield: I do not believe that the Education Article in the Maryland Code provides for evaluation of practices and policies of MCPS and the BOE, so I do not do not think the IG should be used in this manner. My understanding of the IG's role, who serves at the will of the County Council, is primarily to evaluate fiscal efficiencies and abuses. In a school environment, fiscal efficiencies must be examined not only in a dollars and sense analysis, but also must take into account other considerations such as learning environment, program needs and the health and safety of students and school personnel. Therefore, I believe that primary oversight of MCPS practices and policies should remain where it is now, with the State Board of Education.

8. What is your view of the authority of the County Council with regard to decisions made by the BoE?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: Under Maryland law, the BoE is the local arm of the State Board of Education. As such, it is directly responsible to the authority of the state. However, the BoE budget falls under the authority of the County Council. The County Council serves as the fiscal authority for the BoE since the BoE has no taxing or bonding authority. As fiscal guardian, the Council must exercise oversight to ensure that county monies allocated to the schools are being well spent and achieving the intended learning results. Such oversight often requires the Council to question BoE decisions about program initiatives or staffing allocations to determine their cost effectiveness. With the MCPS budget rapidly approaching the $2 billion mark, such questioning is warranted. Yet at the same time, the Council cannot and should not substitute its judgment for that of the BoE on educational matters. The Council should not exert authority on matters such as curriculum which are uniquely within the school board’s purview. I do believe that there is room for improved collaboration between the school board and the County Council. A critical first step is enhanced communication to determine shared priorities.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: I believe the people more so than the County Council are the main oversight for the board; yet I do feel in blatant cases of board ignorance, with respect to the will of the people, the council should have the right to hold hearings and question the board.

Tommy Le: The County Council and the School Board are both elected by the county voters, and thus they do have their independent judiciary responsibility to the voters. Thus, the County Council should not have any oversight of the school system, but should have more cross communications with the elected school board members to compare notes regarding how the school system should take action to implement the want and will of our citizens and the need for their children. The responsibility of the Council members is too ensure that the yearly financial need is plentifully available to help the school board and the schools system to keep MCPS the best run in the country.

Arquilla Ridgell: The County Council should approve the BOE's budget and I think that the authority should end there.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: The County Council and the Executive retain fiscal authority in determining the amount of the budget for the schools but does not have line item authority over programs in MCPS. This also solidifies the need for BOE members to have additional staff for amassing the essential information required by BOE members to do the job effectively. County Council members and BOE members should continue to confer and share information regarding the activities in the school system throughout the year. The final decisions are the Board of Education

members' to make with regard to school system programs and policies.

Michael Ibañez: The county council should go beyond the role of final arbitrator of school budgets and land use decisions. Council members and BoE member need to work cooperatively together as well as with their constituencies and stakeholders. Council members need to share decision making authority with BoE members concerning land use decisions and budget matters whenever charter law permits. BoE members need to share authority with local school community members whenever law permits. Again, I strongly believe in shared authority, accountability, and decision making from the county council to the BoE and down to the local school community level.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: I believe the oversight the County Council has provided with regard to decisions by the BoE creates a good balance. The Council must appropriate operating funds into general categories, giving the school system broad powers over how it spends its resources, including capital plans for the school system. This year, the Council will hire two staff members who will analyze the school system’s budget. This initiative should better equip the Council with information. However, the Council should not act as a “super” school board by micromanaging school system operations. It is understood that the Council does not monitor school system operations.

Nancy Navarro: The Council has the right to request and receive Information In order to make decisions about allocation of dollars. The Board should protect and exercise its responsibility to provide oversight of the school system.

Susie Werner Scofield: In general, the County Council's role in overseeing the overall MCPS budget serves as a good mechanism for general oversight of MCPS financial affairs. The Board's ability to make policy and promote education should remain with the Board as the Board has the ability, the access and the understanding of school operations that enable to best understand the needs of the students in this County.

9. Under what circumstances would it be appropriate for the BoE to consider initiating a search for a new superintendent?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: The BoE initiates a search for a new superintendent when either (a) a current superintendent indicates that he or she is leaving the position or (b) the BoE determines, based upon a thorough and fair job performance evaluation, that a current superintendent is not meeting expectations and cannot or will not make improvements requested by the Board.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: If 33% of our high school students continue to be non- proficient in functional reading, I think we should look at a change in educational ideology.

Tommy Le: Because of the initial cost of searching for a School Superintendent (SS), the School Board might allow the renewal of the contract of the newly hired SS, pending a satisfactory performance review from the Board and a majority vote of the Board members. However, the BoE should call for a search for a new SS upon the completion of the 2nd term for the current SS. This does not mean that the current SS is excluded from the list of candidates for the new SS.

Arquilla Ridgell: If the current Superintendent resigned or vacated the position in some way or if there was a significant disagreement between BOE and Superintendent in the future direction of the MCPS.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: Technically, the BOE members may initiate a search for a superintendent at the retirement, resignation or dismissal, by the BOE, of the superintendent. A dismissal for cause is contingent upon the superintendent meeting the requirements of the of the contract. Failure to meet the requirements must be documented, providing the superintendent time to make changes as required by the BOE. It is the BOE's obligation to oversee the management of the operations of the school system and the superintendent.

Michael Ibañez: Void of any unethical and illegal conduct, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Jerry Weast deserves an offer of extension of his contract. He has demonstrated outstanding results from the reforms he implemented, namely all day kindergarten, early success programs, data driven instruction, and teacher support and training. The achievement gap is narrowing and will continue to narrow as students who receive the full benefit of his elementary school reforms enter into middle school and later into high school.

The immediate test for Dr. Weast will be on middle school and high school students who did not and could not benefit from his elementary school reforms. The superintendent will be under increasing pressure every year to raise the percentage of African American and Hispanic high school students who pass the state HSA's which all Maryland students are now required to pass in order to graduate and receive a high school diploma. Early HSA results show a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanics students are failing. This is a warning for all, especially for Dr. Weast, that large numbers of minority students will not graduate and will end up dropping out of school. Advising at risk students to get a GED instead of a diploma is not acceptable. His efforts at increasing Black and Hispanic enrollment in middle school algebra classes, and in Advanced Placement classes, IB classes, and Honors classes as well as providing high school reading remediation classes will increase the numbers of minority students passing the HSA's. However, this may prove too little too late and Dr. Weast will be and should be held accountable.

If elected to the BoE and called upon to search for a new superintendent, I would not only look for an educational leader. Tops on my list of attributes would be a superintendent who is a community leader who unites people, builds coalitions, fosters relationships, heals divisions, and brings everyone together to work toward common goals.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: Some of the circumstances that could cause the BoE to consider initiating a search include the Superintendent’s resignation, a performance appraisal that resulted in an unacceptable rating, if the Superintendent’s goals and objectives were not compatible with the BoE’s, or if the Superintendent and the BoE could not work together towards the best interest of all the kids.

Nancy Navarro: 1. If the superintendent decides to seek employment elsewhere. 2. If the superintendent Is Involved In inappropriate actions. 3. If the superintendent is not reaching the stated goals for the system.

Susie Werner Scofield: We should look for a new superintendent if we are dissatisfied with the progress and performance of our current superintendent and that progress and performance should be measured by if we are improving and moving forward, not stagnating or maintaining the status quo.

10. Do you think that the salaries of BoE members should be increased, and if so, to what level?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: Service as a member of the BoE is considered and compensated as a "part time" position. In reality, the work demands facing Board members exceed part time demands. Increasing salaries might permit Board members to devote more time to the work and might open the position to more individuals who cannot consider the time commitment at the current level of compensation. These benefits, however, must be weighed against the cost trade-offs of increasing salaries rather than allocating those funds to other pressing needs within the school system.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: I can not say because although I could find out the salary I have not. I doing this out of a love for education and the dissemination of knowledge not for money.

Tommy Le: To have an opportunity to serve on the School Board is an honor that any member of the community should feel. In the old days, only prominent and community leaders with past accomplishment are bestowed the honor to serve on the School Board. One of the many reasons for the current declining of respect for School Board members and its public trust are because of individual qualification of some board members. People who serves on the Board should only get a small stipend and not expecting pay increase, Board members should serve proudly without any financial burden to the society. Unfortunately, some members nowaday tend to serve the interest of the Unions and not that of the students and their parents so the member can get the union workforce to do the legwork In campaigning for them to get them re-elected and/or go on to another better and bigger political post.

Arquilla Ridgell: No, I think that the BOE salaries/stipends are appropriate.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: Board of Education salaries should be increased commensurate with the $45,000 salaries of the Maryland State Delegation. There is little financial incentive for qualified candidates to become involved in the electoral process now. Overseeing a budget of over $2 billion is a very grave endeavor and the task deserves the best persons possible to serve.

Michael Ibañez: BoE salaries are about right. If salaries increase, then members must agree to serve their full terms and not use the BoE as a platform to launch campaigns and political careers as past and current members often do and are doing. Hopefully this will eliminate members and candidates who have minimal knowledge or no knowledge at all about education, schools, teachers, and students. If salaries increase, then BoE members should be required to "clock in and clock out" and keep track of their hours spent working on BoE matters. Members' "time sheets" will be submitted and read aloud at every BoE meeting so that the public will know the time each member puts in or does not put in overseeing Montgomery County's most expensive taxpayer funded program.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: No. This is a part time position and should be compensated as such. The current salary is not an issue. I do feel that as Board members, we should plan our commitments well in advance to allow for maximum attendance and participation at all events.

Nancy Navarro: Yes, the salaries should be increased so that we can attract Board Members who reflect our communities. I believe that $40,000 a year would be a fair level of compensation for "part-time" service, although it certainly is not part time.

Susie Werner Scofield: No I do not think that the BOE salaries should be increased. The Board salaries are already the highest in the state of Maryland. It goes without saying that Board members do not take on that job for the money!

11. Do you think that the number and distribution of seats (5 district, 2 at large) on the BoE should be changed? If so, why and in what way?

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: Currently, Montgomery County school board members are elected by all county voters irrespective of their home district. The district threshold for five of the members works to ensure geographic diversity while at the same time requiring all Board members to familiarize themselves with the entire county and to reach out to all the county's citizens. I think this system strikes an appropriate balance between keeping local interests before the Board while at the same time having Board members feel a strong stake in outcomes for all of the county’s children.

As for the distribution of seats, district Council members are voted on only by residents of their district. This allows them to be much more parochial than BoE members, who must be responsive to all county voters. As a result, when an issue arises before the Council that affects only one area of the county it is sometimes necessary for the 4 at large members of the Council to combine with that district’s Council member in order to pass legislation. Because all BoE members must be responsive to the entire county, it is not necessary to increase the number of at large members for this purpose. I think two at large seats are adequate as it opens one at large race to interested candidates in each election cycle. However, I believe that aligning the Board of Education districts to overlap with County Council districts would make it easier for voters to identify the representatives from their area.

Dana Eugene Gassaway: No, because any one can vote for any member without respect to district.

Tommy Le: The county population has grown to almost 900,000 and thus the School Board will need to have more people on the Board. One way Is to repartition the school district and increase the number of school districts, say to at least 2 more district seats. As the number of district seats increase, we then would need to Increase the At-Large seats from 2 to three. The combination of electing both the district and at large seats should be kept the same way we have the house of representative and the senate, however, all are seating around the same Table.

Arquilla Ridgell: Yes, I think their could be one additional at large seat; considering there are over 140,000 students In the MCPS.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 1

Judy Docca: I do not feel that the distribution of seats should be changed (5 district and 2 at-large). I would not like to see each BOE member feel so tied to her/his district that the member would not be mindful of the implications on other portions of the county or other populations. Having at-large seats implicitly keeps members and the public mindful of the needs of the county as a whole.

Michael Ibañez: The current distribution is designed to prevent regional based policy making and encourage county wide policy. Without the at large seats, policy would reflect regional interests, and/or policy might not pass at all due to regional voting and the lack of a majority on the BoE.

I would work toward establishing quasi-community-boards at each school. These community boards made up school parents, teachers, administrators, law enforcement, social workers, public health officials, civic / religious / business community leaders would have limited authority to make policy, curriculum, and budget decisions that would normally be made by the BoE, as permitted by law.

BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 5

Philip Kauffman: There should be no change in the number and distribution of seats on the Board. The BoE policies affect all in the county so having everyone in the county vote on each candidate strikes the right balance. The current distribution helps to insure diverse geographic representation.

Nancy Navarro: The distribution seems fair to me. I believe though, that district members should run in their districts not at-large.

Susie Werner Scofield: I think the Board of Education responsibilities are so great that they could easily be shared by two additional seats, so as to maintain an odd number of seats on the Board. I think we should consider adding two additional districts, carved from those we have.

12. Please describe briefly the three most pressing issues that you feel the BoE must address, and how you would work to deal with those issues.

BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Shirley Brandman: In our diverse community, it is difficult to isolate single priorities. The overarching goal of our public schools must be to ensure that all of our students graduate from high school prepared to become productive members of society. We must ensure stimulating learning opportunities for all children, with services tailored to address their needs and resources available to support their success. To reach this goal requires effort on many fronts and an unshakeable commitment to a high quality education for all. If elected, I will begin with these steps:

1. Reforming the middle school program: Reform must include strengthening the curriculum, reducing class sizes and increasing the number of highly qualified teachers to promote opportunities for innovative teaching. Together these changes will facilitate differentiated instruction and give teachers the resources needed to lay a solid foundation for high school. I am currently a member of the Middle School Reform Steering Committee and would work as a Board member to ensure that the reform proposals presented in the next year are comprehensive, address these issues and are implemented with a clear plan for evaluating progress toward improving learning outcomes.

2. Increasing community involvement: Our schools need to strengthen partnerships with parents and the greater community. We must do more to reach out so that we can better understand and be able to reflect community priorities. The BoE should schedule regular,