Board of Education Candidates Forum; February 12, 2004

7PM - 10PM at Crossway Community (3015 Upton Drive in Kensington); snow date is Friday the 13th

The Education Committee of the Montgomery County Civic Federation (MCCF) is pleased to provide you the following information about the candidates who appear on the March 2, 2004 ballot. This is based on the Board of Elections information as of 12/31/03 plus written responses provided to us by each candidate, to whom we sent the following instructions:

"We request that you send us a 500 word statement, crafted as YOU wish, to address the following:

A brief statement of the elements of your background that you feel support your assertion that you are qualified to serve on the Board of Education.
Identification of 1-3 crucial issues that you feel the Board MUST address over the next two years.
For each issue you choose to mention in "b" above, a brief indication of how YOU will work to make sure the Board is effective in addressing the issue(s)."

[The candidates (and their responses) are listed in the order of their posting on the Board of Elections Website.]

At Large - District 1 - District 2 - District 3 - District 4

For questions on this document, please contact Mark Adelman, Chairman of our Education Comittee.

A. BOARD OF EDUCATION AT LARGE

Sharon W. Cox (Non-Partisan)
20605 Hartsbourne Road
Germantown, MD 20874
Telephone: 301-540-7970
E-mail: CoxforBOE@aol.com
Website: www.sharoncox.com

Response: I am Sharon Cox, President of the Board of Education, and the only at–large candidate with a proven record of independent thinking, leadership and working with parents, staff, and other elected officials for the benefit of all children. I regret that my Board responsibilities conflict with this evening’s forum and hope to join you soon. The following serves as my introduction…

Education reforms I have successfully worked for include:

A System of Shared Accountability based on high standards for student achievement

Curriculum and assessments that equip teachers to identify acceleration or interventions for each individual student

An Instructional Management System giving teachers information on students’ mastery of curricular objectives so they can identify what further teaching or supports may be necessary

Staff development supporting teachers’ tailoring instruction to students’ learning styles, and using different approaches when one fails

Changes in grading practices providing honest information about students’ grade and mastery levels, increasing students’ opportunities and ways to demonstrate learning over time, and guaranteeing they aren’t penalized and discouraged by poor performance when practicing new concepts

Better supervision and supports for quality instruction, through consulting teachers, staff development teachers, and administrative “walk-throughs” providing feedback on what works and what can be improved.

Increased Board oversight of program implementation and independent analyses of results

These reforms, along with targeted initiatives, have produced wide-ranging positive results, including:

In schools with children most at risk for failure, the percentage of Kindergarteners reading at or above the benchmark level rose from 39% to 70% over three years.

In those same schools, minority second graders’ achievement gap in reading decreased by more than 5% in one year.

67% of our high school students are in honors and Advanced Placement courses. The number of AP tests they take increased 125% over four years. Last year scores on 76% of AP tests taken by our students were proficient or better, compared with 68% across the state.

While sustaining and monitoring the effective implementation of the above reforms and initiatives that have proven successful, if re-elected, my focus will be on:
Ensuring Board policy is correctly implemented and serves its intended purpose by establishing criteria and schedules for reviewing all policies.

Identifying and implementing better instructional and assessment strategies for students with disabilities or limited language skills, by researching methods proven successful in other systems and using data on performance measures.

Expanding Career and Technology Programs in all clusters to support student awareness of current career opportunities and engagement in related course work, by implementing Supplement B in our CIP

Two of my sons have graduated from our schools and the youngest is using everything his brothers taught him to enhance his public high school career. With an undergraduate degree in education, I have worked in our schools as both a volunteer and a teacher.

I am honored to represent your interest in quality public education. Thanks so much for coming out tonight, I look forward to meeting and talking with you.

Michael Anthony Enriquez Ibañez (Non-Partisan)
5 Harbor Tree Court
Montgomery Village, MD 20886
Telephone: 301-990-8609
E-mail: michaelibanez@comcast.net
Response: Background. Father of two recent graduates of Gaithersburg HS and a 3rd grader in Greenwood ES. Teacher and Principal for over 20 years. BA and MA in Education, Maryland Teacher Credential, Taught 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Principal of an inner city school. 32 year resident of Montgomery County. Attended MCPS 1-12 grades, Sherwood HS Alum. Currently a teacher and youth minister at St. Catherine Labouré Parish, Wheaton. Resides with Lovely Wife of 20 years and Family in Gaithersburg.

Issues. The three crucial issues that the BoE members have not addressed well and may quickly overtake them are the 1) State and County Budget Deficits Impact on the MCPS Budget, 2) the State Board of Education’s Impact on Curriculum, and 3) the County BoE’s lack of commitment and sense of urgency.

Actions

1. - Expanding Out Sourcing

- Cutting Waste, Holding Down Spending

- Encouraging early retirement through incentive packages of specific personnel positions that would have minimal impact on students, teachers, and classrooms.

- Advocating a temporary increase in the sales tax with the revenues dedicated solely toward the Construction and Renovation of Schools subject to renewal after a three year period

- Build Sponsorships between Business Corporations and Specific Schools

- Lead Parent and Civic Groups in holding County Council Members, the County Executive, County State Legislators, and the Governor accountable

2. - Continue the Superintendent’s efforts to align curriculum with state standards to ensure students meet state expectations and state testing requirements

- Continue the Superintendent’s Model of Implementing Innovative Delivery Systems of Instruction based on Data Generated by Standardized Test Scores and the Newly Updated Grading and Reporting Policy

- Expand Gateway Courses in 8th grade in the areas of Math, Science, English, and Social Studies

- Set the Standard that ALL high school students, with few exceptions, take at least ONE AP and/or Honor Class by graduation

- Expand Government and Corporate High School Internships

3. Raise the Bar for Board Members

- Visit all High Schools every week, all Middle Schools every month, and every Elementary School every quarter.

- Forfeiture of all pay and privileges for members not fulfilling their board responsibilities

- Require board members keep their solemn oath to serve the students, parents, schools and citizens of Montgomery County for the entire 4 year term.

- Lead the Board back to exercising its over site function of the Superintendent and School Principals.

- Request the Superintendent submit a plan for holding down operating costs, cutting waste, and finding additional sources of revenue to prevent potential teacher layoffs and teacher pay within 90 days, with implementation to begin immediately

- Personally discuss with all Principals on a quarterly basis, the Superintendent’s Model of Data Driven Delivery Systems of Instruction.

- Request the Superintendent and Principals to submit an improvement safety plan for every school within 45 days, with implementation to begin immediately on all serious safety risks.

Tommy Le (Non-Partisan)
P.O. Box 2281
Kensington, MD 20891
Telephone: 301-351-6767
E-mail: Humble78@aol.com
Website: www.tommyle4boe.org

Response: I have been a resident of Montgomery County for 23 years. I am also the parent of two former MCPS students. My children started their elementary schooling in 1981 and I followed them by becoming a member of the Local school PTAs, involved in various MCPS school activities; MSI soccer coach, career-day speaker, a member of the school languages bank. I later volunteered on the various Local Advisory Committees to both MCPS and the Montgomery College systems, including that of the MCPS Operating Budget Review Team. I was on the Montgomery Council for Career and Technology Education. I have served on different citizen volunteer groups in Montgomery County including the Library Cultural Minorities Advisory Committee, UpCounty Citizens Advisory Board and County Electrical Examiners Board. I also taught school at the various vocational / technical high schools and was an engineering instructor at the Montgomery County Community College. Thus I have a community-based knowledge to deal with both local, state, and federal officials and that of what are the needed to provide excellent education to our county children. As a community activist, I am concerned that our community's needs are not currently being addressed and/ or often ignored, and as a result, horse-trade deals are done behind closed doors and beyond public awareness.

Top three issues:

(1) School overcrowding - Our County has experienced rapid population growth, especially in the northern part of our county. Along with increased population, comes overcrowding in our public schools.

(2) High stakes assessments/different diplomas – This resulted from the Leave No Child Behind Act, and thus the Maryland High School Assessment (MHSA) come to life. The passing of this Act is a short sight from our federal law makers considering the consequences to our students who performed well at their schools and for one reason or other will not pass the MHSA test. They will not be able to attend colleges, they will not be able to enlist in our armed forces, and will not be able to compete for jobs after finishing high school. The attached social stigma will prejudice others who are unaware of these students' true abilities.

(3) Attendance- There are a high percentage of children who miss 20 days of class or more a school year, especially among blacks, Hispanics and low income students in high school. This is a social issue that needs to be addressed by a variety of agencies and thus MCPS would need to identify the students and refer them to other health and welfare agencies. It does not matter how great MCPS initiatives are if our children are not in school to benefit from them.

My solutions:

School Overcrowding: One solution to prevent the overcrowding condition in our schools is to require that all future housing constructions be properly planned, completed with public hearing and inputs from the communities, with consideration for roads and availability of new schools and teaching resources. The current school overcrowding condition has been temporarily solved by using portable class rooms, however new permanent class rooms will be needed or larger schools be built to provide our young students with a more conducive learning environment

The high stakes assessments/different diplomas: Because of the harmful effects stated above, the effects of the assessments need to be reviewed on an on going basis to ensure that they are not having a disparate impact on certain student populations. I propose that in lieu of using MHSAs, another form(s) of measuring and objective indicators be found to ensure all schools in the state are meeting the standard requirements established by the state and local school board.

The high percentage of children who miss 20 days of class or more in a school year: MCPS will need to enhance its community outreach to help figure out why these children are missing school. MCPS must then work with other community resources, and then in collaboration with these agencies to address those issues. One such alternative approach is to establish high school at night or home help from MCPS.

B. BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 2

Stephen N. Abrams (Non-Partisan)
2290 Dunster Lane
Rockville, MD 20854
Telephone: 240-290-6000
E-mail: steveabr@comcast.net

Response: I am a candidate for the District 2 seat on the Board of Education, a position I held from 1992 to 1996. I also served as an at large member from 1998 to 2002. Previously I served 5 terms as a member of the Rockville City Council. Both of my daughters attended and graduated from MCPS. I am an attorney, businessman and former federal government employee. During my 30 years as a Montgomery County resident I have been and continue to be a civic and political activist.

I was a member of the Board that selected Superintendent Weast and am a strong supporter of his vision and effort. However, the Board of Education needs to be more than just a rubber stamp of the Superintendent and I have demonstrated in the past that I have the strength to constructively engage both the Superintendent and my fellow board members in addressing issues facing the school system. The Leave No Child Behind federal legislation was not crafted for a system like Montgomery County's excellent public schools. However, we are compelled to comply with it. It has substantial monetary costs but also hidden costs that effect our system -- namely, the high burn out rate for administrators and teachers. I believe we need to implement the accountability standards and necessary data collection in a more efficient and more humane fashion. We need to reinstate lower cost administrative support to allow teachers to focus more on teaching and less on secretarial functions. I have ideas about how this can be done.

We need to continue focusing on raising the competency levels of all students and having high expectations for every child. I will continue to be a strong supporter of the early childhood and elementary school initiatives in targeted schools and continue to promote the teacher training/teacher evaluation and peer review programs that have initiated collaboratively by MCPS and MCEA.

Most of all I want to help make the other Board members better Board members. I will do that by asking the tough questions and getting them to think outside the box.

Bob Astrove (Non-Partisan)
17 Welwyn Way
Rockville, MD 20850
Telephone: 301-424-6489
E-mail: ElectBob2004@aol.com

Response: I am a long time education advocate, running for the Board of Education because I believe we are at the critical juncture in the revitalization of our school system, and we are at the point in time where my strengths best compliment the needs of our Board.
Financial issues and the focus on achievement testing will continue to dominate the attention of our educational leaders. Our current 'shotgun' approach to planning and initiatives, while showing some initial signs of positive results, has come at an enormous financial cost already proving difficult to sustain. This approach also threatens to burn out our school based staff, as they continue to react to the test scores of the week syndrome.
Over the past four years our schools have enjoyed unprecedented financial support from our community, as the operating budget has increased 36%. But have we really invested the resources well? Executive staff is up 88%, Other professionals +68%, Administrators +49%, compared against a growth in teacher positions of only 14% and students, just 7%. It appears we must restore balance to this growth.
I find we are ill prepared for the pending high stakes testing program which threatens to deny almost half our students a High School Diploma. Please consider for a moment the reality that 4 out of every 10 9th graders failed last year's English exam and 3 out of 10 failed the Algebra test. Our school system's own complex index of High School Attainment shows that 1 in 5 students are not prepared. And at the elementary level, where positive gains have been reported for the groups of students receiving blanket resources, the overall system wide results are only somewhat better than flat.
The county plan has placed all of our eggs in the kindergarten through second grade basket. Yet at our normal rate of citizens moving in and out of our county, only 1/3 of today's kindergartners will reach 12th grade in MCPS. While the initiatives are doing good things for the children they serve, we must do more for our students who are not impacted by poverty and for our older students or we will not achieve the long-term objectives we have established.
To address the issues facing our school system I believe we need a more decentralized structure. We need to empower our local schools, clusters, and community superintendents. We must shift from a central office that allocates bodies to schools toward a model of integrated school operating plans and budgets, which recognize the specific and often unique needs of neighborhoods and children.
And most of all we need to restore open communication to our school board. We need to get rid of the 3-minute egg timers we limit citizen comment to. And issues affecting communities should be debated in those communities, not Rockville.
Please help me restore open discussion to our school board and re-forge MCPS into the creative, engaging, responsive school system we all seek.

Walter Lange (Non-Partisan)
11013 Rutledge Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Telephone: 301-279-0787
Email: lange-for-boe@earthlink.net

Response: Background As a member of the Board of Education since 2000, I have supported smaller class size, all-day kindergarten, curriculum improvements, and improved coordination of curriculum across all grade levels, and staff development. As chair of the Board’s Long Range and Strategic Planning Committee, I led efforts that resulted in adoption of the Strategic Plan in June 2003. I initiated a joint meeting between the Board and the Maryland National Parks and Planning Commission and municipalities to address the impact of zoning/ housing availability and school crowding. This meeting led to the adoption of a new Annual Growth Policy with strong provisions for school capacity. I regularly visit schools to speak directly with students, principals, teachers and staff.! I participate in meetings with community groups to encourage their participation, and to learn their concerns. My professional experience as a project manager, an engineer, and former naval officer give me the skills needed for oversight of our very complex school system. I was PTA president at the elementary and high school levels, cluster coordinator, and president of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs. I served on several advisory committees for MCPS including curriculum and technology.

Three crucial issues to be addressed

1. Continue curriculum refinement and coordination with continued improvement of communications with parents.
2. Closing the Gap.
3. Staff Development

While MCPS has made significant recent progress in student learning, much remains to be done. Progress with curriculum reform and coordination of curriculum across grade levels must continue. Teachers have been working hard and must be supported with necessary materials and training so that they are up-to-date on program changes and methods of instruction.

We have made some progress, but greater attention is needed to ensure that students and parents are fully aware of expectations and of resources. Additional attention is needed for special education and ESOL students and their families.

The Gordon report in 1990 clearly identified the gap between the performances of MCPS students. Recently, MCPS has made progress in better aligning and coordinating the curriculum across grade levels so that teachers have a better understanding of the learning outcomes, and the expectations at the next grade levels. This will lead to better communication with students and parents about learning goals. Another important initiative that has begun in approximately 20 schools, to be expanded next year is Collaboration Action Process. This is made up of teams of teachers, counselors and others who will work with schools and students to better assess each student’s readiness and to provide assistance in developing individualized learning plans for each student.

Staff Development is cited in almost all areas of the proposed operating budget. The investment in Staff Development has almost doubled in the past few years. We must continue to invest in staff development so that educators at all levels are well informed of learning outcomes and methods of instruction. The Professional Growth System that was recently implemented is an important part of our continuing efforts to ensure a highly qualified teacher in every classroom.

C. BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 4

Valerie Ervin (Non-Partisan)
415 Schuyler Road
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: 301-565-4694
E-mail: valerie4BOE@hotmail.com
Website: www.valerie4boe.org

Response: My campaign for the Board of Education is the culmination of years of work in the community; I served as a parent volunteer, including as Co-PTSA President at Montgomery Blair High School, the largest and most diverse high school in the county. Additionally, I’ve worked with the NAACP Parents Council, the Montgomery County Education Forum, and Blacks United for Excellence in Education. I have proven experience as a parent advocate with the ability to work across ethnic and economic lines.
Professionally, my work as a labor educator and most recently as Chief of Staff to County Councilman George Leventhal has taught me how to work in the political structure to turn good ideas into sound public policy.
I am running for the Board because I have a vision of what must be done to deliver quality public education to all of our students. I want to propose new policies and strategies to make our school system more responsive to an increasingly diverse county. I pledge to:

— Attack the widening achievement gap with new approaches that provide high expectations and a challenging curriculum for all students regardless of race, class or disability.
While the MCPS push for all-day kindergarten and the K-2 initiative are excellent steps, we must do more to ensure that all students are prepared for honors and AP courses at the high school level. I will work to make enriched and accelerated program opportunities available to many more students, a move that I believe will encourage more disadvantaged and minority students to prepare for challenging coursework. Such an approach would allow MCPS to both “raise the bar” and “close the gap”.

— Make sure that teachers get what they need to do their jobs well, guaranteeing that we can attract, keep, and motivate the very best teachers for our children. Research has shown that teacher quality is a determining factor in student success. I will work to keep the best teachers by making sure MCPS:
§ Provides pay and benefits that attract the best teachers;

§ Creates healthy teaching and learning environments within our schools and classrooms that maintain the confidence of our teachers, encourage their personal creativity, and foster a love of learning for both students and teachers;

§ Supports a collegial work setting for teachers with time built in for collaboration and mentoring and instruction planning and assessment;

§ Listens to teachers to 1) hear and be responsive to their concerns and needs and 2) solicit direct input that informs school system reform initiatives.

— Encourage and support greater parent participation in the education of their children. Research is clear that family involvement is a determining factor in successful student achievement. To make parent participation a reality for all children I will work to:

§ Build trust with all parent groups by ensuring that they feel valued, respected and welcomed.

§ Communicate in language that families understand.

§ Find meaningful ways for parents to participate in the life of their child’s school, ways that draw upon the talents and interests of parents, not just meeting attendance.

Sheldon Fishman (Non-Partisan)
9913 Dameron Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20902
Telephone: 301-681-6986
E-mail: sheldon_fishman@yahoo.com
Website: www.sheldonfishman.com

Response: I offer the knowledge gained during 20 years as an elected PTA officer at the local, cluster, and county levels (my wife and I were awarded the Maryland PTA Family of the Year, 2001), the experience of a father of four MCPS graduates, experience from numerous boards and committees (including the Civic Federation Education Committee), and extensive managerial experience (including Manager of Information Systems in the Federal Reserve Board).

We are now seeing what happens when a huge and largely unaccountable bureaucracy makes test scores the ends instead of the means. We have seen course content systematically dumbed down to match tests that were designed as a floor but are fast becoming a ceiling. We have seen costly and questionable programs and curricula hastily rolled out with no pilot, to the frustration of teachers and to the detriment of our children.

Above all, we are seeing a “one size fits all” mentality on the march, as administrators tell teachers they must not deviate from the grade-level curriculum regardless of what a child has or has not learned up to that point.
One is reminded of the grisly myth of the thief Procrustes, who offered travelers the hospitality of a “magical” bed that supposedly fit anyone who slept in it. (In fact, the hapless visitors were stretched or shortened to fit the bed.)

We have seen a great deal happen in MCPS over the last four years—some of it undeniably good, much of it silly and wasteful or just plain bad. What we have not seen is a Board of Education that holds the system accountable and responds in good faith to the concerns of parents and teachers.

This is what I want to change. I am running for Montgomery County Board of Education with early endorsements from the Parents’ Coalition, Special Ed Voters, and former BoE members Blair Ewing and Alan Cheung, as well as the recommendation of the Montgomery County Public School Retirees Association.

These endorsements speak to my record of working for constructive change in the Montgomery County Public Schools during more than two decades as a PTA leader and education activist in this community. And they reflect broad-based support for common-sense ideas like these:

· assessing and promptly reporting the progress of each student—whether on, below, or above grade level—to tailor instruction through flexible grouping practices
· improving accountability and cost-effectiveness through systematic pilots and independent program evaluations
· expanding educational options for all students and parents—instead of confining them to the Procrustes’ bed of one-size-fits-all curriculum and instruction
· implementing a coherent, content-rich curriculum—not just a mirror of the state tests

At the heart of each of these ideas is my deeply held belief that knowledge is power. As a member of the Board of Education, I will give you, your children, and your child’s teachers access to the knowledge that brings power.

Kermit Burnett (Non-Partisan)
14100 Weeping Willow Drive #22
Silver Spring, MD 20906
Telephone: 301-603-9105
E-mail: burnettkv@aol.com

Mr. Burnett has WITHDRAWN from the campaign, since the 12/31/03 filing deadline.

Roger A. Patterson (Non-Partisan)
8101 Eastern Avenue, Apt. A504
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Telephone: 301-526-6467
E-mail: rapatt2001@yahoo.com

Mr. Patterson has WITHDRAWN from the campaign, since the 12/31/03 filing deadline.

MCCF is extremely grateful to Crossway Community for providing us the venue at which to host this forum. If you would like an additional copy of these notes, you may download them from our website:

http://www.montgomerycivic.org/

This Page Last Edited: February 11, 2004 .