Candidate profiles of Board of Education election finalists

Montgomery County voters will elect three members to the Board of Education (BOE) next Tuesday, Nov. 3. The Montgomery County Board of Education has eight seats total. Two seats are “at-large,” elected through a plurality of votes with the intent of representing the county as a whole. Districts 1-5 are each represented by one member. The final seat is reserved for the Student Member of the Board, a position that is currently held by senior Nick Asante of Richard Montgomery High School. There is one vacancy for the at-large seat this year, due to the retirement of board member Jeanette Dixxon. The current board members from Districts 2 and 4 will be running for incumbent reelection.

At-Large Candidates:

Candidates Sunil Dasgupta and Lynne Harris will be running for the open at-large seat. Dasgupta’s primary objectives are to expand administrative hiring to accommodate class size to staff ratios, increase investments for school health and safety, and re-evaluate current operating budgets to increase resources for other programs. Harris’ platform promotes opportunities for increased student voice, transparency in open data, and strengthening the consistency of school programs. A full summary of Dasgupta and Harris’s candidate profiles can be viewed here. 

District 2 Candidates:

Current member Rebecca Smondrowski of District 2 will be running for a third four-year term against candidate Michael Fryar. Smondrowski’s primary objectives are increasing the qualifications and diversity of school staff, applying Performance Matters data to distribute student resources, and promoting academic and career opportunities for students. Fryar’s top priorities are establishing more magnet schools and themed schools, increasing accessibility of pre-K services, and offering more vocational alternatives for students. A full summary of Smondrowski and Fryar’s candidate profiles can be viewed here. 

District 4 Candidates:

Shebra Evans, the current representative of District 4 and current board president, will be running for reelection against candidate Steve Solomon. Evans’ platform prioritizes closing the opportunity and achievement gap, increasing accessibility of pre-K programs, and increasing diversity in schools. Solomon prioritizes expanding vocational and technical training in schools, minimizing busing by keeping schools local, and revising the current MCPS snow day policy to minimize changes that could affect the schedules of working parents. A full summary of Evans and Solomon’s candidate profiles can be viewed here.