This summer’s race for Montgomery County School Board should be a hot one.
At the very least, the election will result in two new faces to the seven-member body, which oversees nearly 140,000 students.
Voters will cast their ballots Sept. 12 for the seats in districts 1, 3 and 5, as well as for the at-large seat being vacated by Board President Charles Haughey.
By this week’s filing deadline, five candidates have thrown their hats into the ring in the most competitive category, at-large. They include Shirley Brandman, Dana Eugene Gassaway, John Horan Latham, Tommy Le and Arquilla Ridgell.
Brandman, a former abuse lawyer who has been endorsed by the Montgomery County Education Association, says on her campaign Web site that she hopes to hire more school counselors and to allow teachers to spend less time either administering tests or “teaching to the test.”
A former educator for 11 years, Gassaway said his goal is for schools to do a better job readying students for the 21st-century work world.
“We need to specifically look at who the employers are and gear our curriculum to those specific jobs,” he said.
Gassaway also advocates requiring all students to take manners courses. One of his opponents, Latham, calls himself the “only one offering something different.”
The martial arts instructor says his biggest concern is the growing gang violence in schools. So far the “neat, catchy zero tolerance programs” are not working, in his opinion, so Latham advocates stricter punishments.
On her campaign Web site, Ridgell pledges to work with unions to create a positive environment for school employees. The site says she is currently working for the federal government as a human resources specialist.
After the at-large race, the next most crowded race will be in District 5, with incumbent Nancy Navarro challenged by Susie Werner Scofield and Philip Kauffman. Neither answered phone calls Thursday from TheExaminer.
Navarro was appointed to the District 5 slot in 2004 and says she is running to keep that seat because two years is simply not enough time to make a real difference.
Her areas of focus are reforming middle schools, increasing parental involvement and addressing students’ emotional and social needs in addition to their academic ones.
Incumbent Patricia O’Neill has no competitors for her District 3 position. In District 1, Judy Docca will take on Michael Ibanez. Neither could be reached Thursday.
Who’s Staying
» Board members not up for election in Montgomery County:
District 2 – Stephen Abrams
District 4 – Valerie Ervin
At-large seat – Sharon Cox
Student member – Sarah Horvitz
