Editor’s Note: This story was originally posted at 4:48 p.m. on Feb. 5. It was updated at 10:20 a.m. on Feb. 6 after Shebra Evans told MoCo360 she plans to run for re-election.
With the Feb. 9 deadline to file for candidacy quickly approaching, the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education race is heating up.
This year, three seats are up for re-election—District 2, District 4 and one at-large seat. Each nonpartisan seat holds a four-year term, which would start in 2025 and end in 2029. The primary election will be held May 14 and the general election is Nov. 5.
The Board of Education, which includes seven regular members and one student member, is responsible for overseeing the school system by creating policies and setting goals for the schools, reviewing budgets and presiding over public hearings.
Current school board members have come under intense scrutiny in recent months for MCPS’ handling of the investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former Farquhar Middle School principal Joel Beidleman, with some members of the community calling for board members to be removed by the Montgomery County Council.
Council President Andrew Friedson (D-At-large) has said he would not support that action, and that it would be an overstep on the part of the council.
Board members allegedly tried to remove Superintendent Monifa McKnight, who initially hired a lawyer to fight her ouster prior to coming to a mutual agreement with the board to part ways on Friday.
The board has also been in the national spotlight after a group of parents sued the school system for not having an “opt-out” policy for LGBTQ+ curriculum and storybooks in schools.
Board of Education members and incumbents Lynne Harris (At-large) and Rebecca Smondrowski (Dist. 2) have both filed to run for an additional term. Shebra Evans, who represents District 4 and has served two terms, has not yet filed for candidacy to run for re-election for her seat, but told MoCo360 in an email Monday night that she plans to run for re-election.
Here’s who has filed candidacy for each district as of Feb. 5.
At-large
Lynne Harris (incumbent)
Harris, of Silver Spring, is a current board member and vice president and was elected to her first term in 2020. She is a former MCPS teacher, former attorney and a previous president of the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA). Within the past year, Harris has been vocal in her support of including LGBTQ+ books and curriculums in schools and has criticized a lawsuit brought forward by parents demanding an “opt-out” option for these topics.
Sharif Hidayat
Hidayat is a former Montgomery County police officer. The Laytonsville resident ran in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County Council in 2022, coming in fifth and receiving 8% of the vote. According to Hidayat’s campaign website, his priorities include focus on academic achievement, parent involvement, fiscal responsibility, mental health and safe learning environments.
Melissa Kim
Kim, of Bethesda, is senior advisor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a former deputy chancellor and former middle school principal for District of Columbia Public Schools. She has not begun a public campaign yet, and does not have a campaign website.
Fitzgerald Mofor
Mofor is a legal personal assistant at the International Law Firm of Bokwe Mofor in Silver Spring, according to his LinkedIn page. The Brookville resident was a community liaison to the Maryland General Assembly and a campaign manager for Maryland State Sen. Craig Zucker (D-Dist. 14). According to Mofor’s campaign website, his priorities include closing the achievement gap, accountability and transparency, wage parity, quelling political polarization, and prioritize vocational learning and extended learning.
District 2
Rebecca Smondrowski (incumbent)
Smondrowski is a current board member and was elected to her first term in 2012. She is serving her third four-year term and is chair of the board’s Policy Management Committee. The Gaithersburg resident previously served on the MCCPTA Board of Directors and was a legislative aide for Maryland State Sen. Roger Manno (D-Dist. 19). Smondrowski ran for District 17 in the Maryland General Assembly in 2018 and sought appointment to that seat in 2023, but was unsuccessful.
District 4
Shebra Evans
Evans, who lives in Silver Spring, is a current board member and former two-term president and was elected to her first term in 2016. She is a financial analyst in the cable and energy industry and is the mother of a current MCPS student and an MCPS graduate. She has held several leadership roles with MCCPTA. She is a previous member of the Superintendent’s Operating Budget Group and Math Exam Work Group and former co-leader of the African American Student Achievement Group. She is the only candidate on this list who has not yet officially filed paperwork with the Board of Elections.
Laura Stewart
Stewart, of Silver Spring, is the current Free State PTA Vice President for Advocacy and the former MCCPTA Vice President of Advocacy. In this role, she frequently served as spokesperson for the MCCPTA when testifying to the County Council on the MCPS budget. She is an MCPS parent and previously worked in telecommunications. She also is the former president of the Montgomery County Women’s Democratic Club. According to her campaign website, her priorities are accountability, collaboration and transparency.