This article, originally published at 8 a.m. on March 29, 2024, was updated at 4:03 p.m. on April 4, 2024, to add information about another candidate forum. It was updated at 4:20 p.m. on April 23, 2024, to add more details about the Poolesville Fair Access Committee forum.
Four candidate forums in April offer the opportunity to learn more about who’s running for three seats on the Montgomery County Board of Education in the upcoming May 14 primary election.
Three incumbents are among the 14 candidates running for four-year terms: school board Vice President Lynne Harris (At-Large), 61, and board members Rebecca Smondrowski (Dist. 2), 55, of Gaithersburg, and Shebra Evans (Dist. 4), 52, of Silver Spring.
Harris, who is running for a second term, is facing five at-large candidates: Laytonsville resident Sharif Hidayat, 51; Bethesda resident Melissa Kim; Germantown resident Jonathan Long, 52; Silver Spring resident Rita Montoya; and Brookeville resident Fitzgerald Mofor, 29.
In District 2, Smondrowski is running for a fourth term against Gaithersburg resident Brenda Diaz; Rockville resident Ricky Mui, 45; Rockville resident Aby Thioye; and Rockville resident Natalie Zimmerman, 29. Evans is running for a third term against Silver Spring resident Bethany Mandel, 38, and Silver Spring resident Laura Stewart, 53, for the District 4 seat.
Find out more about the candidates by checking out MoCo360’s 2024 Primary Election Voters Guide.
Montgomery County League of Women Voters
On April 11, the Montgomery County League of Women Voters will be hosting a free virtual forum open to the public. The webinar will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and Tonia Bui, co-founder of Asian American Mobilize, Organize, Vote and Empower (AAMOVE), will moderate the discussion. AAMOVE is a local organization promoting civic participation and diversity.
The forum’s co-sponsors include the Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA), the Montgomery County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Identity Inc., Metro D.C. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and the Chinese American Parent Association of Montgomery County.
Registration is required for the forum. Register at this link or watch the forum live on YouTube.
Temple Beth Ami Community of Action
On April 14, Temple Beth Ami Community of Action in Rockville will host a free virtual candidate forum from 9:45 a.m. until noon. The forum is open to the public. Those interested in attending must register by 10 a.m. April 12 to receive a Zoom link.
Susan Stern, a representative for Community of Action, said participants must pre-register with the email address they intend to use on Zoom to receive the forum link and be admitted into the program.
According to Stern, Community of Action will ask candidates questions drafted by its members. Registrants will also have an opportunity to submit their questions on the registration form for use in the forum. No questions will be taken from the audience during the forum, she said.
In addition, Community of Action will share general information about the upcoming primary election and voting process.
“We felt it was important to educate voters on the process and provide opportunities for candidates to speak about issues important to the community,” she told MoCo360 on Thursday.
Register for the event at this link.
Moderately MoCo
Jason Makstein, the local blogger behind Moderately MoCo, is planning to host his own forum on April 15. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Stella Werner Council Rockville Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville.
Poolesville Fair Access Committee forum
On April 24, the town of Poolesville’s Fair Access Committee and the Poolesville High School PTA are co-sponsoring a forum that will beopen to the public, according to a press release. The Fair Access Committee is a community group that advocates for equity and the educational and political needs of Poolesville and western Montgomery County residents.
The in-person debate will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Poolesville United Methodist Church, 17815 Elgin Road, according to committee member Link Hoewing. A YouTube livestream of the forum will also be available for those unable to attend in person.
Hoewing, who will be moderating the event, said the forum will include questions from the committee and some attendees.
One school board forum has been held since the February filing deadline. In March, an anti-critical race theory (CRT) group called United Against Racism in Education hosted the first Board of Education candidate forum, which was attended by Hidayat, Montoya, Mofor, Diaz, Mui and Mandel.
At the event, the six candidates discussed bringing back police officers stationed in county schools, also known as school resource officers; parents’ right to opt out their children from lessons involving LGBTQ+ inclusive books; student drug use; and school safety.
This story will be updated as more information about upcoming forums becomes available.