This article, originally published at 11:33 a.m., May 1, 2024, was updated at 12:25 p.m., May 1, 2024, to correct the spelling of Jason Makstein’s last name. It was updated at 6:36 p.m. on May 1, 2024, to add links to two additional candidate forums.
Thursday is the first day Montgomery County voters can cast ballots during a week of early voting ahead of the May 14 primary election. Before choosing candidates for three open seats on the Board of Education, check out the MoCo360 voters guide and videos of several candidate forums held this election season.
Following the controversy over the Montgomery County Public Schools scandal involving former middle school principal Joel Beidleman, the school board race has become one of the most important for county voters and resulted in eight candidate forums being held since March.
Here is a list of videos for five out of the eight forums:
- The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County held a candidate forum on April 11. Watch the forum at this link.
- Temple Beth Ami’s Community of Action held a forum April 14. A recording of the Zoom can be found at this link. The passcode for the recording is g5$hn7$8.
- Jason Makstein, the local blogger behind Moderately MoCo held a forum for candidates on April 15. Watch the forum here.
- The UpCounty Democrats of Montgomery County held a two-part candidates forum on April 17 and April 23. Watch part one at this link and part two at this link.
- The Montgomery County Muslim Council held a forum on April 21. Watch the video on their Facebook page at this link.
- The Town of Poolesville Fair Access Committee and the Poolesville High School PTSA co-sponsored a debate for school board candidates April 24. Watch the forum at this link.
- The Montgomery County and Potomac Valley Alumnae chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence and the Montgomery County Black Collective held a forum April 25. Watch the video at this link.
Fourteen candidates are running for the at-large, District 2 and District 4 seats.
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.
MoCo360 has not been able to obtain recordings or links to recordings for the forum held by United Against Racism in Education.
