BOE Candidates for 2026 election

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

At this point, Grace is the only incumbent running, and she has no opposition.

Hopefully someone will run.. they'd have a good chance of winning.

Not necessarily. Grace won her 2022 election by 20 points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any former teachers have the bandwidth to run?

Current or former teacher is not a good qualifier. Natalie Zimmerman is a current teacher and she was supposed to bring that perspective to the board but she does nothing but smile and giggle.

She's a former teacher now.

Sort of. She’s technically on leave, she didn’t resign. So she’ll go back to being a teacher again once her term is over.

Source? State law dictates that board members cannot be employees of MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any former teachers have the bandwidth to run?

Current or former teacher is not a good qualifier. Natalie Zimmerman is a current teacher and she was supposed to bring that perspective to the board but she does nothing but smile and giggle.

She's a former teacher now.

Sort of. She’s technically on leave, she didn’t resign. So she’ll go back to being a teacher again once her term is over.

Source? State law dictates that board members cannot be employees of MCPS.

She said it in one of the candidate forums when she was running, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

+1
I won't vote for someone who is hateful (sorry, Bethany) but I don't think the incumbents are any better, except for Montoya.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

+1
I won't vote for someone who is hateful (sorry, Bethany) but I don't think the incumbents are any better, except for Montoya.

Montoya's problem is that she doesn't have near enough power to take on a superintendent, whose power is baked into state rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

+1
I won't vote for someone who is hateful (sorry, Bethany) but I don't think the incumbents are any better, except for Montoya.

Montoya's problem is that she doesn't have near enough power to take on a superintendent, whose power is baked into state rules.

If Montoya doesn't, who will?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

At this point, Grace is the only incumbent running, and she has no opposition.

Hopefully someone will run.. they'd have a good chance of winning.

That's the issue, who?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

+1
I won't vote for someone who is hateful (sorry, Bethany) but I don't think the incumbents are any better, except for Montoya.

Montoya's problem is that she doesn't have near enough power to take on a superintendent, whose power is baked into state rules.

If Montoya doesn't, who will?

She needs to get more members to vote with her. It's as simple as that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

+1
I won't vote for someone who is hateful (sorry, Bethany) but I don't think the incumbents are any better, except for Montoya.

Montoya's problem is that she doesn't have near enough power to take on a superintendent, whose power is baked into state rules.

If Montoya doesn't, who will?

She needs to get more members to vote with her. It's as simple as that.

They aren’t you going to vote against the lines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

+1
I won't vote for someone who is hateful (sorry, Bethany) but I don't think the incumbents are any better, except for Montoya.

Montoya's problem is that she doesn't have near enough power to take on a superintendent, whose power is baked into state rules.

If Montoya doesn't, who will?

She needs to get more members to vote with her. It's as simple as that.

She needs different members on the board

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will vote against every incumbent running for any office provided there is a non MAGA non transphobic alternative. If there is not, I won't vote.

In that scenario, not voting is in effect a vote for the MAGA candidate.

I think things are so broken at this point that it is worth the risk.

If I have to I'd vote for a republican depending on their character and values over an incumbent. I will not vote for any incumbets right now.

+1
I won't vote for someone who is hateful (sorry, Bethany) but I don't think the incumbents are any better, except for Montoya.

Montoya's problem is that she doesn't have near enough power to take on a superintendent, whose power is baked into state rules.

If Montoya doesn't, who will?

She needs to get more members to vote with her. It's as simple as that.

She needs different members on the board

OK, but there's a year to go until then.

[Anonymous]

Apple Ballot's initial BOE endorsements are out:

Board of Education District 1 – Grace Rivera Oven

Board of Education District 3 – Sally McCarthy

Board of Education At-Large – Omar Lazo

https://montgomeryperspective.com/2025/12/05/apple-ballot-announced-for-county-school-board-races/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grace Rivera-Oven filed for reelection today in district 1 and Sally McCarthy filed in district 3.

Sally McCarthy? That's the best news I've heard. She's amazing!

Who is she?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Grace Rivera-Oven filed for reelection today in district 1 and Sally McCarthy filed in district 3.

Sally McCarthy? That's the best news I've heard. She's amazing!

Who is she?

https://www.sallymccarthy.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apple Ballot's initial BOE endorsements are out:

Board of Education District 1 – Grace Rivera Oven

Board of Education District 3 – Sally McCarthy

Board of Education At-Large – Omar Lazo

https://montgomeryperspective.com/2025/12/05/apple-ballot-announced-for-county-school-board-races/

Does Grace even have anyone running against her? The biggest surprise to me is that MCEA is backing an incumbent, since they wiped the slate clean last time.