Karla Silvestre joins Julie Yang in jumping ship from the BOE in favor of County Council

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Most boards are volunteer positions that get stipends. The county council is not a board.

Soooo...you are in the "we shouldn't complain, because, after all, they are only a board, not full time or anything" camp?

They have full time jobs and the county is paying one good money. They knew it was basically a volunteer job and choose to do it. Don’t like the pay, don’t go for it.

Soooo...you are in the "I don't want to pay for what I expect, but I'll keep complaining, anyway" camp?

Or, maybe, the "what I really want is for my idle, independently wealthy associates to be elected in numbers great enough to control the board, so I don't want to attract the competent opposition that might be drawn to run for BOE if reasonable compensation were to be in play for the time needed to do the job well" camp?

Who is competent who would run if paid more? Money is not the issue.

You have no evidence for your opinion. There is ample research that higher compensation for board members improves corporate governance by attracting talent and increasing effort towards the role .

In theory, the folks on the board have talent. Anyone with true talent is going to make far more than what they would pay and aren't going to do the job.

Your opinions are not evidence based. Increasing the salary from $25K for a high profile nearly full-time BOE job to $100K+ which is what MoCo council members make would attract people who would be able to dedicate a full-time level of effort to a challenging public servant role as a substitute for full-time employment. If not you end up with BOE members like Karla Silvestre who report spending 8 hours of week to provide oversight to a school district with a billion dollar budget, which is pretty sad.

They are not a true oversight committee. That's not how the board functions. No one is going to want that job even for $100K who has any talent, as they can make more on the outside. Even Silvestre makes more at MC, so there would be no point in her leaving a better-paying job for that.

We do need an oversight board, but independent of MCPS, the County and the BOE to do a real audit and get the spending under control and shift the money to necessary things vs. pet projects.

That is what the Board of Ed is for!

Partly but no, they aren’t looking at the details. They only look at the bigger picture.

That's not what courts believe. They hold the BOE responsible for oversight and hold the system accountable for failures in the school system.

For example: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/23/school-board-pay-bcc-high-racism/

A Montgomery County Circuit Court jury on Wednesday ordered the county school board to pay former Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School teacher Dan Engler $518,000 in damages after finding the board was ultimately responsible for defaming Engler in a 2023 email accusing him of racism that was sent to the B-CC community.

The jury awarded the damages after a seven-day trial that revolved around the email sent by B-CC Principal Sheldon Mooney in response to a complaint by two Black students that Engler had made racist comments to them in his classroom on Feb. 8, 2023. The email was vetted by numerous Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) administrators, according to court testimony. The school board oversees MCPS.

In August 2023, Engler and his attorney David Wachen filed a defamation lawsuit against Mooney and the school board seeking more than $75,000 in damages, according to the complaint. Engler, who taught at B-CC for 18 years before going on medical leave in February 2023, now teaches at Walt Whitman High in Bethesda.

After several hours of deliberation Wednesday, the jury returned a verdict finding the school board defamed Engler, but Mooney did not. The jury awarded Engler a total of $518,000 in damages and interest.

Is this Sheldon Mooney, the former BCC principal who confessed that he made up rumors to defame Engler, now an assistant principal at James Hubert Blake High School in MCPS? This is the MCPS definition for "holding accountable"??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most boards are volunteer positions that get stipends. The county council is not a board.

Soooo...you are in the "we shouldn't complain, because, after all, they are only a board, not full time or anything" camp?

They have full time jobs and the county is paying one good money. They knew it was basically a volunteer job and choose to do it. Don’t like the pay, don’t go for it.

Soooo...you are in the "I don't want to pay for what I expect, but I'll keep complaining, anyway" camp?

Or, maybe, the "what I really want is for my idle, independently wealthy associates to be elected in numbers great enough to control the board, so I don't want to attract the competent opposition that might be drawn to run for BOE if reasonable compensation were to be in play for the time needed to do the job well" camp?

Who is competent who would run if paid more? Money is not the issue.

You have no evidence for your opinion. There is ample research that higher compensation for board members improves corporate governance by attracting talent and increasing effort towards the role .

In theory, the folks on the board have talent. Anyone with true talent is going to make far more than what they would pay and aren't going to do the job.

Your opinions are not evidence based. Increasing the salary from $25K for a high profile nearly full-time BOE job to $100K+ which is what MoCo council members make would attract people who would be able to dedicate a full-time level of effort to a challenging public servant role as a substitute for full-time employment. If not you end up with BOE members like Karla Silvestre who report spending 8 hours of week to provide oversight to a school district with a billion dollar budget, which is pretty sad.

They are not a true oversight committee. That's not how the board functions. No one is going to want that job even for $100K who has any talent, as they can make more on the outside. Even Silvestre makes more at MC, so there would be no point in her leaving a better-paying job for that.

We do need an oversight board, but independent of MCPS, the County and the BOE to do a real audit and get the spending under control and shift the money to necessary things vs. pet projects.

That is what the Board of Ed is for!

Partly but no, they aren’t looking at the details. They only look at the bigger picture.

That's not what courts believe. They hold the BOE responsible for oversight and hold the system accountable for failures in the school system.

For example: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/23/school-board-pay-bcc-high-racism/

A Montgomery County Circuit Court jury on Wednesday ordered the county school board to pay former Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School teacher Dan Engler $518,000 in damages after finding the board was ultimately responsible for defaming Engler in a 2023 email accusing him of racism that was sent to the B-CC community.

The jury awarded the damages after a seven-day trial that revolved around the email sent by B-CC Principal Sheldon Mooney in response to a complaint by two Black students that Engler had made racist comments to them in his classroom on Feb. 8, 2023. The email was vetted by numerous Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) administrators, according to court testimony. The school board oversees MCPS.

In August 2023, Engler and his attorney David Wachen filed a defamation lawsuit against Mooney and the school board seeking more than $75,000 in damages, according to the complaint. Engler, who taught at B-CC for 18 years before going on medical leave in February 2023, now teaches at Walt Whitman High in Bethesda.

After several hours of deliberation Wednesday, the jury returned a verdict finding the school board defamed Engler, but Mooney did not. The jury awarded Engler a total of $518,000 in damages and interest.

Is this Sheldon Mooney, the former BCC principal who confessed that he made up rumors to defame Engler, now an assistant principal at James Hubert Blake High School in MCPS? This is the MCPS definition for "holding accountable"??

Yes. The one and only Dr. Mooney!

[Anonymous]

Here's the first candidate to file for a 2026 BOE race.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/09/23/political-consultant-run-for-school-board/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the first candidate to file for a 2026 BOE race.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/09/23/political-consultant-run-for-school-board/

Interesting. Would like more information on him.

[Anonymous]

This is great news! They can bring these high standards of the school board to our county!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is great news! They can bring these high standards of the school board to our county!

If these are high standards, what do you consider low standards?

[Anonymous]

Another at-large candidate intends to run:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/14/black-brown-coalition-former-director-school-board-race/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another at-large candidate intends to run:

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/10/14/black-brown-coalition-former-director-school-board-race/

Any opinions on her?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most boards are volunteer positions that get stipends. The county council is not a board.

Soooo...you are in the "we shouldn't complain, because, after all, they are only a board, not full time or anything" camp?

They have full time jobs and the county is paying one good money. They knew it was basically a volunteer job and choose to do it. Don’t like the pay, don’t go for it.

Soooo...you are in the "I don't want to pay for what I expect, but I'll keep complaining, anyway" camp?

Or, maybe, the "what I really want is for my idle, independently wealthy associates to be elected in numbers great enough to control the board, so I don't want to attract the competent opposition that might be drawn to run for BOE if reasonable compensation were to be in play for the time needed to do the job well" camp?

Who is competent who would run if paid more? Money is not the issue.

You have no evidence for your opinion. There is ample research that higher compensation for board members improves corporate governance by attracting talent and increasing effort towards the role .

In theory, the folks on the board have talent. Anyone with true talent is going to make far more than what they would pay and aren't going to do the job.

Your opinions are not evidence based. Increasing the salary from $25K for a high profile nearly full-time BOE job to $100K+ which is what MoCo council members make would attract people who would be able to dedicate a full-time level of effort to a challenging public servant role as a substitute for full-time employment. If not you end up with BOE members like Karla Silvestre who report spending 8 hours of week to provide oversight to a school district with a billion dollar budget, which is pretty sad.

They are not a true oversight committee. That's not how the board functions. No one is going to want that job even for $100K who has any talent, as they can make more on the outside. Even Silvestre makes more at MC, so there would be no point in her leaving a better-paying job for that.

We do need an oversight board, but independent of MCPS, the County and the BOE to do a real audit and get the spending under control and shift the money to necessary things vs. pet projects.

That is what the Board of Ed is for!

Partly but no, they aren’t looking at the details. They only look at the bigger picture.

That's not what courts believe. They hold the BOE responsible for oversight and hold the system accountable for failures in the school system.

For example: https://bethesdamagazine.com/2025/07/23/school-board-pay-bcc-high-racism/

A Montgomery County Circuit Court jury on Wednesday ordered the county school board to pay former Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School teacher Dan Engler $518,000 in damages after finding the board was ultimately responsible for defaming Engler in a 2023 email accusing him of racism that was sent to the B-CC community.

The jury awarded the damages after a seven-day trial that revolved around the email sent by B-CC Principal Sheldon Mooney in response to a complaint by two Black students that Engler had made racist comments to them in his classroom on Feb. 8, 2023. The email was vetted by numerous Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) administrators, according to court testimony. The school board oversees MCPS.

In August 2023, Engler and his attorney David Wachen filed a defamation lawsuit against Mooney and the school board seeking more than $75,000 in damages, according to the complaint. Engler, who taught at B-CC for 18 years before going on medical leave in February 2023, now teaches at Walt Whitman High in Bethesda.

After several hours of deliberation Wednesday, the jury returned a verdict finding the school board defamed Engler, but Mooney did not. The jury awarded Engler a total of $518,000 in damages and interest.

Is this Sheldon Mooney, the former BCC principal who confessed that he made up rumors to defame Engler, now an assistant principal at James Hubert Blake High School in MCPS? This is the MCPS definition for "holding accountable"??

Aren't unions great?

[Anonymous]

Karla Silvestre was among the board members who hired Monifa McKnight. Will this not keep her from winning elected office again? If not, voters have a short memory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Karla Silvestre was among the board members who hired Monifa McKnight. Will this not keep her from winning elected office again? If not, voters have a short memory.

She ran the BOE and mcps into the ground. Time for her to retire.

[Anonymous]

Who else is leaving this Board??? This week is not the OPTICS they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who else is leaving this Board??? This week is not the OPTICS they want.

Silvestre, Yang, and Wolff are all leaving. Rivera-Oven is running for reelection.