BOE election candidates 2024

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Stewart has worked tirelessly to secure funding for MCPS schools, particularly for renovations, rebuilds, and new buildings. It is absolute drudgery and “grunt” work. If you think someone who has volunteered for years to learn the ins and outs of school funding, and to lobby for adequate funding, is an “insider” so be it. But as I look at the list of individuals challenging the incumbents I see nobody else who knows the system as well as Stewart. Given the state of affairs, I’d like to have somebody on the board who isn’t a complete novice.

I see someone who knows the system very well, didn’t speak up for any of the victims, and continues to be mild in her criticism of the BOE. Funny how much that sounds like the current members.

What has Shebra Evans done?

Or do you prefer the candidate who wants to dismantle the public school system altogether?

Shebra Evans does a lot, and she’s the only BOE member who’s ever followed up on a note that I sent. I’m open to someone different but Laura Stewart isn’t different enough to make it worth it to get rid of an experienced member.

That’s where my head is at. Laura Stewart is just another Lynn Harris and Jill Ortman Fouse and on and on goes the MCCPTA pipeline.

Shebra Evans is also part of the MCCPTA pipeline, not that she did a lot in MCCPTA at the time. She is a very pleasant person, but is not a dynamic leader. Who was it that said 95% of life is showing up? That's what Shebra does, she just shows up, with her rubber stamp handy. For D4, you have a choice to make. You can choose a pleasant incumbent who shows up at meetings. Laura Stewart I find to be a more active advocate - whether you agree with everything she advocates is up to you, but she is working hard on understanding issues and proposing solutions. She has a handle of how the $3.2 billion budget is organized and what the problems are. Bethany Mandel seems to be a one-note candidate for D4 - interested in banning books. She homeschools her children so doesn't have a sense of how schools are organized.

Not sure why Laura Stewart gets all this credit for "experience" with MCPS or "deep knowledge" of things like the budget. in her capacity as an MCCPTA lifer, she basically assembles talking points from the various schools/clusters and regurgitates those to the BOE in testimony. I don't see a lot of original thought or cutting edge ideas coming from her. I'm thankful that she volunteers her time with MCCPTA, but I don't see how this role somehow qualifies her to be on the Board. I really wish an outsider ran for District 4. But as between Laura Stewart and Evans, I'd rather have Evans because she seems less focused on the social issues and distractions that bog down the BOE. Stewart is more of a middle-aged white progressive busy-body. With Lynn Harris already on the board to assume that mantle I think Evans' perspective is more valuable as one of only 2 black members of the BOE.

The other place Laura Stewart gets her talking points is from developers. The developers have managed to use enough liberal buzzwords to convince progressives that the developer’s agenda is aligned with a progressive education agenda. So rather than demanding that the County make developers pay more to support education, advocates like Laura Stewart supported cutting taxes for developers while increasing taxes on residents.

Seems odd that Stewart was so focused on this issue of switching the tax burden from developers to moco residents. Was she considering a run for county council and so needed the developers on her side for campaign donations?

No, it does not seem odd that she's interested in housing policy. It's a big issue in Montgomery County. I can't tell whether there is one extremely prolific poster on DCUM who really really really hates Laura Stewart, or several slightly less prolific posters who merely really really hate Laura Stewart.

Stewart’s interest itself in housing policy isn’t odd, but given her progressive views on education, I do think it is a bit odd that she comes down on the side of real estate developers rather than residents. Seems like she’d be more inclined to levy taxes on big business rather than forcing moco residents to pay more and subsidize their developments.

If that is your take on it, then you need to pay more attention to housing policy in Montgomery County.

[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:Stewart has worked tirelessly to secure funding for MCPS schools, particularly for renovations, rebuilds, and new buildings. It is absolute drudgery and “grunt” work. If you think someone who has volunteered for years to learn the ins and outs of school funding, and to lobby for adequate funding, is an “insider” so be it. But as I look at the list of individuals challenging the incumbents I see nobody else who knows the system as well as Stewart. Given the state of affairs, I’d like to have somebody on the board who isn’t a complete novice.

I see someone who knows the system very well, didn’t speak up for any of the victims, and continues to be mild in her criticism of the BOE. Funny how much that sounds like the current members.

What has Shebra Evans done?

Or do you prefer the candidate who wants to dismantle the public school system altogether?

Shebra Evans does a lot, and she’s the only BOE member who’s ever followed up on a note that I sent. I’m open to someone different but Laura Stewart isn’t different enough to make it worth it to get rid of an experienced member.

That’s where my head is at. Laura Stewart is just another Lynn Harris and Jill Ortman Fouse and on and on goes the MCCPTA pipeline.

Shebra Evans is also part of the MCCPTA pipeline, not that she did a lot in MCCPTA at the time. She is a very pleasant person, but is not a dynamic leader. Who was it that said 95% of life is showing up? That's what Shebra does, she just shows up, with her rubber stamp handy. For D4, you have a choice to make. You can choose a pleasant incumbent who shows up at meetings. Laura Stewart I find to be a more active advocate - whether you agree with everything she advocates is up to you, but she is working hard on understanding issues and proposing solutions. She has a handle of how the $3.2 billion budget is organized and what the problems are. Bethany Mandel seems to be a one-note candidate for D4 - interested in banning books. She homeschools her children so doesn't have a sense of how schools are organized.

Not sure why Laura Stewart gets all this credit for "experience" with MCPS or "deep knowledge" of things like the budget. in her capacity as an MCCPTA lifer, she basically assembles talking points from the various schools/clusters and regurgitates those to the BOE in testimony. I don't see a lot of original thought or cutting edge ideas coming from her. I'm thankful that she volunteers her time with MCCPTA, but I don't see how this role somehow qualifies her to be on the Board. I really wish an outsider ran for District 4. But as between Laura Stewart and Evans, I'd rather have Evans because she seems less focused on the social issues and distractions that bog down the BOE. Stewart is more of a middle-aged white progressive busy-body. With Lynn Harris already on the board to assume that mantle I think Evans' perspective is more valuable as one of only 2 black members of the BOE.

The other place Laura Stewart gets her talking points is from developers. The developers have managed to use enough liberal buzzwords to convince progressives that the developer’s agenda is aligned with a progressive education agenda. So rather than demanding that the County make developers pay more to support education, advocates like Laura Stewart supported cutting taxes for developers while increasing taxes on residents.

Seems odd that Stewart was so focused on this issue of switching the tax burden from developers to moco residents. Was she considering a run for county council and so needed the developers on her side for campaign donations?

No, it does not seem odd that she's interested in housing policy. It's a big issue in Montgomery County. I can't tell whether there is one extremely prolific poster on DCUM who really really really hates Laura Stewart, or several slightly less prolific posters who merely really really hate Laura Stewart.

Stewart’s interest itself in housing policy isn’t odd, but given her progressive views on education, I do think it is a bit odd that she comes down on the side of real estate developers rather than residents. Seems like she’d be more inclined to levy taxes on big business rather than forcing moco residents to pay more and subsidize their developments.

If that is your take on it, then you need to pay more attention to housing policy in Montgomery County.

I'll wait for you to tell me why this take is wrong.

[Anonymous]

I see Laura Stewart is bragging about her partisan affiliations. I can’t remember this ever happening in a school board race, which is nonpartisan, and I find it to be a real turnoff. I’m also still waiting for her to recognize MCPS’s management as an ongoing problem. Her posts about the council hearing all use the past tense when she talks about MCPS’s problems. A lot of senior leaders who McKnight hired are still there, so the bullying and cover-ups will keep happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[b]I see Laura Stewart is bragging[/i] about her partisan affiliations. I can’t remember this ever happening in a school board race, which is nonpartisan, and I find it to be a real turnoff. I’m also still waiting for her to recognize MCPS’s management as an ongoing problem. Her posts about the council hearing all use the past tense when she talks about MCPS’s problems. A lot of senior leaders who McKnight hired are still there, so the bullying and cover-ups will keep happening.

Where?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see Laura Stewart is bragging about her partisan affiliations. I can’t remember this ever happening in a school board race, which is nonpartisan, and I find it to be a real turnoff. I’m also still waiting for her to recognize MCPS’s management as an ongoing problem. Her posts about the council hearing all use the past tense when she talks about MCPS’s problems. A lot of senior leaders who McKnight hired are still there, so the bullying and cover-ups will keep happening.

There is a lot of overlap between the anti-Laura-Stewart posts I'm seeing on DCUM, and the anti-Laura-Stewart posts I'm seeing on social media on accounts associated with Bethany Mandel. Including the account of that guy who, when he ran for BoE in 2020, kept insisting that he was just a normal non-partisan dad concerned about neighborhood schools (and who has now moved to Frederick County).

[Anonymous]

^^ ding, ding, ding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see Laura Stewart is bragging about her partisan affiliations. I can’t remember this ever happening in a school board race, which is nonpartisan, and I find it to be a real turnoff. I’m also still waiting for her to recognize MCPS’s management as an ongoing problem. Her posts about the council hearing all use the past tense when she talks about MCPS’s problems. A lot of senior leaders who McKnight hired are still there, so the bullying and cover-ups will keep happening.

There is a lot of overlap between the anti-Laura-Stewart posts I'm seeing on DCUM, and the anti-Laura-Stewart posts I'm seeing on social media on accounts associated with Bethany Mandel. Including the account of that guy who, when he ran for BoE in 2020, kept insisting that he was just a normal non-partisan dad concerned about neighborhood schools (and who has now moved to Frederick County).

Why would that guy get involved? Was Laura Stewart an advocate for changing MCPS boundaries to be more racially equitable and busing kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see Laura Stewart is bragging about her partisan affiliations. I can’t remember this ever happening in a school board race, which is nonpartisan, and I find it to be a real turnoff. I’m also still waiting for her to recognize MCPS’s management as an ongoing problem. Her posts about the council hearing all use the past tense when she talks about MCPS’s problems. A lot of senior leaders who McKnight hired are still there, so the bullying and cover-ups will keep happening.

There is a lot of overlap between the anti-Laura-Stewart posts I'm seeing on DCUM, and the anti-Laura-Stewart posts I'm seeing on social media on accounts associated with Bethany Mandel. Including the account of that guy who, when he ran for BoE in 2020, kept insisting that he was just a normal non-partisan dad concerned about neighborhood schools (and who has now moved to Frederick County).

Why would that guy get involved? Was Laura Stewart an advocate for changing MCPS boundaries to be more racially equitable and busing kids?

Because he just can't quit Montgomery County, apparently.

[Anonymous]

Anyone who votes for Bethany Mandell is braindead.

She has zero braincells is a racist and a liar.

Who votes for that utter garbage? Literal garbage.

She says she killed her grandmother WTH?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not voting for Mandel because she's half nuts and looking at the BOE as a way to raise her platform. We don't need political zealots on the school board.

The same reason I'm not voting for Laura Stewart!

"half nuts" Mandel is full blown crazy town. Zero intelligence, liar, racist and downright dumbass.

[Anonymous]

^^ Laura Stewart supporters have entered the chat

[Anonymous]

No. Bethany Mandel is associated with Moms4Liberty and other similar groups. That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Bethany Mandel is associated with Moms4Liberty and other similar groups. That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

Is that the same as the FreeStatePTA thing I keep hearing about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Bethany Mandel is associated with Moms4Liberty and other similar groups. That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

Is that the same as the FreeStatePTA thing I keep hearing about?

https://www.npr.org/2023/06/07/1180486760/splc-moms-for-liberty-extremist-group

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Bethany Mandel is associated with Moms4Liberty and other similar groups. That's not an opinion, that's a fact.

Is that the same as the FreeStatePTA thing I keep hearing about?

free state is the replacement for the md pta. The Md pta had lots of issues, was shit down by National pta and replaced with this.