Montgomery  Journal March 8, 2002

Eight face off in Montgomery schools primary
By KELLY SMITH
Journal staff writer      Eight candidates will vie for three seats on the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education in the primary election Tuesday.
    Incumbents Sharon Cox, current Board of Education president, and Walter Lange, each elected in 2000, are seeking reelection. Board member Kermit Burnett withdrew from the race, but his name appears on the ballot.
    Burnett said if he garners enough votes to advance to the general election, he will launch a campaign to regain his seat.
    The top two vote-getters in each district will move on to the general election in November. The list of candidates includes:
   
    Stephen N. Abrams
    Abrams, a former School Board member, entered the race at the urging of friends and ``to protect the accomplishments we've achieved over the last several years," he said.
    Abrams, of Rockville, called Montgomery County's stance on early childhood education ``pacesetting" and says he wants to continue that emphasis into grades three through five.
    If elected, Abrams said he wants to shift data-collecting responsibility for the No Child Left Behind activities off the teachers.
    Abrams, who is running in District 2, also said he wants to address the issues of overcrowding in the schools.
   
    Bob Astrove
    ``This is certainly a point in time we need to do some revitalization of the school system," said Bob Astrove, who is running in District 2.
    Astrove, of Rockville, said he wants to bring more fiscal responsibilty to the Board of Education.
    ``I have a great deal of concern [because] our overhead is growing at an alarming rate," he said.
    In addition, Astrove wants wants more attention focused on the special education program.
    ``We have some very needy children and we are not meeting their needs," he said.
   
    Sharon W. Cox
    Cox, of Germantown, is currently the Board of Education president. She was elected to her first term in 2000. Efforts to reach Cox were unsuccessful.
   
    Valerie Ervin
    Ervin, of Silver Spring, says she wants to further engage families into the education of their children and provide the best education possible.
    She said she believes teachers need to be given the resources to provide children with the best possible education.
    ``Public schools are at the heart of a democratic society," she said.
    ``Montgomery County has one of the nation's finest school systems, but it is not performing for all students. I believe we can lead the way in excellence and equity."
    Sheldon Fishman
    Fishman says he wants to improve the performance of the School Board and at the same time see better results in children's education.
    He said he believes MCPS should test new programs, such as the math curriculum or the new grading system, before ``rolling it out to the whole county."
    Fishman, of Silver Spring, also said he wants to relieve the pressure of ``one size fits all'' in education and empower parents to make informed choices about their children's education.
    Michael Anthony Enriquez Ibanez
    ``I am not entirely satisfied with the way the [School] Board is operating," said Ibanez, a Montgomery Village resident.
    Ibanez said he wants to eliminate the achievement gap in the schools and simultaneously expand the Gateway program, which allows middle school students to take some high school-level courses.
    Ibanez also said classes for English Speakers of Other Languages and special education students are in need of drastic improvement.
    ``I will make this a full-time job," he said.
    Walter Lange
    Current Board of Education member Lange, of North Potomac, wants to see the initiatives begun by the current Board gain success.
    But he said he also has a list of new initiatives he wants to address.
    Lange said he wants to find a solution for the school overcrowding that has resulted in more than 700 portable classrooms across the county.
    He also wants to continue working on staff development activities to increase education opportunities for the students in MCPS.
    Kensington resident Tommy Le, running as an at-large candidate, could not be reached for this story.