Scott Joftus Runs For Montgomery County Board Of Education District 3

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — It's primary election season in Maryland. Early voting runs through Thursday, July 14. Primary election day is Tuesday, July 19. Voters can also return their ballot by mail, or place it in a drop box.

Residents can learn when, where and how to can vote by clicking here. Voters can see which districts they live in by using this tool. Visit this link to see who is running in each district.

Patch asked Montgomery County Board of Education candidates to complete a questionnaire outlining their priorities.

Montgomery County Board of Education District 3 candidate Scott Joftus participated in our survey. Joftus' responses are posted below.

Name

Scott Joftus

Campaign website

https://www.Joftus4BoE.com

City or town of residence

Bethesda

Office sought

Montgomery County Board of Education, District 3

Education

Doctorate of Education Leadership and Policy (George Washington), Master's of Public Policy (UC Berkeley), Bachelor's (Duke)

Occupation

Member of the Board of Education (6 months), Founder and President of FourPoint Education Partners (18 years), Adjunct Professor at George Washington University's Graduate School of Education (12 years)

Family

Wife-Cara Lesser, Founder and Executive Director of KID Museum; 2 daughters-Eliana Joftus (rising senior at Walt Whitman High School) and Cayla Joftus (rising sophomore at Wesleyan University and my volunteer coordinator)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Age

54

Previous public office, appointive or elective

Currently a member of the board of education after being appointed by the board in December 2021 to complete the term of Pat O'Neill, who passed away in September 2021

Why are you seeking this office?

MCPS is at a crossroads coming out of the pandemic and with a brand new permanent superintendent. Due to my experience advising school boards and superintendents across the country and teaching future education leaders at GW, I am uniquely qualified to work collaboratively with the board and superintendent to address the many real challenges related to trust of the community, declining student achievement, and mental health crises facing our students and staff.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My unique qualifications and deep commitment to equity. Superintendents and school boards from across the country see out my advice and counsel on how to improve governance and management of their districts to ensure the success of all students, and this knowledge and experience is desperately needed on the Montgomery County Board of Education.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

I am the incumbent, but I have only been on the board for six months. This board, like many boards across the country, has lacked capacity to use the key levers available to boards to improve outcomes. These levers include pushing the administration to clearly define its approach to improved schools and improved student outcomes, using data effectively to monitor impact AND implementation of key initiatives, and asking questions about the effective use of staff.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Rebuilding trust with the community, improving student outcomes especially in the early grades, and establishing clear processes for tracking the implementation and impact of key initiatives

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

For the past 18 years, superintendents and school boards have sought out my advice and counsel on how to improve school quality and student outcomes.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

In education, there are no silver bullets. Improvement requires clarity of purpose, aligned systems and structures, and a high-quality continuous improvement process focused on the strategic use of data and feedback.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have the support of U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin, former County Executive Ike Leggett, State Senate Majority Leader Nancy King, SEIU, Associate of Black Democrats of Montgomery County, the Latino Democratic Club of Montgomery County, Progressive Neighbors, among others.