At-Large BOE Candidate Wylea Chase Wants To Ensure All MCPS Students Are Being Served

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Ahead of the primary elections in June, Patch has invited candidates running to represent the region on the Montgomery County Board of Education to complete a questionnaire touching on a variety of key issues.

Candidate responses will be published verbatim in the run-up to the primaries on Tuesday, June 23.

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Questionnaire responses for Wylea Chase, who is running to serve as the 3rd District school board member, can be found below:

Name: Wylea Chase

Age: 53

Hometown: Gaithersburg

Do you have any previous political experience? If so, please state and explain how that experience will influence your time on the Montgomery County Board of Education if elected.

No.

What do you believe is the single-most important issue facing voters in the district you’re looking to represent? How do you intend to address those issues?

One of the most urgent issues facing voters right now is whether our public schools will truly serve all children. Especially in a time when equity, truth, and opportunity are being challenged at every level of our political climate.

Here in Montgomery County, we are seeing persistent gaps in reading and math outcomes, particularly for Black, Brown, and low-income students. At the same time, there are growing efforts, nationally, which are absolutely affecting our students locally, to roll back equity-focused policies, limit honest conversations about history and identity, and divert attention away from the students who need the most support.

We cannot allow progress to stall or be reversed. I am running to ensure that we raise outcomes for every student without sacrificing Black, Brown, and low-income children in the process.

How do you differ from other candidates running against you?

What sets me apart is both my lived experience and my approach to leadership. I am a Black mother, a long-time trusted community advocate, and someone who has not only challenged the system when it has fallen short, but who is also ready to work within it to drive real, measurable change. I bring a deep understanding of how policies actually impact families on the ground, especially our most marginalized communities, who too often are asked to wait for results that seldom meet all needs.

I’m also clear and unapologetic about this: we cannot improve outcomes for all students if we continue to underserve some. My commitment is to ensure that our students are not treated as an afterthought in conversations about progress, but as a central measure of whether our system is working. Finally, I lead with accountability. I’m not interested in maintaining the status quo or offering vague promises. I am focused on data, transparency, and results. Our students and their families deserve to know what’s working, what’s not, and what we’re going to do about it. In short, I bring courage, clarity, and a results-driven focus that centers every child without leaving any behind.

How would your work experience benefit the goals/objectives you’ve outlined in your campaign and/or the office you’re seeking?

My professional experience has been rooted in community engagement, youth advocacy, and systems-level leadership. That directly aligns with what our school system needs right now. My professional career has included working alongside families, students, and community organizations (especially those who have historically been unheard) to identify gaps, elevate concerns, and push for meaningful solutions.

That means I don’t just understand the challenges from a policy level; I understand how they show up in real classrooms and real homes. I also bring experience facilitating collaboration between institutions and communities. Too often, decisions are made without the voices of those most impacted. I know how to build authentic partnerships that lead to better outcomes, stronger trust, and shared accountability.

Most importantly, I’m results-driven. I’ve worked in spaces where we had to turn feedback into action; developing programs, aligning resources, and measuring impact. That’s exactly the mindset I will bring to the Board of Education: clear goals, transparency, and a focus on improving academic outcomes for all students.

My experience ensures that I won’t just talk about change, I know how to help make it happen.

What is your opinion of the work being done by the current officeholder, and how will you improve on it?

I respect the work of the current at-large members, including Karla Silvestre (whose seat I will fill) and Rita Montoya, especially given the challenges our school system has faced. Being a BOE member is a hard job.

That said, we cannot ignore the reality: too many students, Black, Brown, and low-income children in particular, are still not meeting proficiency, and the urgency isn’t what it needs to be.

I will improve on this by bringing stronger accountability, transparency, and urgency with clear goals, regular public progress updates, and targeted strategies that directly address disparities. Our students don’t have time to wait!

What is the biggest issue facing Montgomery County Public Schools? How would you address it?

My response is the same as above: One of the most urgent issue facing voters right now is whether our public schools will truly serve all children. Especially in a time when equity, truth, and opportunity are being challenged at every level of our political climate.

Here in Montgomery County, we are seeing persistent gaps in reading and math outcomes, particularly for Black, Brown, and low-income students. At the same time, there are growing efforts, nationally, which are absolutely affecting our students locally, to roll back equity-focused policies, limit honest conversations about history and identity, and divert attention away from the students who need the most support. We cannot allow progress to stall or be reversed. I am running to ensure that we raise outcomes for every student without sacrificing Black, Brown, and low income children in the process.

A student brings a gun/weapon to campus without setting off any red flags. What security measures would you advocate for to prevent such an incident?

If a weapon enters a school unnoticed, it means our safety system failed, not our students. I would push for stronger, consistent threat‑assessment protocols, more mental health staff and trusted adults students confide in, improved entry procedures that enhance awareness without criminalizing kids, and tighter coordination between CEOs, administrators, and central office.

A regularly reviewed and enforced MOU between MCPS and our CEOs (relying on the CEO’s expertise in safety protocols and not solely our principals) would be beneficial, but with the influence and decision-making of our mental health staff and Restorative Justice Practices would be optimal.

My priority is prevention that actually works and protects every child in every school.

Do you believe schools need stricter security measures? Metal detectors? Move away from CEOs and revert to SROs? Explain.

I believe our schools need safety measures that are effective, equitable, and grounded in evidence. Not reactions that make some students feel protected while others feel criminalized. Metal detectors and a return to SROs are approaches many community members raise, but research and past experience in MCPS show that these measures (SROs) often increase disproportionate discipline and harm for Black and Brown students without meaningfully improving long‑term safety.

What families do deserve is a system that responds quickly to threats, communicates transparently, and invests in prevention: stronger mental‑health supports, consistent protocols, well‑trained Community Engagement Officers, and school climates where students trust adults enough to speak up.

My priority is a safety strategy that protects every child in every building, without recreating the inequities we’ve been fighting to dismantle. Also, we have some rockstar Community Engagement Officers who are more than willing to share how they are effective, with other school communities, which would be most beneficial to our students. MCPS also needs to review the MOU with CEOs on an annual basis so that roles and responsibilities are clear; this would also benefit the CEO’s.

What is your stance on the "Save Wootton" initiative by community members?

My stance is grounded in one core belief: every student in Montgomery County deserves to feel safe, supported, and able to learn without disruption. I understand why families at Wootton are advocating fiercely for their school community; when continuity of their students' great education and strong community bonds feels uncertain, people mobilize. I respect that.

At the same time, I’m committed to solutions that strengthen these areas across all schools, not just in one cluster. We cannot afford a system where some communities feel protected, heard, and their needs addressed, while others feel the opposite. As an at‑large candidate, my responsibility is to ensure that any response to our students' and families’ concerns is equitable, data‑informed, and centered on student well‑being countywide.

I support community voice, I support transparency, and I support action. That action must uplift all students, in every zip code. Wootton’s advocacy for their community is admirable and inspirational. I would love to see them partner with other communities to share their methods in advocating for the needs as well.

What will you do to ensure that concerns of parents and/or guardians of MCPS students are heard and addressed before a vote is held on any new business?

I would put into practice what I have long advocated for; that MCPS truly engage our communities! Ensuring that all communities are represented isn't hard, not if we're truly intentional.

I would implore my fellow BOE members to adopt the methods that we use in MCCPTA and with the Black and Brown Coalition; provide members of the community ample opportunities to hear an issue, learn and engage with it and provide feedback that informs decisions that impact them. No decisions for our communities without them!

A 6% property tax increase was proposed for the fiscal 2027 budget to raise funds for schools. Homeowners are reluctant to pay more.

What is your position?

I understand homeowners being reluctant to pay more. Our County has a high percentage of federal workers who have lost their employment. The economic impact to our country absolutely negatively impacts our county, we are clearly not immune. Our County Executive must work with our County Council to come up with another solution that won't hurt our homeowners nor our students; our only option cannot be to raise taxes.

What other options would you consider to raise money that does not include raising taxes?

While I absolutely want our school system to be adequately funded to meet the needs of our students and educators, I am also quite hesitant about the proposed property tax increase in light of our current economic hardships being experienced around our country. Other options would include what we advocated for during my tenure with the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence; that MCPS be better stewards of our $3.6 billion budget.

Utilize the talents of our trusted community members who have a myriad of expertise that could benefit our students; so many of our talented community members want to help but aren't being engaged by our district. We have real expertise in our parents/caregivers, stakeholder organizations, businesses, etc.

We have a very strong cross-sector community who are more than willing to step up; businesses would provide internships to ensure that our students are career and college ready, providing real-life/hands on experience. Our IT professionals, scientists, childcare providers, etc. could provide high-dosage tutoring, mentorship, etc. We need to think outside the box and look to our neighboring counties and even states to assist us in scaling what works.