Members of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) are backing three candidates for the Board of Education. None of them are the incumbents.
On Wednesday, MCEA members voted for the candidates who will receive their Apple Ballot endorsements. They are Natalie Zimmerman in District 2, Laura Stewart in District 4 and Rita Montoya for the At-Large seat.
“These candidates have demonstrated a clear understanding of the challenges facing our educators, students and communities,” said MCEA President Jennifer Martin in a news release.
“We are confident that Zimmerman, Stewart and Montoya will be strong advocates for public education and will fight tirelessly to ensure the success of every student in Montgomery County.”
Zimmerman is a MCEA member and a second-grade teacher at Wheaton Woods Elementary. Laura Stewart is a former state PTA leader and a parent of two Montgomery County Public School graduates. Montoya is a PTA president and former juvenile public defender.
Board of Education Members Rebecca Smondrowski (District 2), Lynne Harris (at large) and Shebra Evans (District 4) are up for re-election. They all are seeking reelection in the May primary.
BOE candidates run on a nonpartisan ticket.
Also running for the at-large position are Sharif Hidayat of Laytonsville, Melissa Kim of Bethesda, Fitzgerald Mofar of Brookeville and Jonathan Long of Germantown.
District 2 candidates include Aby Thioye of Derwood, Ricky Fai Mui of Rockville and Brenda Diaz of Gaithersburg.
Bethany Mandel is a candidate in the 4th District.
The candidates were asked to fill out a MCEA questionnaire. The teachers’ union prepared a short summary of each candidate.
Members will campaign for those on the Apple ballot.
