Silver Spring man files for school board

‘‘I feel with my experience, I have something to offer Montgomery County,” said Seubert, who is running in his first election. ‘‘It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while.”

Seubert, who taught at three county elementary and middle schools, thought about a run at the school board earlier, but after learning that Cox would not run, and talking it over with his wife, he decided to file.

The school system is very data-driven with lots of tests, which does not give teachers enough time to prepare lesson plans, Seubert said.

‘‘All of that comes down on the teachers,” he said.

If elected, he wants to find a way to keep teachers in the school system and lessen their workload so they can spend more time teaching.

Many parents and activists have long complained that the school system moves forward with plans that affect their children without properly involving them in the process, Seubert said.

Some school board members simply ‘‘go through the motions,” he said, and do not consider community input when making tough decisions.

‘‘Many times, the [board] members already have their minds made up on certain issues,” Seubert writes on his Web site. ‘‘Meetings will be held just to make it seem like everyone gets to weigh in. That needs to stop.”

Seubert, a Silver Spring resident, left teaching in 2006 to work as a loan officer for Mortgage Store USA in Kensington, and to spend more time with his father, who was terminally ill.

Rob Seubert

Board of Education, at large

40, Silver Spring

Experience: Loan officer, Mortgage Store USA; teacher at Brooke Grove Elementary School, 1996-2002, at Parkland Middle School. 2002-2005 and at White Oak Middle School, 2005-2006

Top issues: Reducing teacher workload, keeping expectations up for students, increasing stakeholder input in school system decisions

Web site: www.rob4boe.com