Candidate name: Judith R. Docca

Place of residence: Montgomery Village

Date of birth: June 24, 1939

Place of birth: Philadelphia

Current occupation: Retired principal

Education: Ed.D. in educational administration, George Washington University; M.A. in romance languages and literature, George Washington University; B.A. in romance languages and literature, Pennsylvania State University

Community associations, involvement: Vice president, education chairwoman, sponsor, Youth Council, Montgomery County NAACP; former president, Montgomery County Alliance of Black School Educators; Hispanic Employees Association; Asian⁄Pacific American Employees Association; National Alliance of Puerto Rican Women; graduate, Leadership Montgomery; Nanticoke American Indian Association Inc. (Delaware); member, the Vestry of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Theta Omega Omega Chapter; Board of Directors, George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy Inc.

Professional associations: n⁄a

Family: Son, William; daughter-in-law, Corinne; three grandchildren, Carly 21, Jake 19, Luke, 15

Campaign address, telephone: Friends of Judy Docca, 10312 Watkins Mill Drive, Montgomery Village, MD 20886, 301-977-7591

Web site: n⁄a

Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

oContinue to improve programs to increase achievement of African American and Hispanic students while designing and delivering appropriate curriculum to students with special needs and for students new to speaking English

oSolicit and make use of positive input from staff, students, parents and community members on school related issues

How would you rate the performance of the current school board: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

Good. The superintendent, staff and Board of Education members have made decisions to:

oProvide small classes where possible and where appropriate

oIncrease early childhood initiatives in reading and mathematics

oImprove the delivery of instruction in language arts and mathematics at the secondary level

o Increase personnel in English for Speakers of Other Languages Programs

oAdd assistant principals at the elementary level

oInstitute signature programs at Argyle, Mario Loiderman and Parkland Middle Schools which will provide the opportunity for students to access challenging programs earlier than high school based on the positive review of the pre-International Baccalaureate Program at Julius West Middle School

oDevelop summer school and after- school programs for students at almost every elementary and middle schools

oInstitute teacher training courses and observation and supervision courses for administrators to facilitate the improvement of academic progress for students

How would you rate the job performance of Superintendent Jerry Weast: excellent, good, fair or poor? Why?

Good. Dr. Weast has been instrumental in increasing the budget for the schools during his tenure. He has developed positive relationships with BOE, County Council and Maryland State officials. He has instituted comprehensive inservice training programs to improve instructional delivery and course work to assist administrators in supervision and management. He has used the increases in the budget to preserve and enhance the number of positions among employees who maintain the infrastructure of MCPS. He has encouraged the development of innovative programs such as signature programs at the middle and high school levels. Under his administration, MCPS has programs for students to attend Montgomery College during the school day to take college level courses while in high school.

Is the county funding for schools too much, about right or too little? If too little, where would you find additional money?

Funding through the County Council with recommendations from the County Executive and state⁄ federal may be more generous than that found in many of the over 18 thousand school districts in the U.S. However, the population has increased and diversified and there are more needs to be addressed today than in the 1970's. Property tax is the foundation of the school budgets nationwide. Localities with expensive property tend to have more income to work with than school systems in poorer areas. Montgomery County students and families have more needs than 20 years ago. It is incumbent upon the superintendent and the BOE to foster positive relations at the state and county level to articulate the particular needs in Montgomery County. Keeping the public, who support the schools, involved is also crucial to the success of the schools. Keeping those who no longer have children in the schools involved and voting for the school system's budget is a high priority.

Do you think the current system for renovating schools is adequate, or does it need changing?

There is a long-range plan for the renovation, modernization or construction of school buildings. It is important to make the decisions clear to the public as to how the whole plan is carried out. The renovation, modernization or construction should be based on population growth or other changes. Community input is solicited and should be considered in all decisions as much as possible. The effect of changes is not always understood by communities with regard to the over-all planning and the impact on other on other neighborhoods. This is a difficult topic and should be addressed with as much information and understanding of concerns in the community as possible.

How well are the county's high school consortia working to raise student achievement?

To my knowledge there has been no comprehensive report on the progress or success with the consortia. The consortia have allowed students to choose career exploration with a wider range of options than are available in the base high school.

How well is the middle school consortium working to raise student achievement?

The middle school consortium which includes Argyle, Mario Loiderman and Parkland has only been in operation one school year. The consortium does allow middle school students the opportunity to be engaged in challenging course and they may begin to more fully explore career options at an earlier age.

Are too many students being pushed into advanced placement and honors classes without proper preparation?

Proper preparation is desirable for entrance into challenging course but students who show promise should have the opportunity to advance to higher levels. Once in advanced classes, staff members should provide opportunities before, during and after school for increasing student proficiency. In and ideal situation, all students would have the advantage of receiving innovative, creative instruction in every class which would meet individual needs and abilities as is provided in the most challenging courses in MCPS.

Should the school system's health curriculum include discussions of homosexuality and demonstrations of contraception use?

The health curriculum should be comprehensive and fact based.

What do you think about the board's relationship with the community?

There is always room for improvement in communication with the parents and community members. Transparency is an issue and the Board is moving toward utilizing more input from parents, students, staff and community members.

Does the County Council have too much, too little or not enough oversight of the school system?

The County Council, with recommendations from the County Executive, approves the over-all budget but does not determine line-items. The BOE is assumed to have more knowledge of the specifics of the school system budget, therefore the Board of Education members define the categories of expenditures. The school system budget is 50% of the total county budget and Board members are an should be aware of the enormous responsibility which rests on the shoulders of the members.

The BOE members are responsible to see that appropriate evaluation of programs and expenditures takes place so as to make responsible decisions on the budget.

What should the school system do to improve performance by minority students?

oProvide after school, in-school, Saturday programs for any student not meeting standards. Start early in the child's school career.

oContinue to have high expectations for all students in the classroom. Convince students that they can achieve and convey this belief to students. Insist reasonably on positive output from all students.

oTeachers continue to teach, re-teach and change methodologies based on the needs, interests, emotional and intellectual levels of students.

oWork with parents to give them tools to assist their children to achieve academically.

oContinue to inform parents and students about the consequences of not passing the High School Assessments. Show them how to prepare using the Maryland State Standards of Education.

oSupport service, religious, fraternal (sororities and fraternities), civic and other organizations in their endeavors to help students academically. Such organizations as the George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academies , Inc. which operate in 12 high schools on Saturdays, the Task Force on Mentoring and Tutoring, Chinese, Korean and other language schools which meet after school hours, programs such as BOSS and SISTERS at Watkins Mill High School and at Magruder (other high schools have these programs also). Continue the internship programs in MCPS operating out of the offices of the superintendent and the deputy superintendents.

Do you think the school system is doing enough to meet the needs of special education students?

There is always room for improvement with special education programs and the staff members in the schools continually seek to provide the appropriate placement for children with special needs. Improvement of admission and dismissal activities have to be done under the regulations of the state and the federal government. However, a disproportionate number of males and African American and Latino students are placed in special education, in MCPS and in the U.S. This is a concern that staff and community have communicated about and there is still a need to draw attention to these statistics as a priority. Attention to making sure programs meet the needs of individual students is also an area which needs serious consideration.

Are the schools safe for students and teachers? If not, what should be done?

After 38 years in the educational system , I can honestly say that I have never been afraid in the school setting. A good discipline policy to which everyone adheres is very important. In my experience, students did not threaten teachers or administrators but students are often argumentative and need counseling in some cases to understand why we have particular rules and how they can make better decisions. Much of what the public reads or sees on television happens outside of the schools, but schools become involved because the students are ours. The school system, police and community members work closely together in developing programs for after school hours particularly for students who are not supervised from 3-6 PM when statistics show students get involved in inappropriate activities. This is a community concern, not just one for the school system to solve.