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School Board narrows field to five for its open seat

Interviews set for Saturday to be followed by a vote

Monday, Dec. 4, 2006

A group of PTA advocates, including a former county school board candidate, are the five finalists for the District 4 seat on the Montgomery County Board of Education.

The finalists named Monday are:

*Christopher S. Barclay of Takoma Park, a project manger for Verizon who was the Blair cluster coordinator from 2003 until earlier this year.

*Sheldon Fishman of Silver Spring, a former county council of PTAs vice president and PTA advocate who ran unsuccessfully for board in 1990 and was defeated by Valerie Ervin in 2004.

*Alies Muskin of Silver Spring, chief operating officer of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and an advocate with the county council of PTAs and an Einstein cluster coordinator.

*Victor B. Salazar of Silver Spring, vice president for legislation with the county council of PTAs.

*Beth A. Wong of Silver Spring, acting deputy director for the Prince George’s County Office of Community Relations and a PTA advocate and president who was vice president for administration with the county council of PTAs.

On Saturday, the board will conduct 20-minute interviews every half-hour beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the boardroom of the Carver Educational Services Center at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville.

The board will vote on a new member at the conclusion of the interviews. The new member will be sworn in on Dec. 12 and will serve the remaining two years on the term of Ervin of Silver Spring, who resigned following her election to the County Council.

The finalists were the top five candidates receiving votes on a ballot e-mailed to board members over the weekend. Twenty people applied for the vacancy. One applicant was later ruled ineligible because he was not registered to vote. District 4 encompasses Takoma Park and parts of Silver Spring and Wheaton.

For more information, call 301-279-3617.