Birthdate and place: July 17, 1943 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Residence: Rockville, Maryland Family: married to the former Judy Goldscheider, two daughters, Elisia and Jennifer Education: J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law (1974); MBA, The American University (1971); B.S. in economics, Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania (1968) Professional experience: President, Eagle Management Partners, Inc. (present); counsel, Meyers-Meighan Wealth Management Group (present); Financial Advisor, Legg Mason (1999-2001); Financial Advisor, Prudential Securities (1997-1999); Senior Lobbyist, AIPAC (1995-1997); Deputy Counsel, House International Relations Committee (1993-1995); Deputy Assistant Secretary of Agriculture (1991-1993); various positions on Capital Hill and the executive branch (1969-1991) Community experience: Montgomery County Board of Education (2004-present; 1998-2002;1992-1996); Councilmember, City of Rockville (1980-1989); chairman, Transportation Planning Board (1982) Key issues: Selection of next superintendant; restructure public education to meet pre-K to grade 14 reality; continued improvement in minority achievement. Link to state Board of Elections campaign finance database

Board of Education, Dist. 2

Stephen N. Abrams

I am opposed to the slots referendum. While I am not philosophically opposed to slots, I don't believe state education funding should rely on such an unstable funding source. The estimates of revenues and timing of revenues are far too optimistic in the current proposal. In addition, although the ballot questions suggests that the "primary purpose" is to raise revenue for education, there is nothing in the constitutional or statutory language that mandates the revenues for that purpose. Finally, I believe the threat of withholding state funds for pensions or other educational purposes if the referendum fails is evidence of the weakness of the current proposal. Those state funds for Montgomery County are at risk irrespective of the addition of slots and will remain at risk unless statutorily tied to a dedicated funding source. The education of our children deserves a more stable and reliable funding mechanism.

Q. What are your top three priorities for the next four years, if elected?

Tuition waiver for children of employees of MCPS;

Formalize a change in the definition of public education from K through 12 to pre-K though level 14; and

Identify and use a better venue for high school graduations.

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

I would rate the current performance good to excellent. I believe the continued quality of our academic achievement despite our rapidly changing demographic profile is a reflection of the efforts of the Board, the Superintendant and is a result of the shared responsibilities of our employees and other government partners. Like any institution, its takes time for new members to form a team sharing common institutional goals. That process has continued to evolve. I do sense an increased appreciation among current Board members for the individual talents and perspectives that each member brings to the table. I also believe the current Board is blessed with one of the best Student Board members to have ever served in the position.

Q. Superintendent Jerry D. Weast has said he doesn’t expect to extend his contract beyond 2011. What qualities, skills and expectations would you seek in a new superintendent?

I believe the next superintendent will be evolutionary, not revolutionary. Ideally, I would like to see candidates emerge from within MCPS, either directly or indirectly. I believe the task of the next superintendent team will be to continue implementing the direction under the Weast regime. As the institutional cultural changes take root, I believe we can focus more of the institutional quality of life issues that need to keep pace with our educational excellence. Lastly, I will be looking for someone committed to maintaining our commitment to work collaboratively with our employee organizations, which I believe has contributed significantly to our successes.

Q. Do the superintendent and the unions have too much influence over the school board?

I believe that when the school system has as strong as a superintendent as we do with Jerry Weast there is always the potential for the position to have too much influence over the board. It is up to the individual members of the board to maintain the proper relationship between the superintendent and the board to bring about balance. I have always tried to do that. I remain a strong supporter of Dr. Weast but believe he is better served by having a strong Board to temper his approaches.

While I am a strong supporter of our collaborative efforts with our employee groups, I do believe our teachers’ union does exert too much influence over both the School Board and County Council, as well as the Maryland Legislature. A case in point is the teachers’ renewed effort at the state level to take away jurisdiction on contract matters from the State Board of Education and move it to the Department of Labor.

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

When I look at budgets for school systems throughout the metropolitan Washington area I must conclude that Montgomery County’s funding is about right. I’m sure we could find some symbolic savings and I’m sure we could find ways of spending additional funds well if they were made available, particularly on facilities. However, I believe we have now reached a point where our salaries may force hard questions regarding our educational initiatives like reducing class size and whether we can continue to provide universal solutions to issues rather than budgeting on a more site specific basis. The real question is how will we address needs to cut our budget if the economic conditions of the county force that choice.

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

I believe we need to change the system to reflect a more realistic assessment of what is acceptable. I was struck during the most recent CIP consideration by so major flaws. Let me give you a case in point. Redland Middle School has been scheduled for a number of years to receive help to correct problems left from a failed open classroom experiment in the 1970s. However, when faced with a budget reduction in the current 6 year CIP, the original proposal for a scaleback would have led the system to spend money in an inefficient manner. More importantly, some of Redland’s needed improvements would have been dropped from current schedules. We need to simplify how projects are rated and provide an adequate mechanism to meet real emergency conditions. We also need to develop a standard of acceptability that is more affordable.

Q. How well are the county’s high school consortia working to raise student achievement?

I believe it is too early to tell. Like all of our reforms, raising high school achievement requires a proper foundation for students who are prepared for a more rigorous program. Just as the students who are the beneficiaries of our early elementary reforms are the ones who will push middle school reform over the next 3 years, so will these same students be the ones who will push our high schools over the next 4 to 6 years. One aspect of the consortia that does appear to be yielding good results is better student motivation because courses are become more relevant and real to them.

Q. There is a strong focus on improving the county’s middle school curriculum. How well is the middle school reform working to raise student achievement?

I believe we will see strong performance coming from both Loiederman and Parkland middle school academies, enough to justify replication in other middle schools throughout Montgomery County.

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

No. There is a good argument to be made that mere exposure to more rigorous programs has great benefits. It can serve to open a person’s outlook and stimulate interest. What’s more, it corrects a more ominous wrong – excluding people from participating because of the bias of the screener. The only time Montgomery County Public Schools should consider limiting participation is if it is shown that the participation itself has an adverse impact on the student or that the programs are being water downed to adjust to the student.

Q. The school system’s health curriculum includes discussions of homosexuality and demonstrations of contraception use. Would you change the policy or let it stand?

I would leave the policy stand as is. However, I would like to see the curriculum altered to provide more focus on the health issues associated with sexually transmitted diseases which a recent Washington Post writer group identified as one of the unintended consequences of the politicalization of public school health curriculum.

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

I believe the Board’s relationship with the community is very good, depending on how you define community. I believe the Board has taken a too narrow approach in defining who the community is. It certainly includes, but is not limited to the PTA and employee groups. It also includes the community at large, nearly 70% of which no longer have a direct tie to the system through students in their households. It includes our business community who relies on MCPS to create an attraction for families to locate in Montgomery County and to produce students who can succeed in our workforce. Recent surveys by the County Executive confirm what many of us have believed for a long time. Our schools are viewed very positively by our community. Implicit in that finding is the quality of the relationship between the board and that greater community.

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

This isn’t an issue of too much or too little. What is at issue is what kind of oversight is appropriate for the County Council for an educational system where there is shared but distinct roles for two separate entities. I do not believe the County Council has a legitimate role for policy oversight but they do have a legitimate role for fiscal oversight. That view was supported by an opinion of the Attorney General of Maryland regarding the role of the County Council’s agent, its Inspector General, regarding the distinction between program audits (policy) and fiscal audits. That ruling supported and reaffirmed the Board of Education view.

Q What should the school system do to improve performance of struggling students?

The most important approach MCPS can use is to make sure all students are presented course material in a fashion most likely to get student attention. A well-trained teacher who knows both the subject matter and how to present it is the most important element. And matching students with teachers with whom they can relate is also a vital element.

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

In most cases MCPS is doing enough. However, MCPS needs to improve the way we communicate with these students and their parents. There is a great deal of frustration among a vocal minority of special education parents. Their distrust of the system, whether based on fact or perception, needs to be addressed in a more sensitive manner.

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

Our schools are generally safe for students and teachers, even though our climate has become increasingly more complex. The existence of gangs and the problems they bring into schools has increased. We have done several things, involving both manpower and equipment to improve safety. New school design with controlled access to the building is being implemented for both new construction and renovations. The introduction of additional cameras for monitoring is a positive step. Our experience and cooperation with the Montgomery County Police creates a safer environment.