2024 BOE Finalist Candidate Questionnaire – Rita Montoya (At-Large)

October 14, 2024

We sent the following questionnaire to all 6 BOE finalist candidates and will be posting each of them individually (in the order received) as well as a comparison between them on another page.

These are the responses by Rita Montoya who is running for At-Large (everyone in the County can vote regardless of district).

Note: Please read to the end as the candidates were given an open-ended text area to explain any yes/no answers or questions they chose not to answer. You can also check out our recent BOE candidate forum or the one we did before the primary for more information.

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Are you in favor of reinstating final exams for all high school classes?

Generally. Most classes should have some sort of culminating classroom-based proficiency measure to make sure that students are learning. For most classes, an exam may be most suitable though for others (art, physical education, etc.) a final project or paper may be more suitable.

Are you in favor of using class rank in high schools as a reportable metric?

No

Are you in favor of eliminating the 50% rule for grading?

Yes

Are you in favor of implementing an advanced science course track for middle school?

Yes

Are you in favor of revamping the elementary school social studies curriculum to include a comprehensive overview of 20th century history (including Depression, WW2, Holocaust, Cold War, FDR, JFK)?

Yes

Are you in favor of allowing parents to opt-out of curriculum for religious reasons?

I am in favor of the current policy which permits families to opt-out of reproductive health education.

Are you in favor of keeping schools open and without mask requirements during surges of seasonal illnesses?

We cannot anticipate illnesses that may come in the future. I believe we should respond with guidance from medical and scientific experts in the field; the responses of other comparable school districts; and the voices of school community members (families, staff, etc).

Are you in favor of reinstating the traditional SRO program in high schools, with an officer assigned to each school?

I believe that each high school, and perhaps some middle schools, should have an individual law enforcement officer assigned to their school with an office inside the school. The officer should be permitted to engage with students in positive ways before and after school (on campus); during lunch and passing periods; and at extra-curricular events (i.e. football games, Homecoming dance, etc.) to encourage community building so that when serious incidents do occur, trust between students and law enforcement exists to safely navigate the situation or prevent it in the first place. Law enforcement officers should respond only to serious incidents—guns and other weapons; drug sales; fights with risk of serious bodily injury. I answered “yes” to this question during the Primary forum because I feel it would be disingenuous for me to say “no” if I believe they should be permitted inside the schools.

Are you in favor of implementing merit-based pay increases and bonuses for teachers?

I said “yes” to “merit based pay increases to teachers” during the Primary forum because my thought was that MCPS needs to incentivize teachers to come to MCPS and stay here. I did not understand that there is industry jargon which makes that phrase more complex. I do not believe that a teacher’s pay should be tied to the performance of their students as there are many factors that feed into a student’s performance and the individual teacher is only one factor.

Are you in favor of an Inspector General-led full audit of MCPS finances?

Yes

Are you in favor of a more widely-available COSA program where students could select a high school where they might feel more comfortable?

Yes, as a general notion because I want students to feel comfortable in their school but as a practical matter that could cause a significant increase in administrative work in MCPS Central Office which would require more Central Office employees and pay/benefits. It could also mean more employment positions are needed for bus drivers if transportation is expected; more challenges for parents’/caregivers’ level of involvement in their children’s education and school environment if the child goes to school outside of the community they live in; and less community investment as students and families travel in and out of communities in which they do not live. I do not think this is the best use of MCPS funding at this time.

Are you in favor of county taxpayers funding MCPS over the Maintenance of Effort requirement?

I am in favor of local, state and federal elected officials working together to secure sufficient funding to ensure Montgomery County Public Schools are fully staffed, with lower class sizes, safety supports and services and equitable extracurricular opportunities.

Are you in favor of the position of a Board of Education member becoming full-time and then aligning a pay structure similar to County Councilmembers?

I am in favor of establishing a clearly defined scope of work and expectation for Board of Education Members as well as collecting data on time spent on various items by Members so that I can take a more informed position on whether the position should be full-time as I understand that this change must occur on the state level and would affect every single Board of Education in the state, including those who may not necessitate a full-time Board or have the funding to sustain one. I am also aware that Board pay comes from the MCPS budget and given the yearly shortfalls, lack of clearly defined scope, and taxpayer burden, it is challenging for me to consider a pay scale on par with the Montgomery County Council.

Do you support reinstating the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) until there is a comparable state option?

Yes

Generally—yes. I would like to know how many students would qualify for medical reasons—as determined by the student’s doctor, not MCPS—and how many staff are needed and available but yes, I do support a reinstatement.

Do you support a cell phone use ban during school time (note that doesn’t mean not being able to have them)

Yes.

I’d like to see the data on the various pilots going on in MCPS to determine the specifics (away during instruction only; during lunch; passing periods, etc).

Are you in favor of publicly posting MCPS MPIA requests and responses?

Yes and no. For transparency, yes. However, I am concerned this would cause significant bloat in the Central Office in terms of the need to hire people to process requests and keep the site updated. Items would need to be sorted through; redacted; reviewed, etc. I do not think this is the best use of MCPS funding.

Are you in favor of posting school community letters on the school and/or MCPS websites?

Yes and no. For transparency, yes. However, I am concerned this would cause significant bloat in the Central Office in terms of the need to hire people to process this and keep it updated. Items would need to be sorted through; redacted; reviewed, etc. I do not think this is the best use of MCPS funding.

Are you in favor of the policy extending excused absences for student walkouts and/or protests during school hours? 

The current MCPS policy is that student walkouts and/or protest are unexcused absences.

Are you in favor of installing metal detectors and/or bag checks for entry into Middle and/or High Schools?

I would strongly prefer that our middle and high school students did not have to arrive earlier than they already do to file through a security checkpoint. Even if MS and HS do adopt a later start time for health reasons, making kids line up an hour before school to go through a TSA-like line will negate any benefits. The current technology also comes with its own challenges (beeping for school typical items like metal ringed binders). I think we need to weigh this in combination with the number of weapons brought into MS and HS each year; the preventative value of other potential solutions (more adults in the building; law enforcement assigned to HS and some MS); other detection solutions; and the thoughts of the MCPS community (students, families and staff).

Special Ed: Are you in favor of moving the burden of proof to the school system instead of families? (See opinion piece here for explanation: https://moderatelymoco.com/david-vs-goliath-parents-and-advocates-pitted-against-msea-and-school-districts-in-the-maryland-legislature/)

The real issue here is that it is too hard for parents and caregivers to get the special education services and supports that their student needs. Most are also not equipped with the money and resources to hire advocates and attorneys to help them navigate through the process, including litigation if necessary. There is a significant power imbalance between the student/family and MCPS and statistics tell us that MCPS always wins. While House Bill 903, which established the Access to Attorneys, Advocates, and Consultants for Special Education Program and Fund, is necessary and sets us in the right direction, it does not begin until 2026, is limited in funding ($1,000,000) and is for the entire state which means Montgomery County may not receive much. It ultimately may not provide much legal support relief for MCPS families given the scope of the challenge throughout the state and Montgomery counties understandable but misconceived image as an entirely wealthy county. MCPS needs more Parent Resource Coordinators—one part time position is unacceptable—and workshops so families can build community while learning effective strategies for securing their children’s needs. MCPS should also explore the disconnect between its special education vision and policies and their implementation.

Order the following priorities you believe should apply when considering school boundary changes (separate by commas for consistency): utilization, proximity, diversity, stability

All of these factors should be considered when considering school boundary changes. To the extent possible, I think we should maximize students’ ability to go to school in their community. I await the results of the currently scheduled boundary study.

You can provide any explanations below for your answers above that you feel are necessary:

For this one since she addressed individual questions in the explanation, I have included them above with the questions.

Website

Learn more about Rita Montoya on her website.

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