MCPS Ethics Policy
You can view the official MCPS and MCPS BOE Ethics Policy here.
After reading the ethics policy and hearing that Joftus has said he will recuse himself from these decisions regarding KID Museum, it became clear to that he is following ethics guidelines by the rules.
Joftus Responds To Ethics Questions
Yesterday, when Parent’s Coalition ran a piece on him, I wanted to hear Scott’s own take on the relationship and how that works with his position on the board of education. Scott was very open about all of this.
During our conversation Scott made it clear that he declared his relationship to KID Museum to the Ethics Panel right when he was appointed to the board and offered to share that information you can see below.
He also said that he communicated his relationship to the board prior to their appointing him unanimously in December.
You can view here the opinion issued by the Board of Montgomery County’s Ethics Panel on January 12, 2022.
2022-SJ-Advisory-Opinion
Background
Scott Joftus was appointed to the MCPS BOE earlier this year to replace the late Pat O’Neill and decided to run for a full term getting second in the July primary and moving onto the general election.
Scott has a strong background in education and seems right at home on the BOE. He recently wrote a few opinion pieces for Bethesda Beat on MCPS relation with teachers unions and this explainer on what the BOE actually does.
However, questions have arisen due to Scott’s relationship with his wife Cara Lesser who is the founder and executive director of KID Museum a non profit that has had a lengthy relationship with MCPS providing lots of unique services and experiences for kids.
Parents Coalition Posts
In particular, the Parents Coalition, a local MCPS focused blog has raised questions (as have I on occasion) regarding the KID Museum while Joftus has been a member of the BOE.
The Parents Coalition blog raised questions when he was first appointed about whether he would recuse himself from these deals (he has) and about covid relief funding.
Most recently, this week there was discussion due to an item on the CONSENT AGENDA which was a contract approval for a contract with the KID Museum.
Joftus’s Additional Points
Scott Joftus also wanted to point out a few other things regarding KID Museum:
1) My wife, Cara Lesser (founder and executive director of KID), has had a 10-year relationship with MCPS, spanning three superintendents.
2) This contract was well underway in the planning stages before I even considered applying to the board.
3) I have had nothing to do with discussions or negotiations about KID—as can be confirmed with conversations with any board member or administrator—and I have and will continue to recuse myself from any decisions involving KID.
4) Coincidentally, there is a good chance that the contract is going to be pulled from tomorrow’s Board agenda due to a technical error in the contracting process. If that is the case, the issue will be fixed soon and the contract will come before the Board at a later date—hopefully next Board meeting.
5) I recognize that people are going to believe what they believe, but everything related to my role on the Board and KID Museum has been reviewed and deemed to be appropriate. I am incredibly proud of my wife and the role that KID Museum plays in improving STEM education for students across Montgomery County.
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