Brett DiResta – Candidate for Board of Education, District 3 (Moderately MOCO Candidate Introduction Series)

This post is part of the Moderately MOCO Candidate Introduction Series. Candidates who did not receive the questionnaire via email or need more information can get access through our contact form. The information in this post was submitted directly by the candidate and does not represent the views of Moderately MOCO or its publication.

Basic Information

Political Party: Democrat

Campaign Website: www.votediresta.com

Social Media: Instagram | Facebook

Why Are You Running For Office?

As a parent of three MCPS kids, including a freshman at Churchill, I’ve watched the promise of a great Montgomery County education quietly erode. Crumbling facilities. Stagnant test scores in math and English. Growing class sizes. All while leadership looked the other way.That’s not a funding problem. It’s an oversight problem. And it stops here.Our educators, students, and families deserve a board member who shows up, asks hard questions, and demands results, not one who rubber-stamps the status quo. That’s why I’m running.

What Is The Biggest Issue Facing Voters In This Race?

District Three faces many of the challenges confronting MCPS broadly — stagnant test scores in some schools, and troubling incidents of violence and bias in too many others. But the most urgent issue is one we can see with our own eyes: our facilities are failing our children.Two of District 3’s four main high schools — Walter Johnson and Winston Churchill — are operating above 100% capacity. North Bethesda Middle School is as well. The consequences are real: overcrowded classrooms, kids learning in portables, and buildings in disrepair.This is unacceptable.If elected, I’ll attack this problem on two fronts. First, I’ll push County officials aggressively to authorize the bonds needed to fund repairs and new construction. Second, I’ll demand smarter spending. If MCPS is planning to build six new schools, the Board should be negotiating bulk contracts — leveraging that volume with construction firms, lenders, and materials suppliers to drive down costs. That’s not a novel idea; it’s how smart organizations operate.Our kids deserve schools that are safe, modern, and built to support learning — not crumbling buildings that signal to families that their children aren’t a priority.

What Experience Best Prepares You For This Role?

Politics has been my career for three decades. I began on Capitol Hill as a legislative staffer for then-Congressman Chuck Schumer. After helping him win his Senate seat in 1998, I launched my own political consulting firm, which I’ve run for over 25 years.In that time, I’ve helped elect Democratic candidates across the country, including leaders right here in Maryland like former Senator Ben Cardin.Those experiences taught me something essential: promises are easy; delivering on them is hard. Real results require coalition-building, sustained effort, and the willingness to compromise without losing sight of your goals. Having worked in both the legislative and electoral arenas, I understand not just how policy gets made, but how it gets passed.That’s the experience I’ll bring to the Board of Education: the practical knowledge of how to work across differences, build consensus, and fight effectively for the families of the Third District.

What Would You Like Voters To Know About You Personally?

I grew up in Staten Island. If you’re not familiar, it’s known for a few things — a couple of scenes from The Godfather, the world’s largest landfill, and half the cast of Jersey Shore.What it’s not known for is the quality of its schools.My high school, Port Richmond, had portables, bars on the windows, and, I’m not making this up, an actual bar right down the street. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked nearly 18,000 high schools across America. Port Richmond came in 13,427th. Had I gone to a better school, I’d be able to tell you what percentile that is.When I got to college, I realized I was behind. I lacked basic skills that my classmates took for granted. It took real effort just to catch up.I moved to Montgomery County because I believed my kids deserved better than what I had. I’m running for this Board to make sure they get it, and to make sure no child in District 3 ever knows what it feels like to be let down by their public school.

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