Omar Lazo Leads Uncalled School Board Race, Says the Budget Is the Biggest Issue

Omar Lazo leads Brenda M. Diaz in the race for the at-large seat on the Montgomery County Board of Education, and the race has not been called. Lazo had 134,550 votes (50.48%) to 130,027 (48.79%) for Diaz, a lead of 4,523 votes, according to unofficial State Board of Elections results last refreshed at 10:35 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.

Lazo leads in early voting and Election Day votes. Diaz leads among the mail-in ballots counted so far, according to the State Board of Elections’ Montgomery County results page:

• Early voting: Lazo 41,926, Diaz 37,691
• Election Day: Lazo 71,585, Diaz 69,853
• Mail-in ballots counted so far: Diaz 22,483, Lazo 21,039

The State Board of Elections’ ballots-left-to-count report listed 37,173 mail-in ballots left to count in Montgomery County as of Nov. 4. The results page lists provisional ballots as not yet reported. Moderately MOCO has not called this race. The latest numbers for every county race are on our live results page.

The interview is also on Facebook and Instagram. Interview by Jason Makstein for Moderately MOCO.

The budget first

Asked on election night what his top priorities would be if he wins, Lazo said, “the budget is going to be the biggest issue that we’re going to tackle right now.” He said he is “having conversations already” and called himself “a person that doesn’t wait.”

“I’ve always done the work without a title,” Lazo said.

The fiscal 2027 budget the Board of Education adopted in June cut 415 full-time positions, and MCPS officials told a County Council committee in October that the cuts ended with 47 layoffs, Moderately MOCO reported.

Redistricting and school closures

Lazo said “we have redistricting that’s coming,” and that the work means “speaking to the communities and making sure that we are actually bringing the community into this process.”

“I want to make sure that it’s getting to everybody, not just a few like traditionally we’ve seen,” he said. On school closures, Lazo said, “they’re looking at school closures, making sure that everything’s done in an equitable way.”

MCPS is studying elementary and middle school closures and consolidations, with the superintendent’s recommendation due in February 2027 and a Board of Education vote set for April 15, 2027, Moderately MOCO reported. MCPS said in an Oct. 28 statement that no schools have been selected for closure or consolidation.

A nonpartisan race

Lazo thanked volunteers and said, “We had the teachers out at the polls.” He also spoke about how voters approach school board contests. “This is a nonpartisan race,” he said. “We really need to look at these down ballot races and really pay attention to the candidates that we are voting for.”

The candidates and the seat

Lazo is a small business owner and the father of three MCPS students, and Diaz is a former teacher who has worked in MCPS classrooms, according to Moderately MOCO’s guide to the school board races, which includes what each candidate named as the biggest issue. In his candidate questionnaire, Lazo wrote that he has served on the Montgomery College Board of Trustees and chairs the Workforce Development Board. Diaz’s answers are in her questionnaire.

Karla Silvestre holds the at-large Board seat now, with a term that expires in 2026, according to the school board’s member page. Silvestre won an at-large County Council seat, unofficial results show; see our at-large County Council results story.

What’s still to count

The Montgomery County Board of Elections resumed counting mail-in ballots Thursday, Nov. 5, and has sessions scheduled Nov. 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18, according to its canvass schedule. The board says canvassing of provisional ballots starts Thursday, Nov. 12, and that the dates are subject to change.

A mail-in ballot postmarked by Nov. 3 still counts if it arrives by 10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, under state regulations. Results are unofficial until every ballot is counted and the county certifies them.

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