Following the death of long-time Montgomery County Board of Education member Patricia O’Neill in September, there was a vacancy on the board. On Nov. 30, the Board voted on a replacement: Dr. Scott Joftus.
He was unanimously appointed, according to MCPS’s press release, and will serve through November 2022. 18 people applied for the position early last month and the list was later narrowed down to eight. The other candidates had backgrounds in education, served on parent-teacher associations or worked for the government. Next Tuesday, Dec. 14, Joftus will be sworn in as the next Montgomery County Board Member from the Third District.
“I never knew Ms. O’Neill, but I really respect the work that she did on the Board. I know she was very respected and valued by the Board and by the community,” Joftus said.
Joftus co-founded Four Point Education Partners, which helps empower education leaders. He also serves as an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development, according to My MC Media. Jotus previously worked for education policy interest groups and as an elementary school teacher with Teach for America, a non-profit organization that sends teachers to low-income schools. His work with the organization inspired his career of solving challenges in education.
“Members who are applying to Teach for America come with a very strong focus on equity,” Joftus said. “Teach for America has the mission of teaching in under-resourced schools and I had the opportunity to experience and learn about the conditions that many students across the country are experiencing, including those in Montgomery County. As a teacher, I really got to see the disparate opportunities that many, many students faced.”
According to the Bethesda Beat, Joftus’ priorities are finding a superintendent, promoting educational equity and dealing with staffing shortages. Joftus emphasized that because he has yet to take office, some of what he is saying is in theory. He will be further discussing the issues MCPS is facing, and their proposed solutions, with other Board members in the coming days and weeks.
Joftus also explained how other school systems use a ladder-like system to promote teachers. Some school systems give teachers higher up on the ladder opportunities to mentor newer teachers.
“I told the Board during my interview that, in addition to all the things we do to recruit and incentivize teachers to not only come teach for MCPS, but teach in the schools that are serving our neediest students,” Joftus said. “I think this also gives us an opportunity to think a little bit differently about teaching.”
Another pressing issue is COVID-19. MCPS is encouraging vaccines for all eligible students (the vaccine is approved for anyone 5 years old or older in the U.S.); they are required for student athletes, and were previously required for staff members (unvaccinated staff members can continue to teach if they test negative). They are also rolling out “screening tests” at schools to combat the virus and limit student and staff quarantines.
“I need to do some more learning—I need to talk to Board members and the administration,” Joftus said, before praising his future peers. “This Board and administration have really led us through, you know, unprecedented times, not just with COVID, but with the racial justice awakening.”
Joftus is committed to working with the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), the 14,000-member teachers’ union.
“I need to hear from them and learn more about the specific things they’re asking. I am in general, though, very supportive of teachers and leaders—principals and other administrators,” Joftus said. “We often forget that teachers and administrators went through all this [COVID-19] as well. And their lives were completely disrupted.”
This is Joftus’ second interview, according to his count, since being appointed. He previously spoke with The Black and White, the paper of Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, where his daughter serves as a writer. He wanted to speak with student publications because he believes student voices are important in his work.
“I think it’s important to support student newspapers,” Joftus said. “Students are obviously closest to the ground, in terms of how any decisions affecting the Board and the administration are going to be felt. It’s important to be communicating with them regularly.”
Joftus’ wife is Cara Lesser, founder and executive director of the KID Museum in Bethesda, according to My MC Media. In September, before Joftus was even a candidate for the position, the KID Museum received more than $1.6 million from MCPS. This has raised concerns about a conflict of interest from the Parents’ Coalition on Twitter.
When asked if he would recuse himself from the future endeavors between the Board and the museum, he responded, “Oh, of course.”
“My plan is to speak to the Board members, and if I need to, speak with the General Counsel or others within the department. I just don’t understand why that was brought up. Of course, I would recuse myself. There’s never any question,” Joftus said. “My wife has worked really, really hard to establish a really strong relationship with MCPS… I just don’t understand why at this point, there would be even any suggestion that there’s any kind of conflict of interest.”
Joftus will be surrounded by his wife and their two children—a current junior at Walt Whitman High School and a graduate of Walt Whitman—when he takes his oath of office. There is a lot to look forward to in Joftus’ 11-month term.
“I’m only appointed for this year, and there’s a lot that has to be done this year,” Joftus said. “You know, we have a lot happening this year, and so I think we got to find a couple of really high-leverage initiatives where there’s some common ground and try to move forward.”
Article written by Jeremy Fredricks of Winston Churchill High School
Photo Courtesy of MCPS
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