Brenda Wolff
Campaign email: brenda@brendawolff.com
Website: www.brendawolff.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrendaWolffForBoardOfEducation/
Age: 70
Employment: President, Montgomery County Board of Education
Education: Juris Doctor, Suffolk University School of Law
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running to serve a second term on the BOE. As a member of the BOE before the pandemic, I was keenly aware that while we were headed in the right direction, much remains to be done. One of my key objectives in serving on the board is to end what I see as the inequitable distribution of programs and opportunities, particularly in areas with high populations of Black and brown children. There is a need to add access to dual language and STEM programs, and to ensure that all facilities receive the same level of attention as facilities in other parts of the county with fewer kids impacted by poverty.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I bring passion plus experience to the board. It is my passion and my experience that has enabled me to build consensus on the board, working with all perspectives to improve our school system. I understand the transformational power a quality education can have on a person’s life, and I believe that a high-quality public-school system is foundational to the health of our community. My long history in civil rights and education have prepared me for this work and my passionate belief in the power and importance of equitable access and opportunity in education drives my work.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman appointed to the Supreme Court. I admire the grace under fire she showed while being subjected to hostile questioning during her confirmation hearing. I could relate to her experience of needing to be perfect in order to be good enough, an experience I have had and experience in various settings, even today. I admire that she didn’t let them see how I know she must have truly felt.
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
The most important issue facing us is the effect of COVID, particularly on the mental and emotional health of our students and staff. This concern is exacerbated by the need to mitigate learning losses. If elected, I will continue my fight to increase access to mental health services for students, without compromising standards. In order to address both the mental health crisis and ensure that students have access to a rigorous academic program, I will work with our elected officials to get the funding the school system requires to meet the needs of our students, and I will hold the school system accountable for providing every student, from every neighborhood, with a high quality education.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
Ensuring the safety of our students is one of the key responsibilities of the board. I have been an outspoken advocate for rethinking MCPS’s relationship with the police and what that looks like in our schools. I am committed to continuing our work fine-tuning the new MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the police department and how the Community Engagement Officers operate in our schools. We need to coordinate with law enforcement; however, we cannot abdicate our responsibility to maintain safe and orderly schools through fair application of the discipline policy, restorative justice practices, mental health supports and an authentic partnership with the community.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
As a board member, I am deeply concerned by the effort of some in our county and nation to actively suppress uncomfortable, tragic and painful elements of our nation’s history, and their lasting impacts, from student learning. In MCPS we want to nurture critical thinking, intellectual curiosity and academic rigor. You cannot do that if you are manipulating or sanitizing the history you teach.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries, and if so, what kind of books should be removed?
The purpose of education is to prepare students to participate in our democracy. Banning books does not teach critical thinking, rather it teaches that you should challenge expression, not ideas. Parents play a major role in their child’s education. That is not the same as being able to dictate curriculum or programs. There is a long history of judicial deference to school boards on issues of curriculum and instruction. Parents in our school system always retain the right to opt out of material for their child. Our mission is to educate all students.
