Campaign email: scott@fourpointeducation.com
Website: https://joftus4boe.com/about/
Age: 54
Employment: Member, Board of Education; founder and president, FourPoint Education Partners; adjunct professor, George Washington University
Education: Doctorate of Education Policy and Leadership, George Washington University
Why are you running for the school board?
MCPS is at a critical juncture as we are (hopefully) coming out of the pandemic and transitioning to a new superintendent and leadership team. I’m running because my experience in advising school boards and superintendents across the country and teaching education leadership to future education leaders is critical to ensuring the systemic improvement we need. No one else on the board or running for the board has the system-level experience and perspective needed for effective transformation.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I have been dedicated to improving outcomes for all students—but especially those who have been traditionally underserved — my entire career as a teacher, public education advocate, researcher and evaluator, professor, adviser to school boards and superintendents, and—most recently — school board member. This experience and my perspective makes me uniquely qualified for the Montgomery County Board of Education.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Takoma Park) is my political hero. He has the intelligence, people skills, and tenacity needed to protect against our current threats to democracy. And here is what he said about my campaign: “Scott is doing a great job for us on the Montgomery County Board of Education. We are benefiting from his work with school districts across the country and his significant insight as a professor of educational leadership. We’re lucky to have him where he is using his expertise on behalf of our students and our schools.”
What is the most important issue facing your school board, and what would you do about it if elected?
As I teach my graduate students, coherence is the foundation of any effective school district. Coherence is the alignment of strategy, systems, resources and culture to a clear philosophy about how student outcomes will improve. Without coherence, MCPS has struggled to provide high-quality supports to school leaders and to effectively engage community stakeholders.
To address this, I have:
- Emphasized the need for coherence in improving student outcomes with the board and administration.
- Offered ideas to promote coherence.
- Asked questions at the board table to reinforce the move toward greater coherence across the system.
If elected, this will be the ongoing focus of my work.
How concerned are you about school safety, and what if anything should be done to improve it?
Ensuring the safety of students, families and staff is the top priority for schools, the administration and board. We must also ensure that BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) students are not unfairly disciplined or arrested, which has been the case in MCPS and across the country. Therefore, I support:
- Maintaining a close, coordinated relationship with MCPD but removing police offers from having a permanent presence in schools. The key will be to carefully monitor the CEO 2.0 program.
- Additional (unarmed) security personnel. As a current member of the board, I supported funding for 12 additional positions that can be allocated to schools based on need.
- Significant budget increases for mental health services.
Do you have any concerns about the way history is taught in your district’s schools, and if so, what are they?
In general, I believe that the teaching of history too frequently fails to address the experience and perspectives of races and cultures other than White males. The board will soon be receiving a draft of an anti-racism audit, which will address this topic, and the board and administration are ready to consider recommendations for changes.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries, and if so, what kind of books should be removed?
My general stance is that books should be included in the library and students should be taught to make decisions about what they read based on their interest, reading ability and values. That said, there is a process by which students, parents or staff can submit concerns about and request removal of a particular book. I think this process is important but needs careful supervision by the board to prevent overuse and abuse.
