By Phil Kauffman
Incumbent
It has been an honor to serve on the Board of Education for the last eight years. I am running for re-election because there is still much left to do. While our school system has had many successes, it faces enormous challenges. Many of those challenges involve choosing the right educational practices so that our system continues to be one of the best in the country. But many involve other issues that come before the board, including budget, policy development, calendar, personnel, school boundaries, real property, legislation and evaluation of the superintendent’s performance. I understand the correct role of a board member is to provide governance over our system and to let our new superintendent do his job, rather than to usurp it.
I am now completing my second term on the board. I have served as its president and chaired both its Fiscal and Policy Management Committees. Before coming to the board, I was a volunteer and leader for 13 years with our county PTA. These experiences provide me with a deep understanding of our operating and capital budgets and school system policies. I am also a leader with the Maryland Association of Boards of Education, serving there on the board of directors. I have a B.A. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D from the University of Maryland. Those experiences provide me with a statewide and national perspective and the ability to observe how issues are addressed in other systems. I am also a parent of two MCPS graduates and my wife is a teacher and I can see firsthand how the decisions the board makes affects our students and staff.
In my time on the board I have advocated for increased transparency and our committee meetings our now televised and our school audits are now online. I have pushed for an increased role for the board in budget development and a focus on return on investment and we will soon see those changes. I worked with the superintendent to develop the budget additions reducing class size that were adopted this year. In my eight years on the board, I have met with hundreds of parents, students, employees and community members from around the county. I have received dozens of briefings from our staff on school system operations, policies, and the budget. Montgomery County is large and complex and I have always tried to balance the needs of all stakeholders by being responsive, respectful and transparent. I was honored to receive the support of the Brickyard Coalition, a local community organization that recognized my service. I also received the endorsement of the Washington Post, which stated, “Mr.Kauffman is the better choice at this critical time. Of all the members of the board, he is the most knowledgeable about the budget and has proved to be a valuable — and stabilizing — resource to other members.”
I have been an effective member of the board, who listens to the community and gets things done and I ask for your support for another term.