By Adam Pagnucco.
Yesterday, the Montgomery County Republican Party sent out a blast email promoting the candidacy of Brenda Diaz for the District 2 school board seat. Diaz, a former MCPS teacher now teaching in a private school, and Natalie Zimmerman, a current MCPS teacher, knocked out incumbent Rebecca Smondrowski in the primary and have advanced to the general election.
The GOP referenced Diaz six times in their email.
First, events with Diaz were included on their September events list.
Second, at this morning’s Republican Breakfast Club meeting, Dee Reuben from United Against Racism in Education (UARE) was scheduled to appear to “detail the get out the vote strategy for electing a non-partisan moderate.”
Third, the GOP included Diaz’s campaign in their list of “websites for information and donations.” The Republicans commented, “Reach out to these contacts and volunteer! Now’s crunch time and everyone needs your support.”
Fourth, the email mentioned UARE’s endorsement of Diaz.
Fifth, the email contained a sponsored ad by UARE about its fundraiser intended to benefit its efforts to elect Diaz.
Sixth, the email contained a sponsored ad about a meeting by the Potomac Women’s Republican Club at which two Republican candidates, a spokesman for GOP U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hogan and Diaz were scheduled to speak.
UARE, the organization represented by Reuben, states the following in the About section of its website:
We are nonpartisan families and educators in Montgomery County opposed to Critical Race Theory (CRT). Schools will use euphemisms to hide CRT in their curricula: “equity,” “social justice,” “social emotional learning,” “unconscious bias,” “cultural proficiency,” and “diversity and inclusion.” No matter how it is phrased, it is still racism and must be removed.
UARE believes MCPS teaches CRT to its students, alleging that the school district wants students to learn that “In order to eradicate systemic racism, the system — ‘America’ — must be dismantled.”
I asked Diaz, Reuben and Dennis Melby, the chair of the county GOP, to comment on the party’s email.
Diaz wrote the following:
*****
Hi Adam,
Thank you so much for reaching out. I appreciate your question.
Adam, we have a problem in Montgomery County Public Schools. Its ongoing steep decline requires an urgent solution. As an experienced and passionate teacher and parent with more than 20 years of experience in a variety of educational settings, from public to private school, from preK to 12, from ESOL to AP, I pledge to be the independent voice on the Board of Education to eliminate failed practices in MCPS and to provide a high quality education to all students throughout the county.
Thankfully, several groups support my mission of “raising academic standards, providing grade appropriate assignments to all students, strong instruction, deep engagement, and teachers with high expectations, every day, in every class- regardless of their race, ethnicity, or any other part of their identity.” Voters who support me know that my mission is also aligned in many ways with that of the MCCPTA. On May 2, the Curriculum Committee hosted an Instructional Equity Workshop with guest speakers from MCPS which I attended where they cited “The Opportunity Myth.” If you read their report, you find that high quality instructional materials are essential to increasing academic rigor and ensuring students are achieving their goals post-graduation. To rebuild the foundation of academic excellence, I must build a coalition of parents from all over the county who will support me in my goals and to continue to hold MCPS accountable after the election.
As such, a number of groups are organizing to get out the vote for me. They are made up of people who want to see change for the better in MCPS, all for our children’s sake. I prioritize meeting with groups from all parts of Montgomery County who share my vision of increasing academic rigor in MCPS, seek to prioritize safety, promote parental involvement, and care to have our school budget properly supervised. In fact, I am the only one who will meet with you no matter where you stand on the political spectrum! If I am to beat my opponent, the union and establishment endorsed candidate, bringing together teachers, parents, grandparents, taxpayers, all stakeholders, is key. And that’s exactly what’s happening this election season. I am an Independent, unaffiliated entirely, and look forward to working with anyone who cares about improving the quality of education delivered by MCPS. I will not be the sort of Board of Education member who dismisses an entire group from participating in the democratic process because their views are not popular. I believe all groups should be heard. Besides, that’s what the First Amendment is all about.
I appreciate your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Brenda M. Diaz
*****
Reuben wrote me the following:
*****
Hi Adam, I really enjoy your articles!
Our organization, United Against Racism in Education, (UARE.US) is made up of teachers (current/retired), parents, grandparents and community members who subscribe to certain values that we feel are important for educating our students.
We believe Brenda Diaz capsulates those visions focusing on academics, safety, financial transparency/accountability and include respect and encourage parental involvement. We are organizing ways for voters to meet and hear Brenda. She is a 20+ year educator, whose goal is to educate each and every student in order for them to become successful adults.
We endorsed her on our Blue Book Ballot (alternative to Red Apple ballot). Apple ballot candidates have produced scandal after scandal in MCPS. They have not done well by our students and it’s evident the school system is spiraling downward. I believe she’s the only candidate not being supported by any of the unions. As we educate the voters in Montgomery County about Brenda’s platform, we hope they will realize the great opportunity she will bring to the board of education. It’s time we get back to “focusing on academics and success for Every student”!
Thanks,
Dee Reuben
*****
At this writing, Melby – the county GOP chair – has not replied.
Political parties tend not to formally participate in MoCo’s school board elections, which are non-partisan. (They sometimes get involved in Virginia.) I have not seen the MoCo Democrats do it. And while I have seen the local Republicans occasionally mention school board candidates, I don’t recall them officially endorsing them. For the record, while the email certainly promoted Diaz’s campaign, it never used the word “endorsement” and Diaz claims to be unaffiliated.
In any event, Diaz is facing Natalie Zimmerman, who has been endorsed by the Apple Ballot-wielding teachers union. That means Diaz can use all the help she can get in the general election.