Departures From Board Put Leadership Up in the Air

Could even more changes be in store for the Montgomery County School Board?

Four seats are up for grabs in this year's election; with incumbents Gabe Romero and Charles Haughey opting not to run for reelection, the board is slated to get at least two new members in November. The two other seats up for grabs are held by incumbents Nancy Navarro (Northeastern County) and Patricia O'Neill (Bethesda-Chevy Chase), both of whom are running for reelection. O'Neill has no opponent; Navarro will face Philip Kauffman , a parent and lawyer who has been active in the Montgomery County Council of PTAs.

Those aren't the only changes afoot.

Valerie Ervin , fresh from her victory last month in the Democratic primary for the District 5 County Council seat, probably will step down if she's elected to the county council in November. The board will be responsible for appointing a replacement to complete the two years left in her term.

It looks as though there could be yet another vacancy as board member Stephen N. Abrams (Rockville-Potomac) has thrown his hat in the ring for an at-large seat on the county council. Abrams got approval this week to run for a seat after another Republican candidate stepped down. If he were to win, the board would also have to appoint a replacement to fill out the remainder of his term, also two years.

For those keeping score, that leaves Sharon Cox (At Large) as the only board member not playing musical chairs these days.

The big question is, what could this mean for Superintendent Jerry D. Weast , whose contract is up for renewal next year? Stay tuned.

Rockville Adds IB Program

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Rockville High School has become the sixth high school campus in Montgomery County to offer the International Baccalaureate program -- a rigorous course of study designed to prepare students for college and help them better understand the world. Students who enroll in IB can earn college credit.

Although IB programs were initially started in county high schools, Montgomery has pushed to offer the program to younger students as well. Two middle schools currently offer an IB program -- Julius West and Westland.

Three middle schools and one elementary school are in the process of receiving authorization for their IB programs. Francis Scott Key, Newport Mill and Silver Spring International middle schools and College Garden Elementary School all hope to launch their programs soon.

David Muñoz , a senior who takes the IB program at Watkins Mill, said the program is tough but well worth the effort.

"It's a lot of work, but they really teach you how to write,'' he said, adding that he's confident IB will help prepare him for college. "It's a good program."