About Laura
Laura's Background
Laura Stewart is a mom of two and has been a community and PTA leader advocating for our children, schools, and communities for over a decade. She has served in many leadership positions, successfully advocating for accountability, transparency, school funding, healthy schools, mental health, and equity in education. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in DC and Bowie, MD where she attended Temple Solel before graduating from Bowie High School, where she enjoyed playing in musical groups. Laura has a Paralegal Degree from Prince George’s Community College and worked in telecommunications for ten years. Laura moved to Montgomery County in 1997 and raised two boys who have now graduated from MCPS. Her eldest is a UMD graduate, now attending graduate school as a research fellow and her youngest is studying at UMBC. She lives in Silver Spring with her husband, an IT professional for a union organization. She taught music lessons until COVID-19 hit our community and schools; at which time she became a full-time volunteer. See below for some of Laura’s activities and priorities.
My Top Issues
Accountability, Collaboration, and Transparency
It is critical that Board of Education members uphold these standards individually and, more broadly, for all MCPS teachers, staff and contractors providing services to and for our schools and students. We must attract, grow, retain, and diversify the teaching, staff and leadership pathways. That requires us all to ACT now!
Accountability
The Board of Education oversees operating and capital budgets totaling over five billion dollars. As a board member, I will require data, ask questions, and develop policies, to direct dollars to the most effective areas. Goals and expected outcomes of initiatives must be tracked, include scheduled reviews, and adjustments or discontinuance if the stated metrics cannot be achieved. I will hold myself and MCPS accountable to taxpayers and the school community.
Collaboration
I will rebuild trust in the community by collaborating with students, staff, teachers, children’s advocacy groups, the county council, state legislators, government agencies, businesses, Board of Education members and other impacted groups. I welcome new ideas and will consider viewpoints that might differ from my own without compromising my overarching goal of providing all students with an excellent, equitable education.
Transparency
MCPS must regain the trust of school communities and the public. Communication needs to be clear, accessible, honest, and timely. The Board of Education can and must ensure that MCPS develops and follows an Open Data policy for this public institution, including, but not limited to the budget, education, and facility data. We can only address what we know about. Open Data allows the public to track and report things that are important to them and to the success of our schools.
More Specifics Coming Soon.
My Involvement
Accountability and Transparency
- Developed stronger financial policies for PTA after helping to find past PTA financial inconsistencies which resulted in a conviction and restitution.
- Made MCPS Open Data a top priority and worked with MCPS, achieving a first step towards this goal in 2023.
- Pursued the release of all MCPS water safety test data.
- Requested that MCPS to be subject to the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General.
Children’s Health and Wellness
- Successfully advocated to test, monitor, and lower the limit of lead in the drinking water of all schools in Montgomery County and throughout Maryland.
- Helped pilot air quality monitors with the MCCPTA Health and Wellness Committee, which are now installed in every Montgomery County classroom.
- Collaborated to initiate new school construction impact teams to achieve consistent communication with communities.
- Testified in Annapolis for access to mental health services, including more access to telehealth in schools.
- Advocated to test artificial turf and other surfaces for lead and avoid toxic substances by using more natural materials and avoiding pesticides that include PFAS. Ran a town hall to educate PTAs on the latest grass technology.
School Funding
- Lead advocacy and published a letter asking for more school construction funds in 2023 which saved multiple projects from delays.
- Successfully worked with state lawmakers to secure more construction dollars from the state for MCPS, including the Built to Learn Act which brought $360 million dollars to Montgomery County.
- Partnered with Strong Schools to pass the transformational education bill, The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which helped Montgomery County schools finally return to the per pupil spending from a decade ago. This bill will expand Pre-K, support our teachers, ensure college and career readiness and implement Community Schools that include wrap-around services.
Excellent, Equitable, and Inclusive Schools
- Planned with Communities Against Hate board members three panels on Antisemitism, Islamophobia and LGBTQ+ bigotry, all focused on youth.
- Authored and delivered a petition to the Board of Education supporting diverse books.
- Wrote a blog supporting equity when spending construction funds.
- Supported equity initiatives including free universal meals for all students and the community schools initiative that provides needed wraparound services including tutoring.
- Ran an advocacy campaign to support changing the burden of proof laws to give school systems the burden instead of families.
- Coordinated a Town Hall on providing Special Education services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Additional Leadership & Advocacy Roles
- Communities United Against Hate Vice President (current)
- Safe Healthy Playing Fields, Inc (current)
- Free State PTA (FSPTA) Statewide Vice President for Advocacy & Federal Legislative Chair
- Woodlin Elementary School PTA President
Montgomery County Council of PTA’s (MCCPTA)
- MCCPTA Einstein Cluster Coordinator
- MCCPTA Capital Improvements Program Committee Chair
- MCCPTA Down County Cluster (DCC) Area Vice President
- MCCPTA Vice President of Advocacy
- Montgomery County Women’s Democratic Club President
- District 18 Democratic Precinct Chair