Omar Lazo
Running for school board in Montgomery County At Large
Email: omar@omarlazo4boe.com
Website: www.omarlazo4boe.com
Facebook: facebook.com/omarlazo4boe
How old will you be on Election Day (Nov. 3)?
49
Are you currently employed? If so, where, and what is your job title?
Los Chorros Restaurant, Inc., chief operating officer
What is the highest level of education that you completed, and where did you get that degree?
University of Maryland, College Park Bachelor of Science General Business, R.H. Smith School of Business
Why are you running for the school board?
I am running for the Montgomery County Board of Education because, as a parent of three Montgomery County Public Schools students, I want every family to have confidence that their children are receiving a high-quality education and that their voices are heard.
My commitment to education comes from my own family’s story. My parents immigrated from El Salvador with very limited formal education, yet they worked hard to create opportunities for their children. I became the first in my family to graduate from college, and that experience shaped my belief that education can change the trajectory of a family for generations.
For more than 20 years, I have served Montgomery County through community organizations, workforce development, small-business advocacy and public service. As a trustee at Montgomery College and chair of the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board, I have seen how decisions made in our schools affect students long after graduation.
I am running to bring a parent’s perspective and my experience in governance, budgeting, workforce development and community engagement to the board. I want stronger academic outcomes, greater transparency and accountability, meaningful support for educators, better communication with families and equitable access to opportunities for every student.
Above all, I want Montgomery County Public Schools to be a school system where every child—regardless of background, language, neighborhood or family income—has the opportunity to succeed.
What makes you a good candidate for the board?
I bring a combination of experience that directly relates to the responsibilities of the Board of Education: I am a parent of three Montgomery County Public Schools students, a public education trustee, a workforce development leader, a small-business owner and a longtime community advocate. As a trustee at Montgomery College, I have experience governing a major public educational institution, overseeing budgets, evaluating leadership, setting policy and focusing on student success. Through my work as chair of the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board, I have worked closely with education, government, labor and employers to strengthen career pathways and prepare students for the opportunities available after graduation. Running a family business has also taught me fiscal responsibility, personnel management, problem solving and the importance of being accountable for results. Just as importantly, I have spent more than two decades working directly with Montgomery County’s diverse communities. I understand that families experience our school system differently depending on language, income, disability and access to information. I would bring to the board experience asking difficult questions, managing public resources, building partnerships and listening to communities. My goal is to keep the focus on what matters most: improving student outcomes and ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed.
What is the most important issue facing your school board and what would you do about it if elected?
The most important issue facing the Board of Education is ensuring that every student is receiving the high-quality education Montgomery County families expect, while rebuilding confidence that our school system is accountable for results. Montgomery County Public Schools faces many challenges, including academic achievement gaps, chronic absenteeism, student mental health needs, staffing pressures, aging facilities and significant budget constraints. These issues are interconnected, and the board must be willing to ask whether the resources we are investing are producing measurable improvements for students. If elected, I would focus on setting clear expectations for student achievement, requiring transparent data on what is and is not working and directing resources toward programs with demonstrated results. I would also prioritize supporting and retaining strong educators, expanding career and college pathways, strengthening mental health services and improving communication with families. My experience governing Montgomery College and leading the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board has taught me that good governance requires both accountability and collaboration. The board should work closely with the superintendent, educators, families, students and the County Council while still being willing to ask difficult questions. Our goal should be straightforward: every student should leave Montgomery County Public Schools prepared for college, a career and the opportunities that follow.
Please name a public leader you admire and explain why.
A public leader I deeply admire is Joseline Peña-Melnyk. She has been an example to me of what true public service should look like. Despite reaching one of the highest leadership positions in Maryland, she has never lost sight of why she serves: to help people. What I admire most is that she has never allowed political ambition to overshadow her mission. I have seen in her leadership a commitment to acting ethically, treating people with care and empathy and remaining grounded and accessible. Peña-Melnyk, along with other public servants I have been fortunate to know, has reinforced my belief that there are many people in public office for the right reasons. Her example reminds me that it is possible to lead, achieve and make difficult decisions while maintaining humility and never forgetting the communities you were elected to serve.
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, passed by the General Assembly in 2021, is a 10-year plan that includes increased funding to support early childhood education, higher teacher starting pay, college/career-readiness standards for high school graduates, and expanded services to multilingual and impoverished families, among other goals. Since the Blueprint's implementation, test scores have increased modestly in many parts of the state, but some school officials complain about the costs and administrative burdens placed on them by the Blueprint. Please tell us your views on the Blueprint and how it is affecting your school district.
I support the mission of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future because it recognizes that investing in education means investing in Maryland’s long-term economic future. Its focus on educators, early childhood education, equity, and college and career readiness is especially important for Montgomery County. Through my work as chair of the Montgomery County Workforce Development Board, I have been involved in efforts to train and strengthen career advising for high school students. We are already seeing greater emphasis within Montgomery County Public Schools on career pathways, apprenticeships, dual enrollment and helping students understand that success after high school can take many forms. Implementation will not be easy. The Blueprint brings significant costs, administrative responsibilities and difficult decisions at a time when Montgomery County is facing serious fiscal pressures, including the impact of changes in federal employment and spending. We must continually evaluate implementation to ensure resources are reaching classrooms and producing measurable results. But this is also precisely why the Blueprint’s mission is so important. Following major federal workforce disruptions, our region must diversify its economy and remain competitive for the high-paying jobs of the future. To attract and retain employers, we must produce an educated, skilled workforce. That starts by investing in our students today and ensuring every graduate is prepared for college, a career or another pathway to success.
Chronic absenteeism has been a problem in many schools since the Covid-19 pandemic. How big of a problem is absenteeism in your school district, and what if anything can the Board of Education do about it?
Chronic absenteeism remains a serious challenge in MCPS, although we are beginning to see improvement. One issue I hear from families is that parents are sometimes unaware their children are missing school. They may drop them off in the morning and assume they are in class all day. The board should examine whether our current communication systems are actually reaching families. Tools such as ParentVUE can create technological barriers, particularly for families who must create an email account, obtain a PIN, download an app and remember another password. We should explore simpler communication methods, including text messaging and WhatsApp, which is widely used in many immigrant communities and requires only a phone number. Improving attendance requires more than enforcement. We need stronger family engagement, earlier intervention and communication systems that meet parents where they are so they can become active partners in keeping students in school.
Are you satisfied with your school district's policy on AI use by students? If so, why? If not, what would you suggest to improve the AI policy?
I believe Montgomery County Public Schools is moving in the right direction on AI, but we need to accelerate our efforts. Guardrails around academic integrity, privacy and responsible use are important, but our policy cannot focus only on what students should not do with AI. AI is rapidly changing the workplace, and our students must graduate knowing how to use these tools responsibly, ethically and effectively. Montgomery County Public Schools should expand AI literacy throughout the curriculum, provide teachers with the training needed to integrate AI appropriately and develop programs that expose students to practical AI applications connected to future careers. We should be at the forefront of preparing students for this transformation, not reacting to it after the workforce has already changed. Our responsibility is to protect students from the risks of AI while also ensuring they are prepared to compete and succeed in an increasingly AI-driven economy.
Youth mental health has been a growing concern for years now. Do you think your school district has the resources and personnel in place to deal with this issue adequately? If not, what would you suggest to improve the situation?
I do not believe Montgomery County Public Schools currently has enough mental health personnel to meet the growing needs of our students, and this should be a greater priority in future budgets. Students are dealing with challenges that extend far beyond academics, including lingering post-COVID trauma, bullying, family instability and anxiety. In some immigrant communities, recent immigration enforcement activity has also created fear and stress for students and families. Montgomery County Public Schools has issued guidance to schools responding to immigration enforcement activity near schools, underscoring how directly these concerns can affect students. We should increase the number of counselors, psychologists, social workers and other mental health professionals available to students, while expanding partnerships with community-based providers. We also need culturally and linguistically responsive services so students can get help before a challenge becomes a crisis. Mental health must be treated as essential to student success.
Do you think there are circumstances when books should be removed from school libraries? If so, what kind of books should be removed, and who should make those decisions?
I believe there are limited circumstances when a book should be removed or its availability reconsidered, such as when professional review determines that material is inaccurate, outdated, educationally unsuitable or inappropriate for the age group it serves. However, books should not be removed simply because their ideas, characters or viewpoints make some people uncomfortable. Parents should always have the ability to raise concerns, but those concerns should go through a consistent, transparent review process. Decisions should be made by trained educators, librarians and other professionals using established educational criteria—not based on political or ideological pressure. Montgomery County Public Schools already has a reconsideration process that includes professional review and opportunities for appeal. I believe the board’s responsibility is to ensure that process remains fair, transparent, legally compliant and focused on students’ educational needs.
