Will Jawando Hasn’t Earned a Promotion

Esther Wells is asking the right question about his education record. Montgomery County voters merit an answer before handing him a bigger job.

A promotion ought to come with a performance review. Somewhere between the campaign kickoff and the victory party, somebody should ask what the applicant actually accomplished in his current job.

Esther Wells is asking that question about Will Jawando. Her argument is blunt: his performance overseeing education does not justify making him Montgomery County executive.

I think she has a case.

Jawando chairs the County Council’s Education and Culture Committee, whose jurisdiction includes Montgomery County Public Schools. That is a substantial responsibility, and voters have every reason to examine how he has used it.[1] Montgomery County, MD

Let’s be fair about the limits of that job. Jawando does not run MCPS. The superintendent manages daily operations, and the Board of Education sets school policy and oversees the superintendent. Blaming one councilmember for every struggling student would be equally unfair and ridiculous.[2] Rockville, MD

But a committee chair should be able to explain what his oversight accomplished. Which problems did he identify? What changes did he press for? How did he determine whether those changes worked? Those questions belong in a campaign for higher office.

Start with the school system’s own numbers.

In the 2025–2026 school year, MCPS reported math proficiency of 36.9 percent and English language arts proficiency of 58.5 percent. Both improved from the previous year and exceeded the statewide averages. Teachers and students deserve credit for that progress.[3] Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD

Still, nearly two-thirds of students tested in math did not reach the proficiency threshold.  This i a pretty low threshold.  That does not mean they cannot do math, or that a single test captures everything they know. It does mean the county has a serious academic problem that campaign enthusiasm cannot explain away.

There is another useful comparison. MCPS set its own 2025–2026 proficiency targets at 40 percent in math and 60 percent in English. It missed both. These were the school system’s published goals, available for anyone to check.[4] Rockville, MD

I would like to hear Jawando explain what he learned from those shortfalls.  What he would do differently. A candidate asking for wider executive authority should welcome a detailed discussion of results.

The oversight questions go beyond test scores.  It covers everything under the sun.  Will Jawando be controlling all the levers of power in Montgomery County?

In January 2024, Jawando joined Andrew Friedson and Kate Stewart in responding to the inspector general’s review of MCPS employee complaint handling. Their statement acknowledged deficiencies, including issues previously identified and reported to MCPS, and announced a joint oversight hearing. They promised to work toward timely, comprehensive corrections.[5] www2.montgomerycountymd.gov

Voters need to ask him to identify the corrections, explain how they verified their effectiveness, and show what his committee did to keep the matter from disappearing after the hearing.

That is a reasonable request of an individual seeking a promotion.

For a family trying to get help for a struggling child, the distinction between a meeting held and a problem solved is enormous. Government must be judged beyond the point where officials announce their concern.

The same standard should apply to education spending. Schools need sufficient resources. Teachers need support. When elected officials approve public money, they should also insist on understandable measures of what that spending achieves—asking whether a program works is part of taking children’s education seriously.

Jawando has a record voters can examine now.  His committee title makes that examination particularly relevant. He should be able to walk into a public forum with particular examples of problems his oversight helped resolve and evidence that the improvements lasted.  The Jawando record points to one point very clearly: Will Jawando simply isn’t qualified to be County Executive.

Until he makes that case, I see no reason to reward him with greater responsibility.

Wells has put a legitimate question before Montgomery County. Voters should resist the temptation to answer it with party loyalty or a familiar name. Read the results. Ask regarding the missed goals. Insist on evidence of follow-through.

On the education record before us, I would deny Jawando the promotion and vote for Esther Wells.

Endnotes

1. Montgomery County Council, “Education & Culture (EC) Committee.” Committee membership and jurisdiction.
   https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/government/legislative-branch/county-council/committees/standing-committees/education-culture-ec-committee
2. Montgomery County Public Schools, “Overview of the Role of the Board of Education and its work.”
   https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/about/aboutus/
3. Montgomery County Public Schools, “MCPS students demonstrate steady scholastic growth in latest MCAP Results,” July 28, 2026.
   https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?id=13593
4. Montgomery County Public Schools, “Strategic Plan 2025–2030.” Goal 1 scorecard, including 2025–2026 targets and results.
   https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/strategic-plan-2025-2030/
5. Montgomery County Council, “Statement on Office of Inspector General’s MCPS Complaint Processing Report From Council President Friedson, Audit Committee Chair Stewart and Education and Culture Committee Chair Jawando,” January 24, 2024.
   https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Dept=1&Item_ID=44672

Laura Holt writes on Maryland politics and government accountability for Direct Line News.

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