Scott Joftus Chosen For MOCO School Board's Open Spot

BETHESDA, MD — Scott Joftus, a father of two Walt Whitman students and the founder of a consulting firm that specializes in school and district improvement, will fill the vacant District Three spot on the Board of Education.

The Montgomery County Board voted unanimously to appoint Joftus, who was one of 18 people who applied to the position. He will be officially sworn in on Dec. 14.

Joftus got his bachelor's degree from Duke University, a master's degree in the Graduate School of Public Policy at University of California Berkeley, and his doctorate of education, education policy and administration at the George Washington University, according to his resume submitted to the Board of Education. He's worked as a corps member in Teach for America, as a policy director in education consulting firms and as an adjunct professor in the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

One of his children already graduated from Walt Whitman High School and the other is a junior. Joftus lives in Bethesda.

Eight of the applicants were invited for an interview on Tuesday. All of the candidates were required to live within District Three, which includes sections of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington and Potomac. The District Three spot was open because of the death of Pat O'Neill, a longtime School Board member. She died in September at age 71.