COMPARISONS TO MY OPPONENT

My opponent is Stephen N. Abrams. Here is a comparison of my views vs. Mr. Abrams on key issues.

Laura Berthiaume Steve Abrams
Will attend all Board of Education meetings, including Strategic Planning Forums Has a history of absences and inattention
A large MCPS bureaucracy needs strong oversight from a proactive Board of Education In three terms, has never proposed significant changes to enable greater oversight of MCPS by the Board of Education
Will not run for any other office during her four-year-BOE term- wants to do this job, not some other job. In each of the three terms in which he has been elected to the School Board, he has run for at least one higher office within two years of being elected to the school board
Spending student funds on fancy retreats for staff, eight matching jackets, and restaurant meals is unacceptable and a clear instance of malfeasance. Not afraid to demand accountability from the staff and the Superintendent. Characterized the recent audit findings on Richard Montgomery and other high schools as "more fuss and sloppiness" than malfeasance. *
Intends to engage parents, students, and taxpayers through town halls, oversight hearings, and visits to school clusters Does not go on cluster visits like other School Board members do; said that he finds out about what is going on in the schools through conversations with a network of friends his age - figures that the grandparents will let him know if there are problems within MCPS.**
Will treat all people wishing to present testimony and information with respect - particularly parents and students Respect for parents?? Watch the Takoma Park Forum and reach your own opinion
Currently an MCPS parent - knows what is going on because she experiences it as a parent Not a current MCPS parent
Math curriculum is in serious disarray -- children are pushed to far too fast and not given the time to master the basics they must know in order to achieve success in higher level math Is unaware of any evidence of any problem with the MCPS math curriculum**
Parent input ought to be given strong weight in placing special needs students; inclusion does not work for all children “[d]uring my early years on the Board I tried to respect the wishes of individual parents of special education students regarding separate programs or inclusion. My guiding premise was parental accommodation whenever possible. Changes in professional views as well as budget realities have moved me more in support of the inclusion model. Those decisions are well reported. An exception to the above would be where more than one model continues to be implemented within MCPS.”***
The Board of Education should give itself the time and resources to do its job as an elected body when it comes to passing an effective and fair budget  
Creating a fair and transparent budget starts with a fair and transparent budget process - in tough budget times, we need to bring our county together through the budget process, not create anxiety and divisions through arbitrary and capricious cuts that have never been vetted by the Board or the communities affected.  
* Washington Post, October 23, 2008
** Takoma Park Forum
*** Answers to United to Save Special Education Questionnaire, emphasis added