The newest Howard County School Board candidate wants to promote cooperation among the schools and their communities.
Janet Siddiqui, a pediatrician with Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, plans to make her formal announcement at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Pfieffer?s Corner School House, 6145 Montgomery Road, Elkridge.
“I?m with children every day, and having a physician on the School Board will bring a different perspective,” she said Monday.
With Monday?s announcement by Tony Yount, a retired administrator with the county school system, that he plans to drop out of the race today, the total number of people running remains at 10.
Yount, who serves as a girls soccer coach at Oakland Mills High School, said holding the coaching and School Board positions would be a conflict of interest.
“My loyalty is to the girls on the Oakland Mills High School soccer team,” he said.
Yount?s withdrawal follows that of Carmen Harman, who dropped out several weeks ago.
In the upcoming race, Siddiqui said her goals include focusing on student health care and promoting academic excellence.
She also said a lot of issues “cross borders” in the schools and community.
She is a member of the PTA and the school system?s Anti-Bullying Task Force; was appointed by the governor to the Patuxent River Commission, which works to protect the Patuxent River and its watershed; and volunteers at a local free health clinic.
Siddiqui and her husband, Nayab, have three children.
Many aspirants have said they would address closing the minority achievement gap, funding to renovate older schools, and recruiting and retaining quality teachers.
Other candidates are Frank Aquino, Larry Cohen, Patricia Gordon, Joshua Kaufman, Peter Sola, Di Zou, Sandra French, Ellen Flynn Giles and Roger Lerner.
