Karla Silvestre, president of the Montgomery County Board of Education, is running for an at-large seat on the Montgomery County Council.

Silvestre, a Democrat, is seeking one of four at-large seats in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Voters will choose up to four candidates. The other candidates certified for the ballot are Laurie-Anne Sayles, Marc Elrich, Scott Evan Goldberg, all Democrats, and Republican Sherwin Wells, according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Residence: Silver Spring, Maryland
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in biology, Florida State University (1995); master's degree in education, University of Pennsylvania (2000)

Silvestre said on her campaign website that her family fled Guatemala when she was eight years old after her father was blacklisted for organizing with Indigenous farmers. Weeks after they left, their home was raided, she said. The family started over in the United States with nothing, initially settling in York, Pennsylvania.

She moved to Maryland in 2007, according to the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education website.

Experience and public service

Silvestre has served as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education since 2018, according to BallotReady. She became board president in December 2024, according to the MCPS website. She has also served as chair of the board's Fiscal Management Committee, according to her campaign website.

She has worked as director of community engagement at Montgomery College since 2014, according to BallotReady.

She previously managed the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center in Montgomery County, according to the MCPS website. She also served as Latino liaison in the Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships under County Executive Isiah Leggett. She was a board member of the Woodlin Elementary School PTA.

Before moving to Maryland, Silvestre worked as vice president of Congreso de Latinos Unidos, according to BallotReady. She also served as an education manager in the Philadelphia public school system and a teacher trainer at the Penn-Merck Collaborative for Science Education.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Silvestre's campaign website and her responses on BallotReady.

Housing: Silvestre said she supports building more housing near transit, expanding "missing middle" options such as townhouses and apartment buildings, and increasing the use of accessory dwelling units. She said she wants to speed up permitting without cutting safety standards and align growth with schools and infrastructure.

Education: Silvestre said she wants to protect sustainable school funding and strengthen pathways from MCPS to Montgomery College, four-year institutions and career programs. She said she supports expanding college prep programs like ACES and CollegeTracks. She also called for expanding youth mentorship, street outreach, after-school and summer employment programs.

Economy and budget: Silvestre said she wants to help federal workers connect to new jobs, expand apprenticeships, support small and minority-owned businesses, and streamline permitting by eliminating redundant approvals. On the budget, she said she would resist unsustainable borrowing and work to make budgets easier to understand.

Public safety: Silvestre said she supports hiring officers who reflect the community, investing in de-escalation and bias training, and expanding mental health and crisis response coordination. She also said she supports gun violence prevention focused on illegal firearms, ghost guns and safe gun storage.

Immigration and civil rights: Silvestre said she would stand for due process and family unity, strengthen language access across county agencies, and support legal and crisis assistance for immigrant families. She said she would protect LGBTQ+ residents from discrimination and ensure full accessibility in housing, transit and public spaces for people with disabilities.

Endorsements

The following endorsements are listed on Silvestre's campaign website:

  • Montgomery County Public Schools Retirees Association
  • Gino Renne, UFCW Local 1994 MCGEO
  • Tom Perez
  • Nancy King, Maryland State Senate (D39)
  • Sara Love, Maryland State Senate (D16)
  • Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35
  • Travis Simon, SEIU Local 500
  • Anne Flomenhaft, New American Leaders Action Fund
  • Jeff Buddle, IAFF Local 1664

Candidate positions and biography are based on Silvestre's campaign website and her responses submitted through BallotReady. The Bethesda Beacon did not interview the candidate for this profile.