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If students have more keyboards at the tips of their fingers and get hands-on professional experience, they'll succeed against global competition, Lou August says.

The Silver Spring resident, who is running for District 5 representative at the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education, says it is time for schools to embrace technology that will allow self-motivated students to learn remotely. He also wants MCPS to create "work-based learning" programs that take advantage of corporate headquarters in the Washington, D.C., area to give students real-life skills and knowledge to prepare them for the global economy.

August, who worked at IBM before founding a technology services firm, said the question that drives his educational philosophy is: "What is our competitive advantage that is going to give our students the best socioeconomic opportunities on the planet?"

He is running against current District 5 board member Michael Durso, as well as Martha Schaerr and Louis Wilen, in the Sept. 14 nonpartisan primary election. The top two vote-getters in the primary will move on to face each other in the Nov. 2 general election.

While August believes MCPS, the board and Superintendent of Schools Jerry Weast have done a good job serving high-achieving students and closing achievement gaps among certain student groups, he says the school system is using the same education model of 120 years ago.

Instead of propping up traditional schools with their significant overhead costs, August imagines an educational system that eventually would allow 20 percent of students who have shown they can function independently to work at home, or in learning annexes attached to libraries. They would have computers and other remote-learning devices provided to them through federal programs.

The remote-learning program would save money for MCPS, August argues, through fewer working hours for schools' staff, as well as decreased needs for transportation, facilities infrastructure and supplies.

August cited the for-profit, online University of Phoenix as a company that has been changing the rules of how people learn.

August founded the Mount Rainier Technology Camp on the West Coast, and said providing technology-based and outdoor learning programs for underserved students can help them learn. He also said low-achieving students could see the biggest benefit from remote-learning programs.

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"I think it's part of a social evolution," August said.

"Learning is not just something that happens in school," he said, adding that he has an advantage over other board members and candidates because "[t]hey haven't run a business. They haven't had to violently adapt to change."

On the more immediate issues, August says the school board is going to have to improve learning opportunities and access with less money.

In finding a replacement for Weast, who announced last week that he will retire when his contract expires next year, August said the board should seek a candidate with a background in innovation as well as education.

-Residence: Silver Spring

-Age: 51

-Party: Nonpartisan election

-Education: Bachelor's degree, University of Michigan; master's in business administration, Loyola University

-Work experience: IBM; founder of Monarch Microsystems, computer manufacturing firm; reorganized Monarch Microsystems into Trinity Technology.

-Community experience: Founder, Technology Education and Work-Based Learning Program at YMCA of Montgomery County; board member, Community for Creative Non-Violence homeless shelter, 2006-present

-Family: Married, four children

-Top three issues: Access to quality education anytime, anywhere; business partnerships with Montgomery County Public Schools; new entrepreneurship and leadership programs

-Website: www.louaugust.com