Ed Weinberg is not surprised Steve Hunt is seeking an at-large seat on the Fairfax County School Board. Weinberg has seen first-hand Hunt’s professional side and his commitment to civic responsibility.
“He’s a great person, very smart, very common sense, easy going and very Christian,” said Weinberg, who has worked with Hunt professionally for about a year and has served on various county committees with him as well. “He is extremely open-minded. In committee meetings, he sits and absorbs what’s being said. There have been times where he said OK, I didn’t think of that and made the idea his own. He is always willing to listen.”
That willingness to listen, Hunt says, is one of the reasons he is a perfect fit for the School Board, which in the past has been bogged down in political philosophical differences.
“The partisan issue is one that comes from the fact that there are parallels between party philosophy and personal beliefs. … I think both sides tend to recognize the issues, they just disagree on how to address them,” Hunt said. “From my perspective, if someone has a good idea, let’s discuss it and try it. If I think we’re going down the wrong path, I will do my best to stop it.”
DURING HUNT’S last tour in the Navy, he served as a volunteer youth director and became “appalled at the lack of reading and math skills and saw how that could lead to behavioral problems,” he said.
Ensuring a curriculum grounded in the fundamentals, which provides students the basic reading and math skills, and accountability for the entire school system are the two most important issues facing Fairfax County schools, Hunt says.
He favors implementing the reading strategies backed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“NIH has done 20 years of study. It’s not opinion, it’s not anecdotal. It is scientific study that followed individuals for 20 years and found it works,” Hunt said. “There are five components and phonics is one of them. We do well with four of the components, but not phonics.”
Hunt also said that by applying the NIH components, the school system can save about $170 million-$180 million on remediation programs, money, that can be used in the classroom and to pay teachers higher salaries, he said.
As for math, Hunt would like to see students able to do simple computations before being allowed to have calculators or other aid devices in class.
He supports the school system creating an inspector general position to increase the visibility and accountability for the decision makers.
“It can be very difficult to penetrate and find out what is going on in the school system. Some of that is because it’s so large and some of it is because the administration tends to make things difficult,” Hunt said. “In order to get the funding we need, we need to know what is working and what is not working.”
THAT’S WHERE HIS military background gives him an edge, Hunt said. It provided him with leadership and decision making skills. He also describes himself as having a “results-oriented focus.”
Weinberg said that focus has been evident with Hunt’s committee work, but it does not mean Hunt has a one-track mind.
“He’s honest, very honest and very smart. He’s a true gentleman,” Weinberg said. “He is able to stick to the issues, but he is a very personable guy.”
Weinberg said Hunt has been able to learn from his experiences and as a result knows what traits work and what does not when trying to accomplish a goal.
Right now, his goal is to be elected to the School Board. Hunt unsuccessfully sought the same seat in the last elections.
“He ran in 1999 and quite frankly he did better than most thought he would,” said School Board member Christian Braunlich (Lee), who is seeking the 36th district state Senate seat. “He has become a good campaigner.”
Through the years, Hunt’s sense of civic duty has led to him serve on the board of directors for the Assist Pregnancy Center; as an appointee to the school system’s Health Advisory Committee and the Family Life Education Advisory Board. In addition, he has been a vice commander for the American Legion Post 1995; sponsor representative for the Cub Scout Pack 321 and Boy Scout Troop 1995. Hunt has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and at the nursery at the Chantilly Bible Church.