Office sought: Fairfax County School Board, At large
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Previous offices held; please include dates: none
Incumbents: when elected to this position: n/a
Occupation: not currently employed
Current employment (include name and address of employers): n/a
Previous employment: FCPS, part-time clerical; FCPS, full time Instructional Assistant; Executive Tax Service, part-time tax preparer; E.F. McDonald Co, full time programmer/analyst.
Education: (please list schools attended, degrees and dates)
Miami University, Oxford, OH, BS. Business, May 1975
Community ties: St. Andrews Catholic Church, Clifton; Coalition for Good Schools member; Westfield Community Coalition member
ENDORSEMENTS: Fairfax Education Association; “Top of the Class” ranking by the Fairfax County Council of PTAs; Right to Read Coalition
1. What is your top public-service accomplishment?
As the first PTA president at Westfield High School, I brought parents from three different high school pyramids together to create a sense of community to work together on behalf of students. These were parents who came from schools with long standing rivalries and parents who were unhappy with the outcome of the boundary process but I was able to bring them together to establish traditions that made them and their students proud to be members of the Westfield community.
2. Incumbents: Describe the top accomplishment of your last term. Why shouldn’t voters blame you for current problems in your district? N/a
3. What are the top five problems facing your constituents and what approaches will you use to solve them? Describe one challenge (or more) in your district that is different than other parts of the county.
1. Class size – We must find a balance that allows for class sizes to be kept as small as possible especially in lower elementary classes and those classes with high numbers of special education students.
2. Quality teachers – We must offer competitive salary/benefits packages in order to recruit and retain high quality teachers and administrators in addition to providing adequate support staff, mentoring and staff development.
3. Facilities – Renovation/new construction are needed in every part of the county. We must find creative ways to use non-traditional classroom space within school buildings and alternative funding sources.
4. Federal No Child Left Behind and Virginia SOL/SOAs – Complying with these accountability programs will be challenging because they are under-funded and will have serious consequences for students. I am very concerned about using any single criteria like an SOL test as a barrier to promotion or graduation. We must identify students at risk to fail these tests early in the school year and offer appropriate services to give them every opportunity to succeed. NCLB requires that Special Education students and those who are not native English speakers pass these tests. We must ensure that they have the needed resources to be successful and that we really do not leave ANY child behind.
5. Minority achievement – If we are to help ALL children succeed, we must offer effective programs that meet the needs of all children regardless of race, ethnicity, economic need, gender, etc. We must monitor and adjust resources to meet those needs. School staff should reflect the makeup of the community in order to provide models to all children. All students should have access to all programs including special education, gifted and talented and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
The challenge for an at-large office holder is to stay focused on the big picture. While district representatives need to focus on the specific issues of the schools and students in their districts, I plan to look at issues that affect students across Fairfax County to look for solutions to problems and share successes all across the county.
4. What qualities, qualifications and characteristics will you bring to this office?
I bring a commitment to public education and a passion to work hard for the citizens of Fairfax County. I have a proven record of leadership within the State PTA as Fairfax District Director and I bring experience with many different issues that affect students and schools. As vice-chair of the Superintendent’s Community Advisory Council I have been part of a diverse group of citizens who educated themselves and share their ideas and concerns with the Superintendent. I am the sole citizen representative to the executive committee of the Virginia High School League which has a mission to serve youth by establishing and maintaining standards for student activities and competitions that promote education, personal growth, sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship. I am the State PTA representative to a group called Partners Against Hate which is a joint project of the Anti Defamation League and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund bringing many organizations together to education youth and those who work with them to prevent hate crimes. I was a founding member of the Westfield Community Coalition which is run through the FCPS Safe and Drug Free Youth Office to bring communities together to education children and youth about risk behaviors such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco and gang violence. All of the organizations are about educating students and keeping them safe and healthy. This is what I do. This is my passion.
5. How will voters best distinguish between you and your opponent(s)?
I will bring a common sense approach to the School board. I believe in offering a wide range of programs to address the needs of a student population that is racially, ethnically, and economically diverse. I believe that public education is important not just for students, but for our communities, our state and our country. Neighborhood schools should be a cornerstone of community activity and spirit. I have a proven commitment to working for children and advocating for public schools for the past 15 years at the local and state level. My position as Director of the Fairfax District PTA has allowed me to interact with parents in all areas of Fairfax County and to see first hand the issues and concerns that affect them.
6. What is the minority achievement gap? How have the schools been successfully addressing this gap? What more can they do?
The minority achievement gap is the difference in average test scores between white students and students who are African American, Hispanic, and Asian. While some strides have been made in closing this gap, there is more work to be done. We must start working with students in the early grades and conscientiously monitor their progress through the system providing appropriate resources where needed. Opportunities to participate in programs like G/T school based, center based and Thomas Jefferson High School must be facilitated through better preparing students to qualify. I also believe that we need to look closely at the admissions process at TJ to encourage a more diverse applicant pool.
7. What is your understanding of research studies into the effect of school size on student achievement? What are the implications for FCPS?
Research shows that smaller schools are better. Because of decisions made in the past and economic constraints, Fairfax County has built large schools to accommodate explosive growth and take advantage of economies of scale. I believe that most large schools in Fairfax County are doing a good job of creating the “feel” of a small school by assigning students to teams or subschools. These groupings allow school staff to get to know students and monitor them so they are not as likely to get lost in the crowd. Teams and subschools allow parents to get to know teachers and counselors and provide the kind of cooperative support that facilitates student success.
8. What is your understanding of research studies on sleep patterns of teenagers and the implications for high school start times?
I believe that most studies show that high school students do not perform their best work in the early morning and that a later start time would be beneficial. FCPS has studied this and is working on a late start pilot. This is, again, a budget issue because a later start for high school would require additional buses and drivers. The alternative is to start elementary schools earlier which was rejected because of safety concerns of putting young children at bus stops in the darkness of early morning. I believe that some creative scheduling which allows students to choose an early start or a later start would solve not only this issue, but some of our facilities shortages, as well.
9. If reducing class size is a priority, how would you re-allocate the budget to pay for this change?
Class size is the number one concern of parents. We need to keep classes as small as is economically feasible but this does not have to be an all or nothing approach. Lower elementary classes should be kept small as should classes with large numbers of special education students. I believe that if we look closely at where small classes can be most effective, we can do it without drastic budget adjustments.
10. Is there "waste" in the school budget? If so, where and how much? If you can't pinpoint precisely, in what specific area would you begin looking?
I believe the school system has made cuts in the past couple of years which eliminated a lot of the waste. The recently released Gibson Consulting Group study has outlined some areas worth taking a closer look at although some of their suggestions were unrealistic.
11. Has the cluster director system been successful? If so, give examples. If not, what alternatives should be explored?
The cluster director system has been a huge improvement over the previous system of Area superintendents. Cluster directors are responsible for hiring and evaluating principals, they are the next level for parent complaints, and they are the key to communications and coordination within pyramids to facilitate smooth transitions as students advance through the system. I just don’t think it was practical to expect an area superintendent to keep track of every issue and deal effectively with 75+ schools. The cluster system has been much more responsive to principals and parents.
12. What have been the advantages and disadvantages of SOLs?
SOL tests have had the positive effect of focusing resources on some underachieving students. I believe they could be a useful tool when combined with other criteria such as teacher evaluations but I am opposed to their use as a single criteria barrier for promotion and graduation. There is also concern that teachers feel pressured to “teach to the test” using rote memorization in place of teaching higher level thinking skills that our students will need to be productive citizens.
13. Explain how No Child Left Behind sets standards on categories of students and its implications for Fairfax County schools.
NCLB puts students into several subgroups—major racial/ethnic groups, limited English proficiency, special education and income. Benchmarks were set last year which defined “Adequate Yearly Progress” and each subgroup is expected to reach these marks. I believe it is unrealistic to expect Special Education students and those who are not native English speakers to pass these tests at the same level as regular education students. If even one subgroup in a Title I school fails to meet these benchmarks for two years in a row, there are several repercussions. Because of the large numbers of non native English speakers in some areas of the county, and the trend toward special education inclusion, it will be very difficult for some schools to meet these requirements. This under-funded federal mandate will put a great financial burden on FCPS.
14. If you had an extra $1 million to spend on the school system any way you would like, how would you spend it?
I would put it into further expanding full day kindergarten.
15. What are the hallmarks of a well-run school? Include measurable characteristics.
A well run school first of all has an experienced and creative principal who sets a climate that is positive for staff, students and parents. The principal must balance staff supervision with allowing the freedom to do their jobs creatively. Staff must exhibit mutual respect and cooperative attitudes about teaching and mentoring students. The facility must be clean and bright with adequate supplies and technology to support learning. It should be a safe environment with trained security personnel to oversee student interaction as well as guard against outside dangers. Staff, students and parents should feel comfortable that crisis plans are in place and that school personnel know what to do in any emergency. Students must have clear rules that are enforced fairly and equitably but should be included in the decision-making whenever and wherever appropriate. Co-curricular and extra-curricular activities must be available to as many students as possible but with a clear message that academics are a priority. Recognition of outstanding achievement and effort in and out of the classroom should be frequent and public. Parents must feel welcome in the building to address issues and concerns about their students, as well as to participate as volunteers. There must be frequent pro-active communication between parents and staff. In addition to measuring these characteristics in traditional ways like test scores, graduation rates, student awards, staff turnover, number of complaints, etc., it is important to assess the attitudes of stakeholders. Does the school have a “positive feel” to it? Do people want to be there?
16. What are the hallmarks of an excellent teacher? Include measurable characteristics.
An excellent teacher likes kids and is committed to being an educator. An excellent teacher exhibits the skills of classroom management, organized lesson plans, and mastery of subject matter. He or she also recognizes and addresses a variety of learning styles among students in the class. This teacher is also a lifelong learner who stays abreast of current best practices and adjusts often to implement them. Technology is integrated into learning wherever possible. An excellent teacher gives students and parents clear expectations and continually communicates with students and parents about students’ progress having used several criteria to assess that progress. Measurable characteristics include test scores and complaints but again, should also include some evaluation of how comfortable students are in the classroom with that teacher.
17. If you were to create your own core curriculum, what subjects would you include? Place in priority order.
Reading/Language Arts
Mathematics
Science
Social Studies
Fine Arts (music/theatre/art)
Physical Education
(computer skills should be integrated into all of these)
18. What are the advantages and disadvantages of public-private partnerships as they relate to Fairfax County schools?
The primary advantage is that it is an alternative source of funding that would allow FCPS meet it’s facilities needs on a faster timeline than the current CIP calls for. It also makes the philosophy of schools as a center of the community more of a reality as the private sector literally takes ownership of the school building. Disadvantages would be a loss of total control of the project. We will be watching the new south county high school project carefully.
19. How would you increase involvement of the general public in the public schools?
We need to encourage continued and expanded relationships between schools and PTAs, business partnerships and other community organizations. I think media attention to more of the ‘good’ things going on in schools would be very helpful. We need to encourage more citizens who aren’t parents to come into the building and volunteer. There is such a wonderful variety of knowledge and experience in our community that would benefit our students in so many ways. There is the obvious benefit of volunteer work but also the benefit of having many different adult models for students to learn from.
20. How would you increase parental involvement in the public schools?
I think the schools need to be more flexible. Some of the current barriers to parental involvement include scheduling (parents who are at work during the day or have small children or older parents to care for), language (our increasingly diverse population requires some real creativity in how we communicate) and culture (often parents of other cultures don’t understand that parents are welcome in our public schools). Meetings need to be held at varying times of day, and perhaps even various locations within a school boundary -- not always at the school. Creating an open and welcoming environment, and providing translators and parent liaisons would be very important.
21. What additional public safety steps would you recommend in addressing gangs and violent activities on or near school property? Has the rate of violent acts increased, decreased or stayed the same in the last four years? County-wide? By pyramid in the area you live?
The Fairfax County Police Dept has done a good job in recent years of education communities on how to identify gang activity so it’s hard to say whether it is increasing or we are just doing a better job of identifying it. Either way, it’s there and we need to deal with it. We need to continue to work through the Police Dept, FCPS Safe and Drug Free Youth programs, and Community Coalitions like the Westfield Community Coalition which I help to establish. These groups educate parents, school officials and students on the dangers of gang involvement and how to identify gang symbols and behaviors.
22. What school-boundary strategies could be used to address the inequity of under- and over-enrolled schools within FCPS?
A careful look at where we put students in new “infill” developments might help this a little bit rather than just grandfathering them into their closest neighborhood school. I think more effective strategies would be program oriented rather than boundary oriented. We should look into expanding magnet programs, academies, centers, etc. into under-enrolled schools.