Christine Arakelian, 34, is running for the Hunter Mill District School Board position, occupied by Stu Gibson. Arakelian said she decided to run because of a disconnect between the School Board and parents of Fairfax County students.
"In my experience, the School Board has been unresponsive with parental concerns," said Arakelian. A way of fixing that, she said, is to have a parent on the board.
Arakelian said the School Board has not been able to answer some basic questions parents have posed over the past couple of years. She is a mother of a "twice exceptional" — gifted and with a learning disability — third grader at Hunters Woods Elementary School. A question she has not received an answer to is what percentage of teachers in the county are trained to educate students who are both gifted and possess a learning disability. Another question she wants answered is why Reston schools continue to fail Standards of Learning (SOL) tests.
"A School Board member should be willing to ask school administration tough questions, to ensure concerns of parents are being addressed," said Arakelian.
Arakelian is a Reston resident since 1998. She is the vice president for business development with Omnicare, where she is in charge of mergers and acquisitions. The Connection incorrectly reported that Stu Gibson is running unopposed for the Hunter Mill District seat on the Fairfax County School Board.