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Priscilla DeStefano (independent) is a candidate for at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board in Virginia. DeStefano is running in the general election on November 5, 2019.
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Education First
An excellent education is the best gift we can provide our children in Fairfax County. It provides the foundation on which they can build their lives. We owe it to them, and to stakeholders of this county, to provide an education free of partisan politics, personal agendas, and secondary priorities. This current school board has been more focused on secondary priorities and has strayed from the foundations that are critical to the success of our school children. Whether it’s pushing county-issued mandatory laptops on high school students, renaming schools for political reasons, or continuing to place burdensome administrative tasks on our teachers, the current board has failed parents, teachers and tax payers of Fairfax County.
As an elected school board member, I will work tirelessly to re-focus the attention of the board on foundational priorities that put EDUCATION FIRST and stop wasting valuable resources on partisan politics, personal agendas and secondary priorities. Our goal as a school board should be to focus ALL of our resources on providing teachers and students with an educational environment where they can both thrive and one that delivers the superior preparation our children need to compete at the national level.
Transparency & Accountability
I believe parents are the first and most important educators in a child’s life. They need to be engaged in the process and informed about their children’s education. Unfortunately for our current school board this is not a priority and, in fact, they continue to make important decisions prior to seeking community feedback. They are, once again, putting partisan politics, personal agendas and secondary priorities ahead of all else. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly difficult for parents to gain access to and review educational materials their children are given on a daily basis. This is unacceptable and it MUST change.
As an elected school board member, I will work tirelessly to give parents the visibility and the voice they have been lacking. I will work to bring important issues from out of the shadows so that parents can, once again, become engaged and a part of the process. I will work to ensure that access to course materials becomes less cumbersome. Without transparency and accountability I believe students, parents and the community are ill-served by their elected officials.
As an elected school board member I will hold myself and my colleagues accountable to all stakeholders and I will be a voice of reason in support of parental rights.
Success for Every Student
According to FCPS, almost 90% of children have plans to pursue higher education upon leaving high school. What they fail to mention is that only 60% of those students actually graduate from a four year college or university. In a time when our nation’s young adults are drowning in college debt, they certainly can’t afford to fail after they leave FCPS. We owe it to them to prepare them for what lies ahead – whether it’s a four year degree or higher, technical or trade school, full-time employment, or serving our country in the military. Success for each student, regardless of their path, requires a strong educational foundation, strong work ethic, and the necessary life skills to handle the challenges that await them in an ever-changing, fast-paced world.
As a school board member, I will work tirelessly to ensure that our students receive the strongest educational foundation possible, rooted in a rigorous curriculum, compassionate support, and parental involvement. I believe the job of our school board is to create a system that empowers educators to do what they do best and allows our students to thrive. We must do everything in our power to properly prepare them for success, regardless of their chosen path after they leave.
1. What is your position on the proposed change to School Board Policy 8130.7 that was presented to the school board on July 22nd, 2019?
I believe boundaries should be based off what makes sense for the neighborhoods that surround the community schools. Parents choose to move and raise their families in specific
neighborhoods based on a variety of factors, one being which school their children will attend.
The school board needs to respect this and not make rash decisions for political reasons that will undo a families’ life decisions.
The fact that the very first criteria for the new policy are socioeconomic and racial composition of the students is shocking to me. I am running because I want a school board that makes decisions based on the needs of families and each individual child, not their skin color.
2. How will One Fairfax affect your decisions as a school board member?
I want every child in Fairfax County to have opportunities and support that they need in order to thrive in FCPS. I don’t need the One Fairfax policy to do that. The fact that this policy was written based on an idea that “racial and social inequities still exist” to me, is wrong. If the school board wants to talk about ensuring REAL equity throughout the county, more specifically, helping each and every child to succeed, then I’m all for it. I would want to focus on the special needs population, because I think they are currently lacking the resources needed to help every student flourish from the moment they enter FCPS. I would also want to address the minority achievement gap, and learn from teachers and parents what the school board could be doing
better to holistically empower them as educators.
This is the equity the school board should be focused on, not “menstrual equity” or redrawing boundaries based on racial composition.
3. How should racial and/or socioeconomic diversity influence establishing or changing school boundaries?
They shouldn’t. I believe that it is the job of the school board to establish boundaries that make sense for all of our neighborhood communities.Certainly there are other variables that factor into these decisions, however, racial and income driven criteria are an absurd contention. It is not the job of the school board to manipulate boundaries based on a person’s race or socioeconomic status.
4. What is your proposal to relieve McLean High School overcrowding for the short-term and for the longer term?
McLean has a problem with overcrowding that needs to be addressed. I think the boundaries for McLean High School and Langley High School should be temporarily augmented to allow the children that are near Langley, to attend Langley High School. Of course, there may be children that would prefer to stay at McLean (I’m thinking seniors, specifically), and therefore I think the school board should exempt students who would be able to provide their own transportation to
continue to attend McLean.
5. How do you propose to address Langley High School under-capacity?
I think Langley High School being under-capacity is a great problem to have. It allows the overcrowding at McLean to be relieved in the short-term, and allows for opportunities to get
creative with the extra space in the long term. I think Langley could benefit from having an added program that would attract students from all over the county, such as a Career &
Technical Education program.
6. Is there a way to change the CIP process so that it can be more responsive to increases in school enrollment?
For whatever reason the school board has been unable to forecast issues with enrollment, and I think that has a lot to do with not working more closely with the Board of Supervisors. I think the communication between the two boards and their staff needs to be much more open, and should allow for discussion before any major development projects are approved. The availability of demographic information within the county should allow the board to easily examine trends and prepare accordingly.
7. How will you ensure that Great Falls (and surrounding areas currently zoned to Langley) remain in the Langley pyramid?
As an at-large school board member, I would do my very best to fight to keep children in their neighborhood schools. I understand what it’s like to purchase a home based on the intention of sending your children to the assigned school, and it is the job of the school board to meet the needs of their constituents, not to disrupt the lives of the families they serve.
Source: Voice of Fairfax
