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