By Brad Swanson: School board members have great power in Fairfax County, the 10th largest school district in the country, with a budget of almost $3 billion. And candidates – who are technically non-partisan — avidly seek the endorsement of…
Category: Education
School Board at-large candidates sound off on issues
By Karen Kirk: School safety, diversity and challenges facing Fairfax County Schools were the top issues at a forum Saturday featuring at-large candidates for the Fairfax County School Board. The forum was held at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls…
Melanie Meren wins Hunter Mill endorsement for school board
By Karen Kirk: Melanie Meren won the endorsement of the Hunter Mill Democratic Committee for the district’s Fairfax County School Board seat Wednesday night surpassing candidate Andy Sigle. Voting took place after each candidate had a chance to address committee…
Laura Jane Cohen victorious in Springfield Dems school board endorsement vote
Laura Jane Cohen was endorsed overwhelmingly on Apr. 27 by Springfield District Democratic Committee for the district’s Fairfax County School Board seat. Cohen, a teacher and PTA president, will face incumbent Elizabeth Schultz, a Republican, in the general election on…
Ricardy Anderson triumphs in Mason school board endorsement vote
Dr. Ricardy Anderson, a long-time professional educator, won the Mason District Democratic Committee endorsement vote for the district’s member on the Fairfax County School Board on April 24. Anderson served as classroom teacher and worked her way up to principal of…
Karl Frisch wins Providence School Board endorsement by wide margin
Karl Frisch was endorsed by the Providence District Democratic Committee (PDDC) on April 23 as candidate for that district’s Fairfax County School Board seat. It was the first contested Democratic district school board vote in the 2019 election season. Frisch,…
What it means to be an immigrant on the Fairfax County School Board
By Ilryong Moon: Fairfax County prides itself on its diversity. Our students come from all over the world and speak more than 200 languages. About a third of our county residents were born outside the U.S. In fact, Fairfax County…
Karl Frisch wants to put equity into action as Providence’s school board member
By Karl Frisch: My partner, Evan, and I have 150 kids in Fairfax County Public Schools–he’s a teacher. When you love a teacher, you share your life together with their students. The challenges they face are your challenges, too. I…
Karen Keys-Gamarra: Why I’m running again to be at-large school board member
By Karen Keys-Gamarra: It’s that time again in Fairfax County when every local elected official will be on the ballot. This ballot that covers elections from supervisors to the Soil and Water Conservation District board is expansive and contains more…
Fairfax schools must stop honoring white supremacy
By Sean Perryman: In August of 2017, James Alex Fields, Jr. intentionally drove his Dodge Challenger into dozens of people, mowing them down and murdering Heather Heyer. In response to the day of violence surrounding the “Unite the Right” rally,…
Murder convict honored in Fairfax for jailhouse legal service
By Lainie Singerman: A convicted murderer turned legal scholar was honored in Fairfax on March 24 for his contributions to criminal justice reform, including helping to exonerate a fellow death row inmate. The Citizen Advocate of the Year award, from…
Solar panels for up to 200 Fairfax schools and govt. buildings
By Brad Swanson: Fairfax County will seek bids shortly to install solar panels at more than 200 school and government buildings, aiming to decrease electric costs and curb greenhouse emissions. Solar panel installers will be asked to propose terms for…
Kids need exposure to diverse careers, says school board candidate Jung Byun
By Jung Byun: Growing up in an inner-city public school district sparked my passion and curiosity for education. I learned that not everyone is guaranteed access to a high-quality education. I was one of the few lucky students who tested…
First Person: Want to know what matters most to Fairfax high school students? Let one tell you
By Trisha Rahman: As a student currently attending a Fairfax County Public high school, I am familiar with many of the issues high school students care about. Yes, we think about test scores, our football team stats, even Ariana Grande’s…