After one of the most contentious
school board elections in years, the newly elected board has the heavy
responsibility of selecting the new FCPS superintendent to replace Jack Dale,
who will depart in 2013.
The new board, which will be sworn
in Dec 19, consists of 10 members endorsed by the Democratic party and two endorsed
by the Republican party. It is split six-six between incumbents and newcomers.
The Nov 8 elections garnered unusual attention because of the large number of
“reform” candidates running on the claim that the current school board is
unresponsive to concerns of teachers and parents.
Parent activist and GOP strategist Catherine Lorenze, who
authors the watchdog blog Red Apple Mom, advised ten of the new candidates and
directly managed the campaigns of three of them. Two of the ten candidates,
Megan McLaughlin (Braddock district) and Elizabeth Schultz (Springfield), were
elected.
Schultz, one of the “reform”
candidates, said in an interview that she wants to see a superintendent who
focuses on “education outcomes” and worries less about public image.
The question to ask is “what is the product of the Fairfax
county curriculum?” she said. “If you take care of [that], the public relations
will follow.”
Schultz also criticized the current
school board for “pressing ahead” on whether high schools should have interior
surveillance cameras. “There hasn’t been sufficient accountability to the
parents,” she said. “If it’s a good idea, it will still be a good idea when we
come on.”
The school board is expected to
vote on the cameras, which have been requested by FCPS principals, Dec 15.
McLaughlin told The Washington Post
before the election that Dale had failed to respond to “authentic parent
concerns.” She wants to establish a stronger partnership between the board and
the community.
Patricia
Reed (Providence), who represents Marshall’s district and could not be reached
for comment, noted in a written statement to the Fairfax County Council of PTAs
that parents and Jack Dale often seemed to be in conflict. “Parent and other
stakeholder inputs need to be key considerations factored into Superintendent
and Board decisions, not afterthoughts,” she wrote.
Reed also seeks to actively
incorporate community input into the search for a new superintendent, whom she
hopes will have “humility and an openness to a variety of ideas and
perspectives.”