VOTE March 2, 2010News:
School Spending is Key Issue in Board's Special election - FarifaxTimes.com
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Voters in the Mason District will fill the school board seat left vacant by last fall's election of Kaye Kory to the House of Delegates. It's ostensibly a nonpartisan position, but political parties are allowed to make endorsements. Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) is backing attorney Samantha Rucker, while Fairfax's Democratic establishment has embraced former journalist and school activist Sandra Evans. Both candidates rightly identify the budget shortfall facing the schools as the top issue, but Ms. Evans has more experience and better ideas.
Ms. Evans, a former reporter for The Washington Post, has a consistent track record of work on school issues linked to her two daughters, who graduated from the public schools. As a leader of an effort to change high school starting times, Ms. Evans spent years scrutinizing the school budget; a result of that work was transportation efficiencies that saved the system millions of dollars. When she talks about cutting administrative costs, she is specific in where she would cut and how much she would save.
Mason is the county's most diverse area, with the most students coming from low-income families; Ms. Evans speaks knowledgeably of their needs and the importance of the county doing a better job to serve their interests.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010
For more information contact: Kim Smith, campaign manager, 703-624-1182
PARENT ADVOCATE GROUPS FAIRGRADE and FairfaxCAPS
ENDORSE SANDY EVANS FOR SCHOOL BOARD
FAIRGRADE and Fairfax CAPS (Coalition of Advocates for Public Schools), two of the most prominent parent advocacy groups in Fairfax County, have endorsed Sandy Evans for the Mason District seat on the Fairfax County School Board.
“FAIRGRADE’s Board of Directors has voted unanimously to endorse Sandy Evans’s candidacy for the Mason District's School Board special election. Given her outstanding record of service as a FCPS parent advocate, FAIRGRADE believes Sandy Evans is the best candidate to bring responsive leadership to the School Board,” FAIRGRADE President Megan McLaughlin said in an endorsement statement on Wednesday.
“We have always been impressed by (Sandy’s) hard work and dedication to the children of FCPS,” the Fairfax CAPS leadership team said in a statement announcing its endorsement. “We feel that if elected, (Sandy Evans) will best represent the interests of our children and will strive to introduce change into the school system.”
FAIRGRADE successfully pushed for a change in the Fairfax County public schools grading scale to a 10-point scale more in line with other jurisdictions’ practice. FairfaxCAPS advocates for educational opportunities, accountability in the school system and fiscal responsibility.
A special election for the School Board seat has been scheduled for March 2. The seat came open after Kaye Kory, the previous Mason District School Board member, was elected to the House of Delegates for the 38th District in November. Kory had urged Evans to run and strongly endorses her.
As an involved public school parent and community leader, Evans has served as a PTA president, Girl Scout leader, academic team coach and parent advocate on health issues and grading policies. She has served as a member and chair of the School Board’s School Health Advisory Committee, Fairfax County Council of PTAs legislative liaison, SLEEP co-founder, FAIRGRADE advisor, Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council, and Northern Virginia Healthy Kids Coalition steering committee member, among others.
A former journalist, Evans has lived in the Falls Church area of Mason District for 17 years with her husband, Steve Hoffman. Their daughter Leah is in graduate school. Their daughter, Zoë, who attended Mason District public schools K-12, graduated last June and is a first-year student at UVA.
The focus of Evans’s campaign include:
- Keeping resources focused on the classroom rather than administration
- Budget leadership and her experience with finding efficiencies for the school system
- How her experience as a long-time involved parent and advocate prepare her to fight for the needs of Mason District students, teachers and schools
- The need for Mason District to have a full-time School Board member.
In addition to having the support of parent advocates and many community leaders, Evans has the endorsements of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee and many elected officials including Congressman Gerry Connolly, Mason District School Board member Penny Gross, Kaye Kory, and five current School Board members, including all three at-large members.
For Immediate Release: Feb. 18, 2010
Contact: evans4sb@aol.com or 703-850-4573
EVANS CALLS FOR FAIRFAX SCHOOL SYSTEM “SNOW DAY” SURVEY,
WANTS TO ENGAGE PUBLIC & TEACHERS ON MAKING UP SNOW DAYS
Fairfax County, VA – Thursday, Feb 18th -- School Board member candidate Sandy Evans today called for Fairfax County Public Schools to survey parents and classroom teachers on how to make up snow days.
“This is a perfect opportunity to get stakeholder input on an important instructional issue that directly affects parents, students and teachers,” Evans said. “A simple online survey that lays out a range of options would help the School Board make a decision that best suits families’ schedules and the needs of classroom teachers.”
Evans said she also advocates pushing standardized test dates to later in the school year whenever possible so students can make up more instruction time before taking them.
This winter’s unprecedented weather has resulted in a need to make up several snow days. Some options the School Board may consider are: 1. adding more days at the end of the school year, 2. adding time to each school day, 3. eliminating student holidays or part of spring break, or 4. requesting a waiver from the state to not make some of the days up.
While none of these are ideal, Evans says that at least the larger school community should be able to make its preferences known before the School Board narrows down the alternatives and makes a decision.
“Surveys are easy and cheap, and this one would be very simple, just laying out the options and asking parents and teachers to weigh in,” Evans said. “This decision about whether or not to make up the snow days and how affects many things, from high school sports schedules to family vacations to transportation issues. Involving parents and teachers in the discussion would help the Board make a better-informed decision.”
On Wednesday Superintendent Jack Dale recommended adding 30 minutes to each school day from March 8 to June 21 as a way to make up instruction days. The school system outlined two other options: one would add 45 minutes to the school day and the other tacks three days onto the school year. (All of the options also turn April 12 from a student holiday to a school day.) The School Board is set to vote on the issue on March 4.
“There are more than three ways of approaching this, and the community should have a chance to consider all of them and express their views before a decision is made,” Evans said.
One of Evans’s campaign themes is improved community involvement in decision-making by the FCPS school system.
For Immediate Release: Feb. 20, 2010
CONTACT: evans4sb@aol.com or 703-850-4573
FAIRFAX EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, LARGEST TEACHERS’ ORGANIZATION, ENDORSES EVANS FOR SCHOOL BOARD
The Fairfax Education Association (FEA), the largest teachers’ organization in Fairfax County, today announced it is endorsing Sandy Evans for the Mason District seat on the Fairfax County School Board.
“Sandy Evans has the background and knowledge to do what is best for both students and teachers. She has a long history of outstanding work as an advocate for quality public education in Fairfax County,” the FEA said in its announcement.
“FEA is pleased to endorse Sandy Evans for School Board and is looking forward to working with her as a partner in advancing FCPS as a world class school system.”
Evans said she was honored to have received the endorsement of this prestigious group.
“Our dedicated classroom teachers are on the front line with our students,” Evans said. “We need to give them the resources they need to do their jobs, pay them properly, reduce their administrative burdens and listen to them on issues large and small.”
The FEA “has long played an important role in advocating for teachers and being a conduit for teacher opinion,” Evans said. “I plan to work closely with this group on issues that affect our teachers, students and parents.”
Fairfax Education Association President Michael Hairston said, “Sandy Evans shares the same goals and objectives as the FEA, and we look forward to working with her to advance these goals.”
A special election for the School Board seat has been scheduled for March 2. The seat came open after Kaye Kory, the previous Mason District School Board member, was elected to the House of Delegates for the 38th District in November. Kory had urged Evans to run and strongly endorses her.
As an involved public school parent and community leader, Evans has served as a PTA president, Girl Scout leader, academic team coach and parent advocate on health issues and grading policies. She has served as a member and chair of the School Board’s School Health Advisory Committee, Fairfax County Council of PTAs legislative liaison, SLEEP co-founder, FAIRGRADE advisor, Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council, and Northern Virginia Healthy Kids Coalition steering committee member.
The focus of Evans’s campaign includes:
- Keeping resources focused on the classroom rather than administration
- Budget leadership and her experience with finding efficiencies
- How her experience as a long-time involved parent and advocate prepare her to fight for the needs of Mason District students, teachers and schools
- The need for Mason District to have a full-time School Board member.
In addition to having the support of the FEA, Evans also has the endorsements of parent advocate groups FAIRGRADE and FairfaxCAPS, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee and many elected officials including Congressman Gerry Connolly, Mason District School Board member Penny Gross, Kaye Kory, and five current School Board members, including all three at-large members.