As an “at large” member of the school board, my district would comprise the entirety of Fairfax County. I would be inclined to give considerable deference to the judgments of the magisterial district member(s) of the school board whose schools would be affected by proposed boundary changes. Beyond that, I would insist that all of the costs, benefits, and risks of the status quo and all feasible alternatives must be thoroughly considered and that the “business case” (rationale) for selecting the recommended solution (status quo or alternative) must be well justified. I would also advocate public involvement at each step of the decision process—from definition of the problem, to articulation of the status quo, to determination of feasible and desirable alternatives, to specification of the costs, benefits, and risks, to development of the decision making model to be applied (e.g., priorities assigned to variables), to justification and implementation of the recommended solution. I believe in open and participative government insofar as practicable.
I would be especially interested in innovative alternatives developed through a process of “thinking outside the box.” For example, perhaps the boundary changes could be made incrementally in a way that minimizes disruption of the education of our students (e.g., over a period of years, in which current students might be “grandfathered” and allowed to graduate from their current school during a period following the boundary changes, while entering students and transfer students would be immediately subject to the boundary changes). The proposal to “grandfather siblings” is one example of the innovative ideas that can be identified through public involvement in school planning and management, which I strongly support. This proposal seems reasonable to me, and I would be an advocate for considering it, along with any others that may help to avoid or minimize the negative effects of redistricting on our school families.
I am in favor of a countywide review of school infrastructure and operations, including school administration, facilities, transportation, technology, boundaries, student projections, etc. We must keep the Capital Improvement Program current with changing requirements and forecasts. The planning criteria should ensure the placement of facilities for mainstream, advanced, alternative, special, and adult education where the students are or, according to projections, will be. I am open to the idea of creating another magnet school on the South Lakes campus, and I would advocate that it be considered along with other proposals as a part of a countywide review of school system requirements, operations, and resources.
Generally, I would take a disciplined, scientific, and businesslike approach to all major decisions that the school board must make. I do not like black-white or take-it-or-leave-it solutions to problems if they can be avoided. I would always look for a “grey” alternative that maximizes the benefits and minimizes the costs and risks of the recommended solution to be implemented. Public involvement is one way of identifying innovative solutions to school problems. As an "at large" member of the school board, I would advocate for greater transparency and accountability of Fairfax County Public Schools.
Finally, I feel greatly honored to have been endorsed by the group
www.StopRD-PAC.org. As an "at large" member of the school board, I would work to ensure that everyone concerned about redistricting receives a fair hearing and that proposed alternatives to redistricting receive proper consideration.