I wish the new School Board success as they advocate for our children in the City.

-Jim

There will be a link on the homepage, but it doesn’t go live until it has data to report.

In a small city like ours, final results will probably be known by 9:00 PM at the latest.

Thank you for your support.

-Jim

Polls are open 6 AM to 7 PM.

All regular Polling Locations will be open.(http://www.fairfaxva.gov/Registrar/PollingLocations.asp)

Results will be available on-line at the City’s web page.  Or you can join us at Old City Hall when the polls close to hear the results live.

Thank you for your interest and support.

-Jim

In the past week I have attended Meet & Greets hosted by my friends in across the City and reached out to everyone interested in our race.  My particular thanks to retiring School Board Member Julie Knight for hosting one during this final week and for her support.  I appreciate her service and her presence on the Board will be missed.

The elecion is on Tuesday – May 4 – and the polls are open from 6:00 AM until 7:00 PM.  All six City polling locations are open.

If you can’t make it Tuesday, you can vote ABSENTEE-IN-PERSON today until 5:00 PM or tomorrow – Saturday, May 1 – 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM in the Registrar’s Office.  The office is located in the Sisson House on the grounds of City Hall.

On Tuesday, I will be at the polls all day getting out my message to those voters who I haven’t yet met.  Then I will join the City’s tradition when all candidates join together at Old City Hall to hear the results.  This is open to the public, and most of the campaigns have contributed towards some light refreshments, so please join us once the polls have closed.

Thank you all for your interest and your support.

-Jim

1 – Q: What does the School Board do?  A:  It oversees our contracts with the County to run and manage our schools; it oversees major capital improvements; and it directs some limited additional resources to our schools.  The City School Board does not hire school staff and teachers, it does notset or modify curriculum, it does not determine budget priorities in our schools.  Its only way to impact on these issues is through relationships with the County and any discussions on our contractual obligations.  (See the link on the relationship for more details).  This is one area where people understand what I bring to the table – a background in overseeing contracts (including during my time in the Office of Management at the U.S. Dept. of Education) and years of working with and establishing partnerships with County officials.

2 – I don’t have kids in the schools, why should I care?  A: Parents with kids in the schools clearly have a vested interest in their quality.  But all taxpayers and homeowners have a stake as well.  When our schools are well maintained and desirable places for people to send their kids, our home values increase.  We also want to make sure we get good value for the funds we send to the County to run our schools – and don’t want to see the funds wasted.

3 – Q: Why are you running?  Is this a paid, full-time job?  A:  I’m running for three simple reasons: Shauna, Sierra and Elana.  I want to make sure my kids continue to get a good education in our schools.  Stacie and I chose this neighborhood for its schools and community – and we are dedicated to keeping them strong.  I’m also running because, in these tough budget years, I want to make sure that our money is being well spent and that the County doesn’t make budget decisions to fix its own problems without an awareness of how those decisions will impact the City.  And, no, this is not a paid, full-time job.  It’s a part-time, volunteer position.  I will serve in the evenings and at school events, but will not benefit from it financially.  If there are any per diem or related reimbursements, I plan to donate them to our PTA’s.

I hear much more on the trail – on a wide range of issues.  Have a question for me?  Drop me an email or ask when I knock on your door.

-Jim

If you want to vote absentee, your application must be postmarked by April 27 or delivered to City Hall in person by May 1.  The application is available on my “links” section.

See http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/documents/2010_May_Election_Calendar.pdf for details.

Please vote on May 4th!

-Jim

The City contracts with the County to run our schools.  The School Board’s resposnibility is to oversee and manage this relationship.  The City is also responsible for any major capitol improvments that are needed at the facilities.  It has little direct control over day to day operations.

My management experience – and in particular, my time working on contracts and facilities at the U.S. Department of Education – will be an asset on the School Board.  

During my service in the Office of Management at the U.S. Department of Education, I managed the President’s Management Agenda for the entire department.  During my tenure we made major strides, improving our scores every quarter and becoming one of the top rated federal departments in areas such  as Budget Performance and Integration – and one of the first to meet the new E-Government standards.  I also served as the Chief of Staff for a period to the department’s  Chief Information Officer, helping to improve technology across the board.

The School Board manages the contracts we have with the County and oversees the costs associated with our recent renovations to the buildings.  It is important to have someone who can ask the tough questions and has the experience to know what is involved in executing a government contract.  With my background as a manager and my experience at the Department of Educaiton working with contracts and infrastructure, I will be a voice on the City of Fairfax School Board for responsible and accountable government.

-Jim

(for more details on the City-County relationship see http://www.fairfaxva.gov/school/citycountyconnection.asp).

While all of the candidates are committed to improving the quality of education in Fairfax, only three of the six candidates have children in our schools today.

As a parent I know how decisions will impact directly on our daily lives.  It is a perspective I will bring to the Board.

For example, when Fairfax County considered moving school start times I knew how difficult it would be to rearrange all of the other activities – sports, arts, religous school – to adjust to the proposed changes.  I knew because we looked at our calendar and saw the challenges our family would face.

Additionally, the proposal would have had a larger impact on parents with children in multiple schools.  This was clear to me because my daughters, who currently leave for school at the same time and return within 20 minutes of each other, would have left 30 minutes apart and returned an hour apart in the afternoons.  This would have greatly impacted the ability of my daughters to attend after-school programs – and posed additional logistical challenges for my wife and I.

When “Town Halls” were originally scheduled to secure public comment – none were scheduled in the City.  I reached out to both City and County School Board Members and together we were able to add a date for a “Town Hall” at Providence ES where City residents could more easily attend.

In another example of where direct involvement raises awareness: when one of my daughters chose to attend Mosby Woods ES this year as part of the Advanced Academics program, we were concerned that she would lose the foreign language classes provided at Providence which we find so enriching.  My wife and I worked with other parents, the schools and the City of Fairfax to make arrangements for City students attending a County school to take the language as an after-school program.  Someone not in this position may not have been aware of this issue.

When the County makes decisions that affect all City residents, I will speak up and ask the tough questions on behalf of all those who will feel the impact.  As a parent with kids in the schools, I will feel these impacts directly and be able to ask the questions all parents are asking.  As a parent who is at the bus stop every morning and in our schools on a regular basis, I will hear the concerns of other parents – and of our kids – and be a voice for all of us when decisions are made.

The two incumbents retiring from the Board this year both have children in our schools.  It is important for parents with kids at a City of Fairfax school continue to have a strong voice on the School Board.  I will continue that tradition.

-Jim

I am not a teacher.  I have never received a paycheck from Fairfax schools.  I  have never held elected office.   I respect those who have served, but also believe there needs to be at least one person asking questions and reviewing documents from a different point of view.

Three of the candidates on the ballot are incumbents.  The other two candidates are both teachers. 

That leaves me. 

I spent time working in education at the national level – but my focus was on budgets and management.  That gives me the experience to ask the right questions while I maintain the perspective of one who has not spent a lifetime in the field.

This combination of fresh eyes and a background in management sets me apart from the other candidates.  It is one reason why I am asking for your vote.

-Jim

As the father of three daughters attending Fairfax schools (two at Providence Elementary, one at Mosby Woods Elementary) I am committed to making our schools the best.  As the husband and son of public school teachers, I know the challenges they face and the support that they need.

My service at the U.S. Department of Education will be an asset to our City.  The City School Board’s primary responsibility is overseeing the contract we have with Fairfax County to run most aspects of our schools.  I worked in the Office of Management where we oversaw contracts, human resources, technology and facilities — similar to the issues the School Board needs to coordinate with the county.  In these times of tight budgets, my experience as a project manager will help us to recognize our challenges and to develop approaches to address them.

As a local volunteer and activist, I know how to work with our community leaders and have heard from a variety of voices in our community.  Serving in leadership roles in my homeowners association, the Fairfax “Host” Lions Club, the Northern Virginia Parents of Multiples and in other community organizations, and as a member of two Parent-Teacher Associations, I have learned about the needs of our community and worked to help us fulfill them.  I also have long-standing relationships with our City leadership as well as with many in the county, state and federal government who we need to work with to accomplish our goals.

The City of Fairfax School Board is non-partisan and I am reaching out to our entire community.  I look forward to continuing to work with all of you who are committed to building a strong local government.