If you want to vote in the May 4, 2010 election you must be registered to vote by April 12.
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
I have extensive management experience.
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).
I am a parent with three children in Fairfax public schools.
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 bring an independent and fresh perspective.
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
There are three reasons I hope you will help me continue to serve our community.
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.
