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

Si bien todos los candidatos se han comprometido a mejorar la calidad de la educación en Fairfax, sólo tres de los seis candidatos tenemos hijos en nuestras escuelas.

Como padre sé cómo las decisiones tendrán un impacto directamente en nuestra vida cotidiana. Es una perspectiva que traeré a la Junta. Por ejemplo, cuando el condado de Fairfax consideró cambiar la hora de inicio de las escuelas yo sabía lo difícil que sería para reorganizar todas las otras actividades (deportes, artes, escuela religiosa) para adaptarse a los cambios propuestos. Yo supe, porque en mi familia miramos el calendario y vimos los desafíos que nosotros enfrentariamos.

Además, la propuesta habría tenido un impacto mayor en los padres con niños en varias escuelas. Esto estaba claro para mí. Actualmente mis hijas, salen para la escuela en la mañana al mismo tiempo y regresar con 20 minutos de diferencia en las tardes. Si el cambio hubese ocurrido, mis hijas en la mañana saldrain con 30 minutos de diferencia y volverian con una hora de diferencia en las tardes. Esto tendría un gran impacto en la capacidad de que mis hijas pudieran asistir a programas después de la escuela – y plantea desafíos adicionales de logística para mi y mi esposa.   Cuando “los dialogos” fuerón programados para garantizar los comentarios del público – no estaban programados en la ciudad de Fairfax. Por esto fue que me puse en contacto con la ciudad y miembros de la junta escolar del Condado y juntos fuimos capaces de agregar una fecha para “los dialogos” en Providence una de las escules elementales de la ciudad, donde los residentes de la ciudad podrian asistir más fácil.

Otro ejemplo de que la participación directa sensibiliza: cuando una de mis hijas decidió asistir Mosby Woods este año como parte del Programa de “Advanced Academics” nos preocupaba que fuera a perder las clases de idioma extranjero las cuales son para nosotros muy enriquecedoras y son parte del curriculo en Providence. Mi esposa y yo trabajamos con otros padres, las escuelas y la ciudad de Fairfax para que los estudiantes de la ciudad que estan en escuelas del condado pudieran atender clases de un segundo idioma en un programa despues de la escuela (FLES). Cualquiera que no está en esta posición no estaria conscientes de este problema.

Cuando el condado toma decisiones que afectan a todos los residentes de la ciudad, voy a hablar y hacer las preguntas nescesarias en nombre de todos los ciudadanos que sentirán el impacto. Como padre de familia con niños en las escuelas, voy a sentir los mismos efectos directamente y soy capaz de hacer las preguntas nesceariasa como todos los padres se estanran haciendo. Como un padre que está en la parada del bús por la mañana y en nuestras escuelas de forma regular, voy a escuchar las preocupaciones de los otros padres – y de nuestros hijos – y ser una voz para todos nosotros cuando se toman las decisiones.

Los dos miembros de la junta escolar que retiran este año, tienen hijos en nuestras escuelas. Es importante que los padres con niños en las escuelas de la ciudad de Fairfax, siguen teniendo una fuerte voz en el junta escolar. YO voy a seguir esa tradición.

-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

Yo no soy un maestro. Nunca he recibido sueldo de las escuelas de Fairfax. Tampoco he tenido un cargo de elección popular. Respeto a los que han servido, pero también creo necesario que haya al menos una persona que haga las preguntas y revise los documentos desde un punto de vista diferente.

Tres de los candidatos han tenido esas posiciones anteriormente, los otros dos candidatos son profesores.

Eso me deja a mi solo como independiente.

He trabajado en la educación a nivel nacional, pero mi atención principal ha sido en los presupuestos y manejo de estos. Esto me da la experiencia para hacer las preguntas correctas, mientras que mantengo una perspectiva de alguien que no ha pasado la vida en el campo.

Esta combinación de ideas frescas y manejo de presupuestos me separa de los demás candidatos. Y por estas razones es por lo que estoy pidiendo su voto.

Su amigo,

Jim