Mason Democrats endorse Anderson for school board

Anderson

Members of the Mason District Democratic Committee voted to endorse Ricardy Anderson as the Mason District representative on the Fairfax County School Board April 24.

Anderson got 120 votes, and Jessica Swanson got 93.

That means Anderson is expected to succeed current school board member Sandy Evans, who is not running for re-election.

There was broad agreement among those at the meeting that the endorsement process – in which only about 213 people selected the next school board member – was not ideal and that there should have been broader participation.

The current system was approved before anyone knew there would be two strong school board candidates. Because the endorsement meeting was so critical, candidates exploited a loophole in the committee’s rules by trying to get as many supporters as possible to join the Democratic Committee.

At the endorsement meeting, at Annandale High School, each candidate gave a short speech, then answered questions.

Anderson spoke about her experience as a principal (at two elementary schools and a middle school); her background as an immigrant from Haiti, which helps her connect with the diverse population in Mason District; the need for teachers to have more time and resources to meet the needs of individual students; and the importance of equity.

Because Mason District serves a large population of lower-income students and students whose first language is not English, Anderson vowed to make sure schools in Mason get a larger share of resources and “appropriate staffing.” She also said it’s unacceptable that very few of the students at the elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology are from Mason public schools, even though TJ is in the district.

The Providence District Democratic Committee on April 23 endorsed Karl Frisch for the Providence position on the school board.

On May 21, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee will ratify the endorsement votes of the district Democratic committees and endorse at-large school board candidates and candidates for the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District.

The Fairfax County Republican Committee endorsed “by acclamation” on April 23 candidates for the school board for six of the nine magisterial districts and the three at-large positions; they did not endorse a Mason District candidate.