School board candidate Ricardy Anderson promotes equity for Mason District schools

Ricardy Anderson with her husband and children.

Annandale resident Ricardy Anderson believes her 21 years of experience in education – including more than 12 years as a principal – makes her an excellent choice for the Fairfax County School Board.

Anderson is running for the Mason District seat on the board. She is seeking the Democratic endorsement, as is Jessica Swanson. Swanson, a former teacher, is budget strategy director for D.C. Public Schools.

The two are vying to succeed long-time board member Sandy Evans who will retire at the end of the year.

Anderson was principal of Cardinal Ridge Elementary School in Loudoun County from January 2014 to July 2018 and before that was principal of Waterford Elementary School in Loudoun County. While holding both jobs, she commuted from Annandale.

She has a son in the fourth grade and a daughter in first grade at Mason Crest Elementary School in Annandale.

“One of the major things I noticed as a Mason Crest parent is the inequity,” Anderson says. “Other schools in Fairfax County seem to have different resources than we do.”

For example, the PTA at a school in the Braddock District was able to raise enough money to give every child a computer, she says. Mason Crest has strong support from parents but the Parent Teacher Organization can only raise enough funds for basic supplies.

Noting that Mason District has a high proportion of students eligible for free and reduced-priced lunches, Anderson says, “there are challenges we have here that we have to address a lot differently.”

“Schools shouldn’t have to rely on the PTA to provide essential services,” she says. While needs-based staffing is important, FCPS also has to be more creative in raising revenue. She suggests giving companies naming rights for athletic fields with the funds share across the system, for example.

If FCPS is going to prepare all students to be 21st century learners, the school system needs to have a more equitable system for ensuring all students have the same level of resources, Anderson says.

She recalls speaking with a student at Annandale High School who had difficulty doing a science project because the school’s lab was broken and she couldn’t gain access to the lab at the elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology down the road.

“I want all kids to know they have opportunities open to them,” she says.

Another of her goals for the school board is changing the start times for middle schools. “The board did a wonderful job in addressing the problem of too-early start times for high schools; now it has to do that for middle schools, she says.

As a former principal, Anderson appreciated the benefit of having some autonomy, but she also believes there should be “a consistency of expectations.”

For example, FCPS schools allow elementary school principals to decide whether to give parents progress reports on their children’s academic achievements halfway through the quarter. She would like to see this done by all elementary principals so parents can work with the teacher to address their children’s shortcomings before the end of the quarter.

Best practices also should be shared across the school system, she says, citing Mason Crest’s great job with professional learning communities in which educators collaborate to develop the best instructional strategies for each student. That model is spreading across the Annandale pyramid, and Anderson would like to see it extended to all schools.

The need to raise teacher salaries is also an important issue for Anderson, as well as improving the compensation for teacher aides, bus drivers, and other support staff.

As a principal in Loudoun County, she hired many teachers who could no longer afford to work in Fairfax County – and also registered many families from Mason District who “didn’t have confidence in their schools.”

The diversity in Mason District schools is a huge asset, Anderson says, noting that more than 75 languages are spoken at Mason Crest. “Kids love who they get to interact with,” and that diversity prepares them well for a future where they will have to be able to interact with people across the world.

Her background as an immigrant – her family moved from Haiti to Brooklyn when she was in elementary school – helps her understand the diversity in Mason District schools.

Anderson started her career as a teacher and vice principal in Prince Georges’ County. She served as a director of teaching and learning at D.C. Public Schools, then moved to California, where she was vice principal of a K-8 school and principal of a middle school.

Anderson believes it’s the right time for her to run for the school board as she has retired from being a principal and has more time to get involved. If elected, she plans to be a full-time school board member.

“My work has always been about serving kids, and now that I have my own children, that resolve is stronger than ever,” she says. “When our schools are strong, our communities are stronger.”