In light of the recent school board elections, incumbent Sandy Evans on the Mason District and first time member Megan McLaughlin of the Braddock District will now be representing AHS. Ryan McElveen, Ted Velkoff and incumbent Ilyrong Moon will serve as At-Large School Board members.
McLaughlin has a long résumé of activist work. She served as the President and Co-Founder of FAIRGRADE, an organization that worked to change the harsh grading policies in FCPS. She has also worked on the Fairfax Zero Tolerance Reform and served as Co-Chair for the Woodson Parking Lot Coaliation.
Evans, who considers herself to be an activist member of the board, was encouraged by the fact that others were elected who also seem themselves as activists.
“I was very pleased to see Meghan McLaughlin elected. She certainly is an activist voice and is very energetic,” Evans said. “I was pleased to see that we elected a fresh and dynamic voice in Ryan McElveen.”
As for some of the issues the new board will be faced with, one is the process of finding a new superintendent. Jack Dale announced that he would be retiring when his contract ends in 2013. He has served as superintendent for seven years, and it is the job of the school board to officially hire his replacement.
McElveen is no stranger to the FCPS system himself. He graduated from Marshall HS in 2004 and received the IB diploma. He has said that his time spent at Marshall made him who he is today and that he will be a “voice for diversity.”
Incumbents and Sully District Member Kathy Smith, Providence District Member Patricia Reed, Mount Vernon District Member Dan Storck, and Dranesville District Member Jane Strauss will all be returning to their seats. Strauss in particular, narrowly won the election, winning by less than 100 votes.
Other than McLaughlin, McElveen and Velkoff, there are three more new faces on the school board. Elizabeth Schultz will represent Springfield District, Tamara Kaufax will represent Lee District and Pat Hynes will represent the Hunter Mill District.
