Arlington School Board candidates

[Anonymous]

The only candidate with serious credentials is Clark. Unfortunately there are two spots open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Zuraya Tapia-Hadley has no APS volunteer experience. She’s a federal lobbyist. Does she want to be on the SB as a stepping stone to higher office?

I think she was chair of the ACI for a while. Note that Walter Tejada introduced her. She’s the next Latinx candidate since Christina isn’t running for reelection.

I don't remember Zuraya ever chairing ACI. Are you sure about this?

[Anonymous]

I think Zuraya just recently joined the Ed Tech committee so she could say she does something. Which is annoying. She’s another CDT.

Chen hasn’t done anything. I don’t think he really knows how things work. Reminds me of Priddy.

The old guy-sorry forgot his name - would have been good decades ago when he was on committees. He does sub teach now so that’s something. But I don’t see myself voting for him.

Kathleen is the only one with active involvement over the past 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Thoughts on the debate last night? Who watched?

[Anonymous]

Like it matters...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like it matters...

huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thoughts on the debate last night? Who watched?

Jo Devoe was a great moderator. Good questions.

KC was the best by far. CL and ZTH both need more experience. ZTH might be good in a couple of years. CL edges her out IMO. LF seems like a nice man who's subbed alot but not going to vote for him. Voting Kathleen Clark and Chen Ling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thoughts on the debate last night? Who watched?

Jo Devoe was a great moderator. Good questions.

KC was the best by far. CL and ZTH both need more experience. ZTH might be good in a couple of years. CL edges her out IMO. LF seems like a nice man who's subbed alot but not going to vote for him. Voting Kathleen Clark and Chen Ling.

Same here.

[Anonymous]

Was it recorded?

[Anonymous]

yes but I don't know how to find it

[Anonymous]

Having kids in APS is a must in my book, and involvement very desired, but what the School Board needs is someone who brings relevant skills to the table!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Zuraya Tapia-Hadley has no APS volunteer experience. She’s a federal lobbyist. Does she want to be on the SB as a stepping stone to higher office?

I think she was chair of the ACI for a while. Note that Walter Tejada introduced her. She’s the next Latinx candidate since Christina isn’t running for reelection.

We’ve never had an Asian representative on the School Board! Or leave the ethnicity out completely!

[ChenLing]

Hello everyone -- Chen Ling here.

For the person who asked, here is the link to the candidate forum hosted by APE and moderated by Jo DeVoe from ArlNow: https://vimeo.com/923302481?share=copy

I have an engineering/science/data background, with a focus on bringing visibility and understandability to complex data systems. I think that is a skill the current school board is sorely lacking.

For example, APS pays about 20% more per student than our neighboring locales, and *no one on the board knows why*. You can read the report from their Budget Advisory Council for the last several years where they call this out. We pay our teachers less -- we're on average 5th out of 8 in the area.

What they have done instead is to make small cuts uniformly across all of the schools, to the point where many schools are on a tipping point. I spoke with one principal who is losing yet another special ed teacher spot, after losing multiple teacher and staff positions in the last few years. Because of the rules, they have to get rid of their youngest teacher, who is apparently amazing. Right now they can barely provide enough special ed services to meet the needs of at need students in their school. They were down one at the beginning of the year, and the classroom teachers were not able to manage the classes because those students became too disruptive. With that extra special ed teacher, they were able to provide help for those kids and now everyone in those classes can focus on learning.

What the current board has been doing has not been enough. When you ask them questions you get a response, but often not a real answer, especially on the why. When I encountered this, I wondered whether they didn't want to give an answer or if they didn't know the answer, and it quickly because obvious that they didn't know the answer.

This is why I'm running. Like many of you, my wife and I moved to Arlington for the great schools and the great community. But our schools are in trouble, and what the board is currently doing is not enough. I think my unique skills will help provide clarity to the decision making process, and I will not stop asking questions or pushing until we start providing real answers. I think the current members of the school board care about the teachers and students. I think the other people running care as well, but caring is not enough -- you have to have a plan. I will do something different. I may fail, but it will not be for lack of trying.

Thank you if you've read to the end.
I'd be happy to respond to any questions.
You can see more about me and my platforms at: https://chen4arlington.org, or send me an email at [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

ChenLing wrote:Hello everyone -- Chen Ling here.

For the person who asked, here is the link to the candidate forum hosted by APE and moderated by Jo DeVoe from ArlNow: https://vimeo.com/923302481?share=copy

I have an engineering/science/data background, with a focus on bringing visibility and understandability to complex data systems. I think that is a skill the current school board is sorely lacking.

For example, APS pays about 20% more per student than our neighboring locales, and *no one on the board knows why*. You can read the report from their Budget Advisory Council for the last several years where they call this out. We pay our teachers less -- we're on average 5th out of 8 in the area.

What they have done instead is to make small cuts uniformly across all of the schools, to the point where many schools are on a tipping point. I spoke with one principal who is losing yet another special ed teacher spot, after losing multiple teacher and staff positions in the last few years. Because of the rules, they have to get rid of their youngest teacher, who is apparently amazing. Right now they can barely provide enough special ed services to meet the needs of at need students in their school. They were down one at the beginning of the year, and the classroom teachers were not able to manage the classes because those students became too disruptive. With that extra special ed teacher, they were able to provide help for those kids and now everyone in those classes can focus on learning.

What the current board has been doing has not been enough. When you ask them questions you get a response, but often not a real answer, especially on the why. When I encountered this, I wondered whether they didn't want to give an answer or if they didn't know the answer, and it quickly because obvious that they didn't know the answer.

This is why I'm running. Like many of you, my wife and I moved to Arlington for the great schools and the great community. But our schools are in trouble, and what the board is currently doing is not enough. I think my unique skills will help provide clarity to the decision making process, and I will not stop asking questions or pushing until we start providing real answers. I think the current members of the school board care about the teachers and students. I think the other people running care as well, but caring is not enough -- you have to have a plan. I will do something different. I may fail, but it will not be for lack of trying.

Thank you if you've read to the end.
I'd be happy to respond to any questions.
You can see more about me and my platforms at: https://chen4arlington.org, or send me an email at [e-mail].

Wow, thanks for posting. Really helpful.

[Anonymous]

ChenLing wrote:Hello everyone -- Chen Ling here.

For the person who asked, here is the link to the candidate forum hosted by APE and moderated by Jo DeVoe from ArlNow: https://vimeo.com/923302481?share=copy

I have an engineering/science/data background, with a focus on bringing visibility and understandability to complex data systems. I think that is a skill the current school board is sorely lacking.

For example, APS pays about 20% more per student than our neighboring locales, and *no one on the board knows why*. You can read the report from their Budget Advisory Council for the last several years where they call this out. We pay our teachers less -- we're on average 5th out of 8 in the area.

What they have done instead is to make small cuts uniformly across all of the schools, to the point where many schools are on a tipping point. I spoke with one principal who is losing yet another special ed teacher spot, after losing multiple teacher and staff positions in the last few years. Because of the rules, they have to get rid of their youngest teacher, who is apparently amazing. Right now they can barely provide enough special ed services to meet the needs of at need students in their school. They were down one at the beginning of the year, and the classroom teachers were not able to manage the classes because those students became too disruptive. With that extra special ed teacher, they were able to provide help for those kids and now everyone in those classes can focus on learning.

What the current board has been doing has not been enough. When you ask them questions you get a response, but often not a real answer, especially on the why. When I encountered this, I wondered whether they didn't want to give an answer or if they didn't know the answer, and it quickly because obvious that they didn't know the answer.

This is why I'm running. Like many of you, my wife and I moved to Arlington for the great schools and the great community. But our schools are in trouble, and what the board is currently doing is not enough. I think my unique skills will help provide clarity to the decision making process, and I will not stop asking questions or pushing until we start providing real answers. I think the current members of the school board care about the teachers and students. I think the other people running care as well, but caring is not enough -- you have to have a plan. I will do something different. I may fail, but it will not be for lack of trying.

Thank you if you've read to the end.
I'd be happy to respond to any questions.
You can see more about me and my platforms at: https://chen4arlington.org, or send me an email at [e-mail].

Chen, thank you for posting. What have you actually done in APS?