The two candidates vying for the Democratic School Board endorsement in Arlington say school leaders must do better in listening and acting on community input.
“Conversations need to be happening with staff, students and community,” said June Prakash, who is competing with Monique “Moe” Bryant for the seat being vacated by Board member Mary Kadera.
Prakash and Bryant each recently responded to a questionnaire from Arlington Young Democrats. Their answers were reported April 19, the same day voting in the Democratic caucus opened.
Bryant’s response was along the same lines as that of Prakash. She said Arlington Public Schools leaders seem disinterested in meaningful community engagement.
“Too often, our leaders spend too much time talking to us rather than listening,” she said. “True engagement means elevating voices we don’t often hear from, to ensure everyone has a seat at the table.”
Prakash, who heads the Arlington Education Association, said the school system has a tendency to hire consultants who deliver “predictable” recommendations.
“This is simply not acceptable,” she said. “APS can do better.”
Bryant, who heads the advocacy group Challenging Racism, said the school system’s focus on engagement isn’t effective if there aren’t follow-up actions.
“We need to translate that engagement into action,” she said. “We must do better, and I believe we will — with the right leadership.”
Online voting in the Democratic caucus opened April 19 and will run through May 10. In-person voting will be held Sunday, May 4 at Washington-Liberty High School and Saturday, May 10 at Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School.
Prakash and Bryant participated in a campaign forum at the April meeting of the Arlington County Democratic Committee. They will meet again on Monday, April 28, in an online forum presented by the Arlington NAACP.
The caucus winner will be backed by Democrats in the Nov. 4 election. While state law mandates that School Board posts be nonpartisan, political parties can endorse candidates. The last non-Democrat to win a seat was David Foster in 1999 and 2003.
Any registered Arlington voter can participate in the caucus. Those taking part must sign a pledge agreeing to support the endorsee and to not work against Democrats in the general election.
Aspirants for Kadera’s seat not seeking the Democratic endorsement have until mid-June to file for the general election.
The looming departure of Kadera is the latest in an ongoing turnover that, next January, will leave the five-member Board with an average tenure of just 1.4 years per member.
