With the filing deadline for candidates only about a week away, the race for one open position on the Arlington School Board has moved into general-election mode.
Democratic endorsee Monique “Moe” Bryant currently faces only one competitor in the Nov. 4 election, returning candidate Major Webb. At least one other candidate is also seeking to qualify before the June 17 filing deadline.
At an Arlington Democrats meeting last week, Bryant underscored the significance of the post that School Board member Mary Kadera is leaving.
“We have a sacred responsibility — standing up for our children,” she said.
It was the first party gathering since Bryant won the Democratic caucus last month, and served as a pivot to the Nov. 4 election.
“We have to keep pushing forward,” Bryant said at the meeting. She was accompanied by her father, who began his education in 1955 in the very building (now Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary) where the meeting was being held.
Bryant in May defeated June Prakash in the Democratic School Board caucus. The two squared off after incumbent Kadera announced in January she would not seek a second four-year term.
Kadera cited the challenges of juggling the post with family and work responsibilities. She also called out “toxicity” in intra-board relationships.
Prakash is president of the Arlington Education Association. At the June 4 meeting, Bryant thanked Prakash for competing in the race, and pledged to work with her if elected.
No Arlington School Board member has been elected without the Democratic endorsement since the twin victories of David Foster in 1999 and 2003.
Webb, the only other official contender for School Board at the moment, has run for the post twice before. He was defeated in 2017 by Democratic Monique O’Grady and in 2021 was bested by Kadera.
Also planning to run is another veteran of School Board campaigns: James “Vell” Rives IV.
“I have filed paperwork with the county elections office, but I have not yet qualified for the November ballot,” Rives told ARLnow.
This will be the fourth run for School Board for Rives, a psychiatrist. Each time, he fell short of Democratic endorsees: Bethany Zecher Sutton in 2022, Miranda Turner in 2023, Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Kathleen Clark in 2024.
In last year’s race, Rives affiliated with the Forward Party, which also fielded a candidate — Madison Granger — for County Board. Rives’ 2024 campaign was also endorsed by the Arlington Green Party.
Republicans continue efforts to recruit a slate for the general election, but have yet to announce any nominees.
Given the relatively modest requirements involved in filing for this race, including garnering petition signatures from 125 registered county voters, it’s possible one or more late arrivals could make an appearance before the deadline.
The winner of the Nov. 4 general election takes office on Jan. 1, 2026.
