School Board candidates are at odds on numerous current practices at Arlington Public Schools, including how stringent the school system’s rules on grading and homework should be.
Candidates Monique “Moe” Bryant and James “Vell” Rives IV squared off at a debate hosted online Monday night by Arlington Parents for Education, an advocacy group.
“Our students have to be ready for the real world,” said Rives. He pressed for more homework — noting some teachers currently assign none — and penalties for students turning in their work late, at least at the secondary level.
“In elementary school, I think there is a place for some nuance,” he said.
Agreeing that “deadlines do teach responsibility,” Bryant said there should be some allowance when work is not turned in on time.
“Teaching does not always happen on a perfect schedule,” she said, noting many students’ life challenges.
Whatever the policy, it should be consistent and well-communicated, Bryant said.
“Grading should be fair, it should be transparent,” she said.
Bryant, who won the Democratic endorsement for the seat during a spring caucus, is a first-time candidate. Rives, who has the backing of the Arlington County Republican Committee and the Forward Party, is making his fourth bid for office.
The forum was moderated by Scott Gelman of WTOP. Not participating at the forum was Major Mike Webb, an independent making his third bid for School Board.
The three candidates are vying to succeed Democrat Mary Kadera, who in January opted against seeking a second-term. Kadera became the latest in a growing number of Arlington School Board members leaving after four years, including Tannia Talento, Monique O’Grady, Cristina Diaz-Torres and David Priddy.
The forum marked the second major debate among School Board contenders. The Arlington County Civic Federation had hosted one in early September.
In other issues discussed during the hour-long Arlington Parents for Education forum:
Gender policy: Rives and Bryant sparred most vocally over the school system’s gender policy, particularly its applicability to locker-room access.
“I do not think we should change our policy,” said Bryant, who claimed the Trump administration was on a “witch hunt” against Northern Virginia school districts.
The U.S. Department of Education contends Arlington and the other districts are violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 with their gender policies. Rives agrees with that view, and said proponents of the gender policy had engaged in vilification of those who questioned it — himself included.
“Anyone who disagreed was dismissed as being hateful,” he said. “That’s not true at all. I do want every student to be respected.”
“Inclusion is a good thing,” said Rives, but “goes too far” when it allows men in women’s locker rooms.
“We need somebody to stand up for girls,” he said.
Bryant shot back against “close-minded” opponents of gender policies, and said she and her daughter “do not feel unprotected” by the current policy.
Arlington Public Schools currently is suing the federal government in an effort to restore funding cut by the U.S. Department of Education. In early September, a U.S. District Court judge ruled the suit had been filed in the wrong venue, directing Arlington and Fairfax officials to the Court of Federal Claims instead.
Budget: Both candidates said the bulk of the school system’s $845 million annual budget needs to be directed to instruction.
“Spend it where it matters most — classroom teachers and the instructional materials they need,” Rives said. “We deserve to get our money’s worth.”
“Every dollar should move us closer to the classroom,” said Bryant. “It should always be that our budget is focused on our students.”
Asked where cuts could be found, both pointed to the need for community input. Bryant praised the school system’s recent efforts to verify student residency, and said more money should be put into that.
School-resource officers: Returning to a theme during their debate before the Civic Federation, Rives backed a return of school-resource officers, while Bryant opposed them as a “harmful approach.”
Rives countered that if school-resource officers were back in schools, there would be fewer drugs within the schools.
Bullying: Both candidates pressed for stronger anti-bullying efforts.
“There is an underlying concern that students that are bullied are unheard,” said Bryant, who pressed the school leadership to make sure “there are consequences in place.”
Rives pressed for a “no-exceptions” strategy in addressing bullying.
“There have to be real, proportional responses,” he said.
Volunteerism: Both candidates praised the recent Readers Rise initiative that will pair community volunteers with students at three local schools.
“I love this initiative — we have to be reading to our students much more often,” Bryant said.
Rives added that the effort is “wonderful in so many ways.”
“It targets students most in need of services. We should look for [more] programs like that,” he said.
Administrative positions: Rives supported streamlining central-office staff, while Bryant said such cutbacks should be carefully vetted or to avoid unintended consequences.
School holidays: While both candidates praised the current School Board for moving back to a full 180-day instructional calendar, candidates split on student holidays.
Rives said the school division should “maximize five-day weeks” for students, while Bryant said she “wholeheartedly” backed the inclusion of “religious and other holidays” throughout the school year to support diversity.
Their role on the School Board: Both candidates said they would bring independence to the School Board, which has not had a non-Democrat on it since Republican-backed independent David Foster’s eight-year tenure ending in 2008.
Bryant, who garnered the Democratic endorsement in a spring primary, said she would provide a new voice on the five-member body. She said there is “much mistrust” within the school community over APS leadership.
Rives said if the community wanted independent thinking, it should elect a true independent.
“Every board needs at least one outside voice. That’s essential,” he said.
The winner of the race will begin their four-year term on Jan. 1. Unlike the County Board race, which is being run under ranked-choice rules, the School Board contest is a winner-take-all election.
While Democrats are almost always favored, School Board races in Arlington remain competitive, with multiple candidates on the ballot. That is not always the case elsewhere in the commonwealth — where, in some cases, there are no candidates at all on the ballot.
Cardinal News identified seven counties where 2025 School Board races have attracted no contenders: Appomattox, Bland, Franklin, Greene, Lunenburg Page and Wythe.
In some cases, prospective candidates filed paperwork but failed to meet requirements, the news outlet said. In others, potential candidates waited until after the filing deadline, then launched write-in campaigns — perhaps in part because Virginia write-in candidates are required to file less paperwork than those seeking ballot access.
