Dec. 12 was a graduation day of sorts for Arlington’s two departing School Board members.
“Your work has made a real difference,” Board chair Mary Kadera told Cristina Diaz-Torres and David Priddy at the meeting, the body’s final one of the year.
School Board
Arlington School Board members Thursday night (Dec. 12) voted unanimously to implement a bell-to-bell ban on student use of phones in county schools starting Jan. 6.
“Our schools are places of learning,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said just before the vote, saying his recommendation was “a policy that will protect that instructional space.”
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With the deadline for School Board action looming, two major advocacy groups are pressing for a blanket ban on student phone use during the instructional day in Arlington.
The Arlington Education Association (AEA) and Arlington Parents for Education (APE) have sent a joint letter to School Board members and Superintendent Francisco Durán, seeking the more restrictive of two options currently being considered.
Already nearly at a record high, student enrollment in Falls Church City Public Schools is expected to grow consistently in coming decades.
With 2,711 students as of Sept. 30, the five-school district is currently just 10 students shy of its record 2,721 students in 2016, according to a recent report to the Virginia Department of Education. The report predicts enrollment will pass the 3,000 mark in 2027, before growing to about 3,250 in 2040 and 3,430 in 2050.
A proposal to restrict access to cellphones at Arlington high schools remains up for debate as a School Board decision deadline approaches.
With the decision date set for Dec. 12, Board members have one major decision left to make related to high schools:
The fieldhouse at Meridian High School Stadium will receive a $600,000 refresh and upgrade under a proposal unanimously approved by Falls Church City School Board members on Nov. 12.
The appropriation was part of a series of one-time-funding requests approved by School Board members, totaling just under $1.5 million in school funds and $400,000 in city-government funds.
Falls Church’s two new elected officials are likely to be on the dais when their respective bodies next convene.
Both the City Council and School Board will meet Tuesday evening (Nov. 12). And if paperwork requirements are met, the two victors in special elections will be sworn in before those meetings begin.
Democrats in Arlington County Board and School Board races emerged victorious last night by wide margins.
Democratic nominee JD Spain, Sr. claimed 58% of the vote in the race for County Board, according to unofficial election results. This happened in the first round of tabulation, avoiding the need for further tallying under ranked-choice voting.
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Arlington and Falls Church residents went to the polls today to vote for president, local offices and everything in between.
As of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, the results show — unsurprisingly — strong support for Democratic candidates across the ballot.
Arlington County Board
In the big local Arlington race for County Board, JD Spain, Sr. will win the seat being vacated by three-term Democrat Libby Garvey.
With early votes now in and breaking 60% for the Democratic nominee, Spain has 58% of the vote to 16% for Republican Juan Carlos Fierro and 12% for independent Audrey Clement. Madison Granger, who is associated with the Forward Party, has 13% of the vote.
In 2020, Garvey defeated a lone challenger — Clement — with 71% of the vote.
Voting in the Arlington County Board general election is being conducted this year, for the first time, via ranked choice voting. But if a candidate gets over 50% of the “first choice” votes — as Spain appears poised to do with only mail-in ballots outstanding — they will be declared the winner and ranked choice tabulation will not be used.
Arlington School Board
In the Arlington School Board race, Democratic-endorsed candidates Kathleen Clark and Zuraya Tapia-Hadley will cruise to victory.
Clark and Tapia-Hadley have 35.6% and 32.8% of the vote, respectively, so far. James Vell Rives, endorsed by the Forward Party, has 14.2% of the vote while independent Paul Weiss has 16.0%.
Arlington Bond Referenda
All five proposed local bonds, including school and Metro bonds, will pass — currently leading by 3-to-1 or 4-to-1.
Falls Church City Council
In the special election for Falls Church City Council Laura Downs has won with 58% of the vote to 41% for John Murphy, and all precincts reporting.
U.S. President
The Democratic Harris/Walz presidential ticket has a substantial lead over the Trump/Vance GOP ticket: 76.2% to 20.7% in Arlington — with all precincts reporting but mail-in ballots outstanding — and 79.5% to 17.9% in Falls Church.
By comparison, Trump received 17.1% of the vote in Arlington in 2020.
Third party candidates — including Jill Stein (G), Chase Oliver (L) and Cornel West (I) — have roughly 2% of the Arlington vote, while 1% of voters wrote someone in for president.
Statewide, Harris currently has 50.4% to 47.4% for Trump. Local political consultant Ben Tribbett, who often projects election night results in Virginia, says he believes Harris has won the Commonwealth.
8:45 PM PROJECTION: KAMALA HARRIS (D) HAS WON VIRGINIA AND 13 ELECTORAL VOTES.
— Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) November 6, 2024
U.S. Senate
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine currently leads statewide with 53.1% of the vote to 46.7% for Republican challenger Hung Cao.
The Associated Press called the race for Kaine around 11:20 p.m.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine won reelection in Virginia for his third term Tuesday, beating Republican challenger Hung Cao. Kaine was widely expected to keep his role as the Commonwealth’s junior senator. Political scientists said there was only a narrow path to victory for Cao given Virginia’s moderate electorate, aversion to Trump in 2020 and Kaine’s salience with voters. Cao is a 25-year Navy veteran who had former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. But the most recent Republican to hold a Senate seat from Virginia was the late John Warner, a centrist who last won in 2002. The Associated Press declared Kaine the winner at 11:22 p.m.
U.S. Representative
Across Virginia’s 8th Congressional District — which includes Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County — incumbent Rep. Don Beyer (D) has 70.9% of the vote to 25.6% for Republican challenger Jerry Torres and just over 3% collectively for independents David Kennedy and Bentley Hensel.
The Associated Press called the race for Beyer shortly before 8:15 p.m.
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Virginia on Tuesday. Beyer won his sixth term after defeating Republican Jerry Torres and two independent candidates. Beyer, a former lieutenant governor and ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, won each of his five previous congressional elections with at least 63% of the vote. The 8th District includes the inner suburbs of the nation’s capital, including Arlington County and Alexandria, and is one of Virginia’s most reliably Democratic districts. The Associated Press declared Beyer the winner at 8:13 p.m.
Turnout
Overall turnout in Arlington was above 70% as of 5 p.m., according to the county elections office. The final turnout may reach around 80%, but is not expected to set a local record.
Despite significant interest in the presidential race, voting in Arlington mostly went smoothly today, with most reports suggesting minimal wait times. Among the issues reported today are some confusion about ranked choice voting and an evening fire alarm at the Crystal Plaza polling location.
Scott McCaffrey contributed to this report
Rather than a frontal assault against it, Arlington School Board members may try to win a delay in implementation of the state’s new school-accountability regimen.
School leaders plan to ask the General Assembly to intervene and postpone the Virginia Department of Education’s new School Performance and Support Framework, a two-pronged evaluation and ranking system that is replacing the previous accreditation process.
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Arlington School Board members in mid-November will consider a major overhaul to how the school system tackles boundary adjustments.
If adopted, school leaders will start looking at boundaries on a two-year cycle rather than the current five years, and will apply a new set of criteria to guide how to make them.
The four Arlington County Board contenders now making their final pitches to voters are each positioning themselves as agents of change.
But coming at it from different angles.