Candidate Profile: Mary Kadera For Arlington School Board

ARLINGTON, VA — Mary Kadera, a candidate for the Arlington County School Board, has been married to her husband Fraser since 2004. They both grew up in Northern Virginia, and are proud products of Virginia's public K-12 schools and universities, according to a Patch candidate profile filled out by Kadera. The couple have two children, both of whom attend Kenmore Middle School.

Since school board candidates run as independents, the Arlington County Democrats are conducting a caucus from Monday, May 17 to Sunday, May 23, to choose which candidate they will endorse in the Nov. 2 general election. Registered voters can cast their vote virtually starting 12 a.m., Monday or at four wireless locations around the county beginning Tuesday.

Learn More: Early voting is underway for the June 8 Democratic Party primary.

Candidate Name:

Mary Kadera

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

I have a Bachelors degree from the College of William and Mary (double-major in English and Biology) and did my preservice teacher training there. I have a Masters degree in American Studies from UVA.

Occupation

• Classroom teacher, 5 years
• Education producer/curriculum developer at PBS, 2 years
• Assistant Director/Director/Vice President of Education at PBS, 7 years
• Consultant to various nonprofit education organizations, 2007 - present. Organizations I've worked with include the George Lucas Education Foundation (Edutopia), TED, Learning Forward, the Consortium for School Networking, the Learning First Alliance, the National Commission for Teaching & America's Future, the Astra Center for Innovative Education, and the Center for Inspired Teaching.

Campaign website

www.maryforschoolboard.org

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to use my experience in education to benefit Arlington's students, school staff, and families. Arlington Public Schools must reopen its schools fully and safely and support the post-pandemic needs of all of its students. Additionally, APS has a number of longer-term issues that it needs to address so that we do more than simply "get back to normal," but fix things that weren't working *before* the pandemic. We have a lot to be proud of in APS, but definitely things that can be improved so that every student will thrive. I bring ideas from school systems and states across the country and know that we can build back better!

The single most pressing issue facing our board is reopening schools and recovering from the pandemic, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The immediate and obvious issue is reopening schools and recovering from the pandemic — but we have every reason to hope and expect that much of that work will be behind us by the time the School Board term begins in January 2022. In 2022 and beyond, there will be a number of pressing issues that demand the School Board's attention, so it's very difficult to pick just one. Among the most significant are making real progress on equity by dismantling policies and practices that disadvantage certain students and groups; improving working conditions for APS staff through competitive compensation and more agency in district- and school-level decision making; and restoring families' faith in our system through transparency and more authentic and inclusive family and community engagement.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I believe that there are two main differences. First, I would bring 25+ years of experience working in education to the School Board, which I believe will be extremely helpful in navigating the many issues and opportunities ahead of us. Second, my opponent's campaign has been primarily focused on the near-term issue of fully reopening schools, and while I fully appreciate that immediate need, over the four years of the School Board term we will have many other issues to deal with. I have studied and advocated on many of these, including boundary changes, enrollment capacity, equity, accessibility and inclusion for students with disabilities, staff compensation, instructional vision, and more.

In what way has the current board failed the community?

This year's Arlington School Board race has come about because there will be an open seat (one of the current School Board members has decided not to seek a second term), so there is no "challenger" situation per se. I think it's important to identify areas where I have disagreed with current School Board members AND where I have agreed, since the five members of the School Board need to establish collaborative working relationships.

Areas where I have disagreed: 1) not taking votes on school reopening plans this year; 2) last year's school moves and the decision this fall to engage in elementary school boundary changes while the community was preoccupied with supporting virtual learning and in some cases meeting basic needs; 3) a lack of immediate accountability when APS opened two new school buildings in the past three years that lacked basic safety and accessibility features for students with disabilities; and 4) choices of how to use federal relief funds in ways that haven't included full funding for summer school and the measures we'll need in place to adhere to CDC distancing guidance if it's still in effect next fall.

In terms of decisions I've agreed with, I am pleased that the recently adopted budget includes a more generous increase in staff compensation than what was originally proposed in February — this is a real step in the right direction. That budget also includes funding for new, research-based approaches to literacy in elementary school, which is a fundamental obligation of our system. I am happy that the School Board has adopted a new school calendar that will recognize additional religious observance days such as Diwali and Eid al-Fitr / Eid al-Adha, with the goal of supporting all students and creating welcoming environments that contribute to their academic success. I also approve of the new APS School Start Times policy which will optimize our bus transportation and will reflect recent research about the science of sleep so that students can be focused and engaged.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I can't think of any situation that has affected families and school-age children on the same scale as the pandemic. Given the magnitude of the impact, I believe the Arlington School Board should have voted on reopening plans at various points during the past school year. I also believe that we could have planned and budgeted for summer school and the coming school year more effectively — I am disappointed that many students who could benefit from summer school experiences won't have that opportunity in Arlington, and I am concerned that Arlington will start school in August with no real "Plan B" that includes social distancing if that is needed. Other school systems, including in Fairfax County, are using funds to temporarily expand classroom space in order to accommodate social distancing. This is the kind of expenditure that federal relief funds were meant to support.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am a huge believer in the importance of healthy and inclusive school culture. Often when candidates are asked about equity and closing opportunity gaps, they focus on academic interventions like specific curricula or testing. These things are very important, but they miss a step: students don't learn in environments where they don't feel like it's safe to take risks. We have to intentionally create those environments by making sure that every student is seen, supported, and valued by creating strong relationships with students, showing them respect, and giving them real responsibility and choices. We model this for students by creating environments where adults (staff, families) work this way together, too.

I am also concerned that some in our community equate "equity" with "dumbing down" or "my kid gets less." This is not what equity is about. On an individual level, "equity" means making sure that every single student has the right kinds of support and the right level of academic challenge. That means "all students," including students identified as gifted. On a system level, "equity" means identifying and changing any policy or practice that disadvantages specific students or groups so that all students can do their best work and thrive.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been a leader in local and national organizations and know how to work with others (including boards) to create a strong vision, set organizational priorities and track progress, and constructively engage with members and stakeholders. I understand how to navigate budget challenges and create efficiencies. And I know education — I have seen what's working in other school systems and states and understand the work necessary to enact meaningful changes and improvements.

Also see ...

Early Voting For Democratic Primary Starts In Arlington