My Endorsement For Mount Vernon School Board Representative 2023

In the last four years, Northern Virginia's teachers and students have become a political punching bag for Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares.  The Fairfax County School Board has been under siege with politically-motivated lawsuits and political investigations for the last four years.  As a result, only four incumbents are running for re-election and our Mt. Vernon School Board Member Karen Corbett Sanders is not running for re-election.

Karen has done an amazing job fighting to ensure that students in our part of the county get the attention and share of resources that they deserve.  I am exceptionally proud of her efforts to reform the admissions process at Thomas Jefferson H.S.S.T. which previously rarely admitted students from Carl Sandburg Middle School, Walt Whitman Middle School, Hayfield Secondary School, or Mark Twain Middle School. Before the reforms she led, two middle schools made up 20% of every class.  She led the charge to obtain funds to renovate our schools.   You can read more about her accomplishments in the Commending Resolution I passed this session:

Senate Joint Resolution 409 Commending Karen Corbett Sanders 

I joined with Mt. Vernon District School Board Member Karen Corbett Sanders in endorsing Mateo Dunne to serve as the Democratic endorsed candidate for the Mt. Vernon District seat on the Fairfax County School Board. I join in my endorsement along with Delegate Mark Sickles, Former Delegate and Fairfax County School Board Chair and Mt. Vernon Member Kristen Amundson, Fairfax County Board Chair Jeff McKay, and Former Fairfax County Board Chair Sharon Bulova.

   

www.mateodunne.com/

Why do I support Mateo? 

First, Mateo is prepared.  Mateo is an attorney and litigator with the United States Government and has been involved in our community serving as Vice President of the Stratford Landing Citizens' Association, Vice Chair of the Mt. Vernon Council of Citizens, and Vice-President of the Fairfax County Council of Citizens.  His four children all either attend or attended Fairfax County Public Schools in the West Potomac H.S. Pyramid.

Second, we need people that are prepared to step into the ring and fight back when Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares try to run our local school system.  

• In 2016, Mateo co-led "Fully Fund Fairfax County Public Schools" - an unprecedented coalition of teachers unions, Parent Teacher Associations and advocacy groups to fight the Superintendent's proposal to eliminate high school sports, language immersion, and elementary school education from elimination due to budget pressures.
• In 2017, Mateo played a very public and leading role in the referendum to adopt a Fairfax County Meals Tax to diversify revenue sources for FCPS so funding is not as reliant on real estate taxes.
• In 2018, Mateo pleased a leading role in the negotiation of a new Memorandum of Understanding between FCPS and the Fairfax County Police Department to eliminate The School-to-Prison-Pipeline in Fairfax County to reduce the involvement of police in school discipline.
• He led numerous grassroots campaigns to support efforts to fund the construction and renovation of Mt. Vernon's schools and eliminate trailers.
• He served as the Chair of the Design & Construction Committee for West Potomac H.S.'s $35 million renovation and expansion that added 71,000 SF of space, eliminated 18 trailers and relieved overcrowding.

Going forward, Mateo has made clear that he intends to fight for progress in FCPS by increasing teachers salaries, implementing universal preschool education on U.S. 1, and fighting all efforts to divert public resources to private education.  If you would like to make your own judgment, you can watch the recent public forum where the candidates discussed the issues:

Mt. Vernon School Board Gum Springs Forum

My conclusion is that Mateo Dunne has been there to fight for Mt. Vernon's teachers and students in the past and he is the strongest candidate with the track record that demonstrates he will be there for us in the future.

How to Participate in Online Democratic Endorsement Process?

For the first time, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) is allowing non-members to participate in the FCDC endorsement caucus.  Voting is allowed in-person or electronically.  However, in order to participate, you need to register by midnight on May 5, 2023.  You can sign up at this link:

Register to Vote in FCDC School Board Endorsement Caucus

Next, you need to vote on online between May 13 and May 20, 2023 or in person between 10 am and 4 p.m. on May 20 at the South County Government Center, Room 221ABC.  

I have also endorsed three other candidates for the Democratic endorsement for the At-Large positions on the Fairfax County School Board.