August 17, 2007
Special Election for Board of Ed in Wards 1 & 2
Registered voters in Wards 1 and 2 received a postcard in the mail a few weeks back announcing the special election scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 21 -- but in the off chance you quickly tossed in the garbage, allow us to fill you in: In April, D.C. Board of Education member Jeff Smith resigned his seat in protest immediately after the D.C. Council gave preliminary approval to Mayor Adrian Fenty’s school takeover plan, so now we're set to have a special election to replace the District I Member of the D.C. State Board of Education. The winner of Tuesday's election will serve out Smith's remaining term, which ends on Jan. 2, 2009.
The postcard we have is a little light on details, other than that the election is open only to Wards 1 and 2, and if you head over to the DCBOEE web site, you can understand why: there's only one name on the ballot, that of Mary Lord, a longtime education reporter, active member of the Dupont Circle Citizens Association, and parent of DCPS students. Of course, the school board now has diminished powers and responsibilities under Mayor Fenty's school takeover restructuring, but the body still plays a role in defining standards and curriculum as well as oversight of state-related functions such as standardized testing.
It seems a foregone conclusion that Lord will win Tuesday's special election, but one reader did write in to let us know about a write-in candidacy for Jason Crawford, a young first-year teacher at a public school in Southeast, D.C.
|
Jason is a wonderful inspiration to so many, and I'm thrilled to see his recent decision to go full-force with his Ward 1 and 2 campaign. He orchestrated many mentoring and tutoring programs while at Georgetown, and was a natural leader on campus. There's no doubt he'll become an influential figure and voice in DC urban education-- and most importantly, he's got the compassion to do it. Everyone, visit his website and join his Facebook group ("Jason Crawford for DC School Board"). Jason is an all-star from head to toe. (All 6 feet, 4 inches of him!)
http://georgetown.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4577704215
This election is costing over $220K to put on. What a waste, Jeff Smith could have done the taxpayers a favor by staying on and doing nothing.
Jason is a whip-smart emerging leader in DCPS who understands that the system must be built on charter and traditional public schools working well, and working together.
When Mayor Fenty brought the schools under mayoral control and pulled in a group of progressive, new-generation leaders like Michelle Rhee, he transformed DCPS overnight into the country’s most nimble big-city school system. All the old rules are out the window, and a lot is going to change in the next decade. Things certainly need to, but that much flexibility is a big risk. For the bet to pay off we need to elect advisors with maturity, brains and front-lines perspective that are sorely missing in DC government.
We deserve education leaders like Jason-- brilliant and passionate people who can spend years devoting themselves to inner-city children, enroll in places like Oxford to study urban education, and pass up worlds of other opportunities to come back to the city’s neediest classrooms.
For the first time in a long time the schools have room to move. With people like Jason on the Board of Education, they might just move in the right direction.
Agree with the above -- Jason is a great guy, brilliant and dedicated. I think he would be some much-needed new blood for the DC school board. Plus, if you go to the webiste, you'll see that he has a lot of experience in the DC community and its schools, and with education policy in general.
Please vote!
i may be naive, but isn't having a current public school teacher on the board of education a conflict of interest?
I am confident that Jason will combine his work in the classroom with his academic experience to improve the DC school system.
As a first year teacher, he would bring both thought-provoking ideas and a fresh perspective to the school board. As someone who worked with him on a number of programs, I know he would wholeheartedly embrace the opportunity to have a positive impact on education policy.
- E. Conger
#5: I don't think it's a conflict of interest, much in the same way that if you wanted to have a company board of directors you might include some students -- I think it's good to have some perspective and real-world experience.
#7 is right and the board of directors analogy is a good one. companies have both outside directors and inside ones (i.e., employees).
I'd like to add to the show of support for Crawford. He is a tremendously capable and talented young man, and he has maintained a deep interest and engagement in the support of D.C. schools (traditional public, charter, and private) and educational opportunities for low-income -- and all -- children in D.C., since he first arrived in the District as a Georgetown freshman six years ago.
Jason has thought critically about larger education policy issues, and become involved personally in the lives of D.C. students with a commitment that sets an example of true public service and leadership.
-Jacques Arsenault