Arlington School Board Interview: Libby Garvey

1. Who are you and why are you running for Arlington School Board? What skill sets would you bring to the School Board that would make you a valuable member?
I was first elected to the Arlington School Board in 1996. I offer continuity and experience to keep our excellent school system further improving as we address the challenges facing our Board. During the 11 years that I have been privileged to serve, I have built a network of state-wide contacts in education, contributed to successes in student achievement and gained experience in keeping our school capital program on track. During this time, the gap in achievement between white and minority students has been reduced by half while student achievement overall has gone up. Arlington's high schools have been consistently ranked in the top one percent in the nation by Newsweek. Forbes magazine calls Arlington "The best place to raise children." Our schools' capital program has earned the reputation of building award-winning schools on time and within budget.

Success like this in a school system does not happen by accident. It takes sustained leadership that knows how to help keep our schools focused on student achievement. By January 2009, I will have 12 years of experience on the Board, which will be double the combined six years of all the other Board members. Without me, our School Board will have a major deficit in education policy experience and institutional knowledge.

Much more on the "flip"

Our School Board would also lose important state and national networks that I have built up. I serve on the Governor's P-16 Council, which helps set Virginia education policy for the next generation of students and am the only K-12 School Board member on the Council with business leaders, legislators and educators. I helped found the Limited English Proficient Caucus, which advocates in the Commonwealth for adequate support for our students needing English language skills. I am active in the National School Board's Federal Relations Network. Senator Jim Webb and Congressman Jim Moran have asked for my advice on the impact of Federal legislation on local schools, especially concerning our non-native English speaking students. State and national policies and legislation have important impacts on our local schools. It is important that our voice be heard at that level.

My two daughters graduated from the Arlington Public Schools over the past decade. Now I have one grandchild in our schools and two more coming up. I've long had a personal interest in and knowledge of the school system; and that will continue.

Finally, I bring unusual skills as an elected official. I have often effectively supported outstanding Democrats, sometimes going out on a limb to do so. I've worked hard to elect Mary Hynes, Walter Tejada, Tim Kaine, and Jim Webb among others. I also have a keen awareness and concern for what is best for our larger community. When I realized we had no emergency radio system in Arlington, nor an effective outdoor alert system for emergencies, I set about to have those installed. It took five years and apointment as a member of the Council of Governments' Emergency Preparedness Council for the National Capital Region, but we now have that radio system and a pilot outdoor alert system.

2. What do you believe the Arlington School Board is currently doing well? How could it be done even better?
The School Board has done a good job of supporting a learning organization that holds itself accountable and works to constantly improve educational outcomes for all its students. That has meant hiring topnotch central staff who use data to make good decisions and recognize the importance of treating every employee with respect, and giving them the tools to perform well. It has also meant supporting a regular 6-year cycle of thorough evaluations of each department. These evaluations identify what is working well, and what needs to improve. It is part of our organizational culture that supports improvement.

We are transparent and accountable to the taxpayers. Each year we set over 100 targets for measures such as how many students take Algebra in 8th grade, how many students will take advanced courses. We report to the public on how we've done.

The School Board has done a good job of focusing on our mission of student achievement. That includes closing the gap in achievement between white and minority student groups. We continue to work with national leaders in the field to eliminate that gap. Our progress and commitment are nationally recognized, as is our success in student achievement.

3. What, if anything, do you believe the Arlington School Board is not currently doing well? How would you address this issue/these issues if you're elected (or re-elected) to the Board?
The School Board is relatively new and, like any new group, brings new ideas and issues to the School Board table. This is positive unless it pulls our focus away from our central goal of raising student achievement, which has happened at times.

I believe we need a better balance between innovation and retaining existing good practices that brought us to excellence. As with any new group, we are not as aware as our predecessors of how and why the school system works the way it does. While this encourages new approaches, there are times we as a Board discount the knowledge and expertise of experienced staff and citizens to the detriment of the school system. If re-elected, I will endeavor to clearly communicate the value of what we have long been doing as a Board and how it has led to Arlington's schools being among the very best in the nation.

4. What would you say are the top three challenges facing Arlington County school system right now, and what should be done about those challenges?
We must keep our eye on the prize of student achievement. Since I joined the Board student achievement is up overall and the gap between our minority students and their white classmates has closed by half. To continue to improve the entire system, we must build on this success. This requires continued focus on student achievement, knowledge of how we got here, and understanding of where we need to go next and practical experience on realistic, practical means to accomplish those goals. Of all the candidates seeking your endorsement, I am the only one with the experience and depth of understanding to provide leadership in the school board's policy setting responsibilities. In January 2009, no other School Board member will have over two years at the policy level - even those who are excellent in their new position will need seasoning and time to learn the complex school system. I pledge to use my institutional knowledge and experience to continue our school system on its track of steady improvement.

Another priority issue must be continuation of our carefully planned capital campaign. I have worked hard for years to structure greater accountability and transparency in our capital program. Our schools have a hard earned reputation for completing award winning school buildings on time and within budget. We must finish our capital cycle so that Yorktown and Wakefield high schools, the Career Center, and Thomas Jefferson Middle School are modernized for our children and for our many other citizens who use our buildings throughout the year. While capital budgets are getting tighter and there is more competition for those scarce funds, our schools must receive the priority treatment Arlington expects for the education of our children and use of its citizens.

A third major issue is our citizen involvement processes. We have recently had a number of difficult issues such as boundary changes which have taken up much time and frustrated well meaning citizens and hard working school staff. I believe we need to be clearer about realistic, reasonable expectations of citizen committees. Citizens and staff need to work together and be confident that their concerns and expertise are seriously considered as we work through tough issues.

5. Anything else you'd like to add about your vision for the Arlington County school system?
Even for those citizens without children in the school system, it is important for our property values and for community development as an inner suburb with a large immigrant population to retain a reputation for excellent public schools. That is critical to continue attracting young families to settle and stay in Arlington County. It is also essential to encouraging businesses to locate here.

My experience has taught me that change is important, but must be managed well. When a system is working well, changes in their guiding bodies should be gradual to retain a sound balance between innovation and stability. Arlington schools' national recognition did not happen by accident. It took hiring and supporting excellent staff combined with sustained leadership focused on student achievement as the key mission of our schools. It took a long time to build. It can be lost very quickly.

We are not perfect, but our school system now works constantly to improve. It is on track to make exciting educational breakthroughs in science/technology/engineering/math (STEM) education. We are working towards innovative policies to pay our teachers based on criteria that affect student performance.

With three new members on the five-person Board, and at least one additional freshman member in January, we have had quite a bit of change to absorb. Those who agree that we have an excellent school system and would like to see it get even better, should vote for some continuity to keep current programs and policies on track as we move forward with fresh innovation.

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