Mary Kadera Is Running In The Nov. 2 Election To Serve On The Arlington School Board

ARLINGTON, VA — Mary Kadera and her husband Fraser live in Arlington with their two children: Ian, who is a freshman at Yorktown High School, and Ruby, a seventh grader at Kenmore Middle School.

Kadera is running in the Nov. 2 general election against Major M. Webb for a seat on the Arlington County School Board. Although school board candidates run without party affiliation, Kadera won the endorsement of the Arlington Democrats during the party's caucus in May. Early voting is already underway.

Patch asked each of the candidates running in the Nov. 2 general election to fill out the following profile:

Name

Mary Cadera

Position sought

Arlington School Board

Family

Husband Fraser, married since 2004; two children: Ian, a freshman at Yorktown High School, and Ruby, a seventh grader at Kenmore Middle School.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

B.A. from the College of William and Mary, M.A. from the University of Virginia

Occupation

Director, Nonprofit Educational Media: currently working at TED. I have worked in education for more than 25 years, beginning as a classroom teacher in Virginia's public schools. I worked for nine years at PBS, ultimately leading its national education division. After PBS, I worked for many years with a variety of nonprofit education organizations helping improve policy and practice in U.S. schools.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Why are you seeking elective office?

I have spent my life working in education and care deeply about providing every student in our schools with excellent teaching and learning. We are at a critical juncture, in Arlington and nationally: we must recover from COVID but also do more than "get back to normal." We must recognize that "normal" wasn't working for many of our students, and that we can do better. In my work, I've seen many exciting innovations and improvements happening in schools, and I'm excited to bring these ideas to our own community.

What is the single most pressing issue facing our school district is recruiting and retaining talented staffmembers and this is what I intend to do about it.

At this particular moment (October 2021) the most pressing issue facing our school district is recruiting and retaining talented staff members. As in other school districts across the country, we are grappling with significant staffing shortages right now. We can't support our students coming out of the pandemic if we don't have the staff members to provide that support. I am particularly concerned about the staffing we lack for our students with disabilities, as well as our students in the Virtual Learning Program. Recruiting and retaining an excellent staff requires competitive compensation, giving teachers a real voice in policy and practice (something they are telling us they don't have today), and acknowledging the considerable levels of stress and burnout they are feeling right now.

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

I have more than 25 years of experience working in K-12 education, including as a classroom teacher and a nonprofit leader. I am parent of two students in APS schools. I am a community volunteer, most recently as an officer of the Arlington County Council of PTAs.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I stand for healthy and inclusive school culture; more authentic community engagement; fiscal responsibility and close, collaborative planning with the County government; and a commitment to equity in everything we do.

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

I have held leadership positions in multiple organizations and have created coalitions and consensus around difficult issues.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The importance of listening, curiosity, and humility. There is always much more to the story than what we perceive initially.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions? I invite voters to learn more about me and my platform on my campaign website. There, I've also written about a variety of issues affecting Arlington's students, families and educators in my blog — including facilities, the budget, transportation, student support, testing, instructional vision and more. Please check it out!