Kathleen A. Clark Runs For Arlington County School Board: Profile

ARLINGTON, VA — While most of the attention this political season has been on the presidential race, Arlington residents will also be casting ballots on Nov. 5 for candidates running in the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives (8th District), county board and school board races.

Kathleen A. Clark, an internal auditor at Gap Inc., is on the Nov. 5 ballot in the race to fill two open seats on the Arlington County School Board. She's running against Paul C. Weiss, Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and James "Vell" Rives.

As part of its coverage of the 2024 election, Patch has asked each of the candidates in the Arlington County School Board race to fill out a questionnaire to describe why they think they're the best person to fill the job they're running for.

Your Name

Kathleen Clark

Position sought:

School Board Member

Have you been endorsed by a recognized political party? If so, which one?

Yes, the Democratic Party Endorsement for Arlington County

Age (as of Election Day)

47

Campaign Website

www.kathleenforarlingtonschoolboard.org

Names, ages and any pertinent details you wish to share about your family.

My spouse, Luke, and I have been been married 21 years. We have three children in APS - Colton (9th Grade), Leena (7th Grade), and Carter (3rd Grade). Two of my children are Autistic, and my third was found "gifted" in every subject - my children cover the range of educational needs in APS.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're a candidate in.

No, no one in my family is in politics or involved with Arlington County Public Schools or Arlington County Government.

Education

East Carolina University, Bachelor of Science. Double major in Spanish and Business Management.

Occupation - Please include years of experience.

26 years with Gap Inc. - Internal Auditor for the last 16+ years, 10 years store management experience

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Political Office

N/A

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am a proud APS graduate and I love our schools! We have a great school system that works well for many students, but I want it to work for ALL students. I have witnessed firsthand the difficulty of navigating the system, particularly for students who learn differently and for English learners. I want to improve outcomes for ALL learners by ensuring that the barriers to accessing education are addressed (improving translation services and ensuring universal design is present both in the physical setting and with the instructional materials).

My advocacy started years ago, when we saw how four elementary schools approached the IEP process differently for our oldest son. I was motivated to get involved in helping educate other parents and guardians who didn’t know where to begin and what resources were available; I didn’t want other parents to face the same challenges and inconsistencies that we did accessing his education.

The single most pressing issue facing voters is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue for school board facing voters is the structural budget issues impacting APS. We've been using the reserves for years to supplement the operating budget, and now those resources are gone. The budget development impacts our ability to implement increased planning factors as recommended in the studies for inclusion, which I helped lead with the Office of Special Education in Fall ’21, and the larger planning factor study from last year that looked across school needs. The purpose of planning factors is to provide a base level of equity and consistency for staff (personnel), equipment and resources (supplies) to meet instructional goals and to adequately deliver instruction at a foundational level.

I share community concerns that APS has in the past had too many priorities, inherently making it difficult to fully meet initiative objectives with ease and given resources. Community members have expressed frustration with overpromising and under-delivering; this does not build trust in the system and is frustrating to all parties (teachers, students + families, and the greater community). This is why the work on the 2024-2030 Strategic Plan was so critical as it provides the guidance on the priorities for APS and the budget must tie back to it.

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

I have been deeply engaged over the past 6 years in school advocacy across the county including the strategic plan, special education, inclusion, and mental health. I already have great working relationships with many principals and school administrators, as well as central office, and actively collaborate with the APS parent community to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable learners.

I truly enjoy listening and learning from our greater community, and want to understand other perspectives and identify areas in which we have common ground. My ability to collaborate and understand other perspectives will help me as a school board member improve our decision quality and help provide oversight to systemic changes necessary within APS to improve outcomes for ALL learners.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Other issues that are important to me are creating inclusive cultures at schools, improving teacher retention, and developing long-range plans - all of which directly contribute to improving outcomes.

• Inclusive Culture and Mental Health - It is critical that we work as a community to create safe, inclusive schools as we know that students engage in their education and perform better if their social, emotional, and physical needs are met. An inclusive mindset, believing that every student can succeed, is key and it doesn't require significant costs. This approach also helps reduce bullying and mental health issues amongst our students. Organizations, such as 1N5 and Hope Squad, implement student training and peer support to identify and address students that may be in distress. In schools where they have implemented similar approaches, the administrators have noted improved student well-being and school culture.
• Teacher Retention - This is a nationwide issue, but improving teacher retention involves prioritizing fair pay (Steps and COLAs), enhancing school-based and school system culture to reduce burnout, and addressing teachers' mental health concerns. Reducing burnout requires intentional implementation of instructional materials (not learning new materials annually), balancing teacher workloads, and listening to teachers' concerns.
• Long-range Plans - As an auditor, I inherently focus on system interdependencies, reducing redundancy, and planning for community needs 5-15 years ahead. The population in Arlington continues to evolve, and we must adapt to where the student populations are growing and be ready to meet their needs proactively.

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

I bring years of experience in countywide advocacy, including roles as President of the Arlington Special Education PTA and Vice-Chair of the 2024-2030 Strategic Plan Steering Committee. As Vice Chair, my work involved collaborating with APS leadership, teachers, staff, families, students, and community members to shape future school priorities. I have also contributed to the Planning Factors study for inclusion and served as a CCPTA liaison. Additionally, I spearheaded the creation of a dual-language parent training on Substance Use and Neurodiverse Kids with the Parent Resource Center.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

I have had a lot of great leaders and mentors in my career, and there are a couple of things that have stuck with me:

1. Be authentic in who I am.
2. Be curious and don’t make assumptions. (In other words, you won’t know all the answers, but good questions will help you understand where the pain points are in any given process and will help identify best practices when things are working.)

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As a parent who has faced bullying and mental health challenges with my own children in APS, I bring personal experience that fuels my empathy and commitment to effective oversight. Having actively advocated for marginalized students and families, I’ve seen the system’s disparities firsthand. I’m dedicated to providing governance to a school system that truly supports every student and family, and creates a culture that drives retention with it's educators by prioritizing and investing in their professional growth and development.