Shea Voted onto FCCPS School Board

In a unanimous vote Thursday morning, the Falls Church City Public Schools Board welcomed Cecily Shea to the board.

The board had a vacant spot after Pat Riccards left his board chair position. Shea will serve on the board in the interim until May when the board will hold a special election. Susan Kearney is the current vice chair of the board.

“I’m very excited and honored that they selected me,” Shea said after the special meeting.

Shea was one of eight City of Falls Church residents who submitted letters of interest for the position. Letters had to be received before noon Jan. 18. The board said Shea had the they were looking for to fill the interim position.

According to letter she submitted to the board, Shea has spent the last decade serving on various PTA committees and has served as PTA president on the elementary, middle and high school levels. She has also served on the George Mason High Curriculum Council; the Thomas Jefferson Elementary and Mason school plan committees as well as multiple principal and assistant principal interviewing committees.

Of the eight possible candidates for the vacant school board position, Shea was the only one who attended the 7:30 a.m. meeting.

“Some times you just have an idea when to be somewhere,” Shea said. “I just felt like this was a natural progression of things I have done with the school system.”

The board recognized Shea as a budget watcher and someone who is committed to the school system.

Kearney said she hopes the seven other candidates will express interest again in the May elections. She said the pool of candidates were strong but Shea the right person for the job now.

“She’s been engaged with our school system for as long as anyone could remember,” Kearney said. “She just seemed to be an obvious choice.”

Correction: The FCCPS School Board will be selecting the new chair and vice chair Saturday, Jan 21, not at their May election.