2024 General Election Candidate Profile: Ashley Simpson Baird For Alexandria School Board

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As Alexandrians cast their ballots for president and Congress, the Nov. 5, 2024 general election in the City of Alexandria features local races as well. In the Alexandria School Board election, there are nine candidates running for nine seats, including Ashley Simpson Baird.

There was no primary election for the non-partisan School Board race. The nine-member School Board has three representatives each from Districts A, B and C. There are three candidates in each of the Districts A, B and C, so none are opposed on the ballot. District B, where Simpson Baird is running, includes parts of central and West End Alexandria.

The City of Alexandria will have the mayor, all six City Council seats and all nine Alexandria School Board seats up for election in November. Federal elections on the ballot include president, Sen. Tim Kaine's U.S. Senate seat, and Rep. Don Beyer's eighth congressional district seat. The next state-level elections will be in 2025.

Early voting for the general election will begin on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 and continue through Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. More information on how to vote is available from the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration & Elections.

Patch asked candidates for mayor, Alexandria City Council and Alexandria School Board to fill out a candidate questionnaire with the same questions. Here are Simpson Baird's responses:

Name

Ashley Simpson Baird

Office Sought

Alexandria City School Board, District B

Campaign Website

www.ashleysimpsonbaird.com

Age (As of Nov. 5 election)

44

Education

B.A., Letters, Arts, and Sciences, Pennsylvania State University
M.A., Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, School for International Training
M.A., Teaching Spanish, School for International Training
Ph.D., Education, University of Virginia

Occupation

My life’s work is to improve public education systems for all students, regardless of background. I began my career teaching English learners in Washington, DC eventually becoming a school administrator before leaving the classroom to pursue a doctoral degree. Even since, I have worked at the intersection of research, policy, and practice. I have led multiple large-scale research studies and consulted for school districts, state education offices, and the US Department of Education. I have successfully led advocacy campaigns to amend legislation and increase funding for students and families furthest from opportunity. My work has been published in peer-reviewed journals and mainstream media publications. Six years ago I founded Merit Research, Policy, and Evaluation. Our clients are schools, districts, and education support organizations.

Family

My husband and I are Northern Virginia natives and met at summer camp in Madison, VA. We moved to Alexandria in 2015. We first lived in Potomac Yard and now live in North Ridge. We have three children who attend George Mason Elementary. Our family is active in our school, neighborhood, and youth sports communities. We love spending time outside hiking, swimming, and boating. Inspired by the movie “The Speed Cubers,” my 10-year-old and I recently learned how to solve both the 2x2 and 3x3 Rubik’s cubes.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No one in my family works in politics or government.

Previous public office positions or appointments

I am an incumbent; previously elected to the School Board from District B in 2021.

Why are you seeking this office?

ACPS is an incredible school system with limitless potential. We have been on an upward trajectory in recent years and I am committed to seeing that continue. This requires all of us to keep showing up, keep working hard, keep finding common ground, and keep striving for the best. I’m here for that.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate(s) seeking this post?

I deeply respect anyone willing to run for and serve in public office, including my current and future colleagues. I value the different perspectives we bring and the communities we reflect. My strengths as a Board member include my extensive background in education, personal experience as an ACPS parent, policy expertise, and my bilingualism in English and Spanish.

What do you see as the top issues facing your city, and how do you address them in your campaign platform?

Alexandria City Public Schools are on an upward trajectory—academic achievement is recovering, enrollment is increasing, and staff vacancies are low. However, we still have more work to do. The following will be important issues for the next Board to address:

- Transportation: Our school transportation system is strained and needs revamping. I look forward to crafting creative solutions with ACPS, City, and state partners to ensure that all students get to and from school safely and on time.
- School Culture: The 24-25 school year started with some of the lowest staff vacancy rates in years, despite national teaching shortages. This accomplishment is due, in part, to having the highest average teacher pay in Northern Virginia. Now that staff are here, we need them to stay! This will mean ensuring they have the resources and support they and their students need to be successful and providing them with meaningful opportunities to chart the future of the division.
- Collective Bargaining: This year the School Board passed a historic Resolution allowing ACPS staff to bargain collectively. That process is now underway and the next School Board will vote on new contracts for ACPS staff. My priorities are to ensure a fair and collaborative process leading to an agreement that will promote high levels of staff retention.
- Strategic Planning: In 2025, the ACPS community will devise our next strategic plan. This is an incredible opportunity to establish priorities and chart the course for the next five years. I look forward to contributing to these important conversations and moving our schools forward.
- Redistricting: We are long overdue for redrawing our elementary and middle school boundaries. This process must ensure that our next redistricting establishes a more equitable distribution of students and creates flexibility in the future so that we can more easily respond to enrollment changes as they will inevitably arise.

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

In the past three years, we have had many successes including:

- Steadily improving post-pandemic academic and social-emotional outcomes
- Increasing average educator pay by 19% over three fiscal years
- Adopting the division’s first collective bargaining resolution
- Approving balanced budgets
- Overseeing the opening of two net-zero school buildings
- Securing funding for the full modernization of George Mason and Cora Kelly Elementary Schools
- Navigating the transition to a new superintendent

I have held leadership roles on the Governance and Operational Excellence Committees and been a member of our Collective Bargaining Committee. I am a steadfast champion for English learners and students with special needs. I was the first to propose offering free virtual mental health services, which are now available to all students.

Throughout my first term, I have done extensive community outreach by attending events, hosting regular coffees, and meeting individually with anyone who asked for it. This outreach has been invaluable in understanding the myriad experiences and opinions of my constituents and I look forward to continuing this work in my second term.