Meet The Candidate: Ish Boyle For Alexandria School Board

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As Alexandria's Nov. 2 general election nears, one of the races voters will decide is the Alexandria School Board.

The school board is made up of three districts, each of which has three board members who serve a three-year term. Members who are elected in the Nov. 2 election will take office in 2022.

Voters will either vote for Alexandria School Board District A, B or C depending on which district they live in. There are five candidates running for three seats in District A, seven candidates running for three seats in District B, and three candidates running for three seats in District C.

One of the District A candidates is Ish Boyle, a father of two ACPS students and Marine Corps veteran who now works in cybersecurity.

For more information about the upcoming election in Alexandria, visit www.alexandriava.gov/Elections.

Learn more about Ish Boyle and why he is running for Alexandria School Board District A in 2021:

Age (as of Election Day)

40

Position sought (mayor, city council, school board, etc.)

School Board

Party Affiliation

Independent (Non-Partisan)

Family

Spouse: Colleen, Children: Luke (10), Will (7), Foster puppy: Spot (2.5 months)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

United States Naval Academy

Occupation

Cyber Security and entrepreneurship (10 yrs)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

www.Ish4ACPS.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

As an Alexandrian and father of two young ACPS students, I care deeply that all students in our community have access to high-quality education so that they can thrive and maximize their learning potential. There is nothing more important than our future as a community and a country. Running for school board presents an opportunity to help invest in, positively impact, and support Alexandrians who will be the leaders of our tomorrow. The last 18 months challenged us all and exposed vulnerabilities in our school system. We need leaders with integrity, concern for our children, and clear thinkers to represent the voices of teachers, administrators, principals, and community members who believe their voice isn’t being heard by our elected and appointed leaders. I am committed to listening, learning, and leading - and working hard to support excellent schools!

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our SCHOOLS is academic excellence for all students. This includes the need to attract and retain well-qualified teachers and administrators who are compensated accordingly and encompasses the return of the SROs along with mental health professionals who ensure students can attend school safely. We need to make sure that every learner is challenged and thriving and has access to differentiated courses from elementary through high school. As a father of two current ACPS students, I am highly invested in the success and achievement of our community's students. I am a leader who will listen to your concerns, address the challenges in our schools without delay, and work for a better future for all ACPS students and families.

Separately, the single most pressing issue facing our BOARD is a lack of leadership, transparency, and accountability. This has manifested itself in myriad ways over the last 18 months; from not having a phased approach to back-to-school learning, the introduction of political agendas into our schools, the poor planning and communication in going back to school this fall, and prematurely pulling forward the Superintendent's contract for a 3 year renewal. Parents I’ve met this past year repeatedly expressed frustration over the lack of accountability, transparency, and purpose at ACPS Central Office. Leadership challenges have impacted our entire system. I hope that all Alexandrians (whether you have students in public, private, homeschool, no school, out of school, or no students) will take a minute to learn about the School Board Candidates this year and VOTE for positive change for our community!

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

Although I'm married to a Fairfax County Public Schools Teacher of the Year finalist and have many relatives in education, my career is not related to the field of education, and I think that is a positive when evaluating me against the other candidates running. My background is military and business leadership. We need to have a balanced School Board comprised of members with different backgrounds and complementary strengths. I offer diversity of thought to the School Board, immense respect for teachers and administrators, strong leadership skills, and the perspective and motivation of a parent who wants the very best education for his children and all children across Alexandria. I value the voices and perspectives of our community members and work hard to represent and elevate your voices without shying away or backing down from uncomfortable topics. I am able to work collaboratively with the Board to step up and get things done that would benefit the greater good of our students and school system.

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

In district A (which I am running in), there are 2 incumbents who voted against keeping School Resource Officers in our middle schools and high school to protect our students. Board members pulled forward our Superintendent's contract prematurely for another 3 year term instead of leaving it up to the newly-elected Board. They were sluggish in their phased approach to bringing our students back to school, leaving those who needed it most behind. Our Superintendent and some School Board members have lost the trust of many of our parents, teachers, administrators, and principals by not consistently keeping our students' or teachers' best interests at the forefront over the last 18+ months. Additionally, many families didn't feel like our voices were being heard or considered. Our schools should welcome all families and be a source of pride in our community - but what we're seeing now is an overwhelming number of teachers leaving and families making the decision to homeschool, go to private school, and even move away from Alexandria in search of better schools. For many students, public school is the only option - we need to make our public schools excellent so they are a viable and desirable option for all students. 83% of ACPS' 310M budget comes from Alexandrians' taxes. To date, the voices of taxpayers, parents (as well as teachers, administrators, and principals) haven't been valued due to feckless leadership, unions, and special interests. This needs to change. Our schools need to support teachers and students and provide an excellent education and learning environment. If students and families are fleeing our public schools, that is an obvious sign that our public schools aren't meeting the needs of the students.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

From a facilitation and execution standpoint, I thought Chief Technology Officer, Liz Hoover, and her IT team did a fantastic job. There are Global 2000 companies that are still trying to master working remotely. The IT department deserves an immense amount of credit for pivoting to remote learning in a largely seamless fashion. This was a herculean undertaking and I applaud their ability to adapt to the circumstances and provide an option while the schools were closed.

I spent a large part of the summer meeting with teachers, principals, and administrators to understand their specific challenges they faced throughout this pandemic. I spoke with one principal who typically sees around 8% attrition from her school. This past year, that number was as high as 60%. In this scenario, the principal did her own recruiting to fill the gaps on her team. She didn’t receive any qualitative help from ACPS Central Office. Because almost the entire procurement department recently quit in ACPS, our principals were also running project management at their schools over the summer to improve facilities and infrastructure. Our in-school leaders need better support from the Superintendent and ACPS central office. For families, going back to school has been fraught with miscommunication, constantly changing guidance, and a lack of urgency in engaging. The school board must recognize that it exists to serve the needs of all families in our schools, as well as our dedicated educators and administrators. I think we should have tapped into the innovation and resourcefulness of our community to get through the 18 months without school. Private schools in our city were back in person, some with classes under outdoor tents - they found a way to make it work, and we missed that opportunity unnecessarily and to the detriment of many students and families. We have an incredible community here that wants to help problem solve and support our children and schools - and our public school system ignored them.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

• Offer our students five days a week of in-school quality instruction (and quality virtual instruction to students during quarantine including flexible options for students who have difficulty with screen learning).
• Focus on academic excellence and differentiated instruction across grade levels to maximize the learning potential of every student.
• Bring accountability and transparency to School Board and Superintendent.
• Return SROs to our middle and high school AND provide students with access to mental health professionals and restorative practices.

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

The intentions for anyone running for school board need to be a desire and ability to act on making positive change for our school system. Over the last decade, I have served on non-profit and for-profit boards. I have the communication skills necessary to elevate the voices of the parents and stakeholders to strengthen our schools and educational experiences of students. I also have strong experience leading in chaotic situations. While serving in the Marine Corps, and now leading in the business world, I learned that to succeed, we need to be both thoughtful and decisive, proactive and responsive. As a parent, a member of this community, and as a Marine Corps and business leader, I have a record of serving with transparency, accountability, and purpose. We need School Board members who have hope for our schools, high expectations, and the motivation and ability to deliver and make effective changes. Alexandria is an incredible city flush with resources and leaders – we must make the right connections and elect the right leaders who have the energy, ideas, and eagerness to work. I am that leader and will deliver on these items.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Don't Wish, Vote for Ish", obviously! Haha, just kidding. The most pertinent advice that propelled me into running for School Board harkens back to something my parents would regularly say to my 11 siblings and me around heated discussions at the dinner table: Stand up for what you believe in. I never thought I would be running for School Board. However, as other parents and we became increasingly concerned about our children's education, we realized that instead of just pointing out problems, we could be part of the solution on a larger scale. I am running for school board as a concerned dad who wants all students and families in our community to have pride and confidence in our public schools. I am standing up for what I believe, which is that all students should have access to safe, quality public education that enables them to maximize their potential.

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

As a person with non-political aspirations and in the campaigning arena for the first time, my hat goes off to anyone who has run or is running for an elected position. Campaigning is an extreme sport and some people (especially on social media) are really... passionate! So much work, time, and energy go into running a campaign. Committing to this position would be impossible if I didn't truly want to help - or think I could help - make our schools better for all Alexandrian students. There is an amazing team of people I've met through this journey who want the same and have supported my campaign in numerous helpful ways, and I am so grateful to them. I also feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to talk with so many Alexandrians and hear your concerns over the past 5 months. I hope to continue listening and problem solving as one of your School Board members!