Meet The Candidate: Jacinta Greene For Alexandria School Board

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As voters begin casting early ballots for Alexandria's Nov. 2 general election, one of the races they 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 Jacinta Greene, a current Alexandria School Board member running for reelection. In the private sector, Greene works as a marketing and meeting planning consultant.

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

Learn more about Jacinta Greene and why she is running for Alexandria School Board District A in 2021:

Editor's note: below are the unedited views of the candidate.

Age (as of Election Day)

48

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

School Board

Party Affiliation

Non-Partisan

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Yes. My cousin is U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin represents Virginia’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and his wife Collette McEachin is the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Richmond City.

Education

I hold a Bachelors of Science in Communications/Journalism from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Occupation

I have been an Independent Marketing/Meeting Planning Consultant for the last 9 years. I also previously spent 10 years in Corporate America managing advertising/marketing budgets and special projects.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Alexandria City School Board Member

Campaign website

www.jacintagreene.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

As a tireless advocate for public education and someone who comes from a family of educators, I believe that a community is only as strong as its public schools. All students deserve a quality education and we need to do everything we can to provide that for them. Also, I believe, especially in light of the challenges of the past few years, our schools, our teachers, and our students need consistency and strong leadership to not only recover, but also excel moving forward. That is why I am running for reelection. We need school board members who are ready to get to work on day one and continue the progress we have made. I would be honored if the residents of District A put their trust in me again to do just that.

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

Most pressing issue in our schools is closing the academic achievement gap, particularly amongst our black and brown students. It is clear that if we do not tackle this issue head on problems will persist for these students and the community writ large. I am proud of the work that I have done over the last 3+ years alongside my colleagues on the School Board. I successfully pushed for including a focus on K-2 literacy into our strategic plan as well as providing more resources for pre-K for underserved communities. I will continue to focus on furthering those accomplishments should I be reelected. Additionally, to address the achievement gap and ensure the best education for our students, I will also continue to focus on keeping our high-quality teachers in the Alexandria school system. This means we must prioritize giving adequate resources to our teachers both inside and outside the classroom. We need to make sure we are compensating our teachers fairly as well as giving them all the in-school resources they need, so they can focus on what they do best: teaching. Teachers are the backbone of our schools. Without great teachers to provide consistency and a quality educational experience, we will be unable to give our students the education they need and deserve.

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

As someone who comes from a family of educators, I have always been a fierce advocate for public education. While I believe and hope that all the other candidates share that strong passion for supporting our students, teachers, and schools, I think the most crucial difference between myself and most of the other candidates is experience. There are only 3 current incumbent Alexandria City School Board members who are running for re-election. As I have noted previously, consistency is crucial to a quality education and to a school system. Whether it be with our teachers, our staff, or our leadership at the board level, we need stability in order to continue the progress we have made. This consistency is especially crucial as we continue to build back from the pandemic. Alexandria City Public Schools cannot go where it needs to go if it does not know where it has been. We need at least some of our School Board to be ready on day one to continue the work that needs to be done. I am proud of the work our Board has done over the last 3 years and would be proud to continue it if I am re-elected.

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

The Coronavirus presented Alexandria Public Schools with significant challenges and I believe a lot of good work was done to overcome them. Firstly, I would like to commend our teachers on their work during this tough time. Our teachers were the true heroes for pivoting quickly and making sure students had the best possible experience during virtual schooling. More generally, I believe we did a good job of pivoting to remote learning when it became apparent that it would be necessary to ensure the safety of our students, teachers and the community. I am proud of the work we did to ensure students had chromebooks and wifi access to make sure they could learn remotely. I am also very proud of the work we did to make food available during virtual learning for our free and reduced lunch students, many of whom regularly depend on school for at least some of their daily meals. I also believe we did a good job of coordinating with the Health Department to make sure our schools were ready to go back to in person instruction this fall and had the necessary COVID precautions in place to make sure to keep the schools open. Despite the good work we did, I believe there was more we could have done. I think we could have been more proactive and worked to create a better experience for our students that had the toughest time with virtual learning like our K-2 students and students with disabilities.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am a firm believer that ALL Alexandria children deserve a quality education. We can continue our progress and achieve this if we focus on:
Closing the Achievement Gap - I am running for a second term for Alexandria School Board because we have a lot more work to do to close the achievement gap to ensure all students have an equitable opportunity for success. All of Alexandria’s children deserve a quality education to ensure they are prepared to compete in a global economy.
Community-Powered Schools - I will continue to strengthen the relationship between our schools, families and community.
Achieving Educational Equity - This past year and a half, COVID-19 has demonstrated the strength and resilience of our community, schools, teachers, students and parents. As we transition back into in-person learning, it is of utmost importance that we focus on learning recovery.
Commitment To Teachers - I have seen firsthand the dedication that educators impart on their students each day. If re-elected, I will continue to fight to ensure that teachers are fairly compensated and are given the proper tools to succeed. She will ensure that the City of Alexandria is competitive when it comes to recruiting and retaining a pool of diverse and highly-qualified teachers.

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

Born into a family of educators, I learned early and firsthand the importance of a great education and the doors it can open in the future. I believe I can handle this position because, I have been:

Strong Representative for District A on the School Board
I served as the School Board Liaison to develop the “Equity for All 2020-2025 ACPS Strategic Plan,” which works to address the inequities that are deeply rooted in our school system. I worked to improve capacity and address overcrowding in Alexandria City Public Schools by advocating to secure the completion of two new schools and start the process of opening two more. I also worked to improve real-time communication with students, staff, families and the community by including the implementation of a streamlined set of digital tools in the strategic plan. Additionally, I advocated for the inclusion of K-2 literacy in the strategic plan to provide a strong foundation for many students of color lacking access to preschool.

A Community Leader
I lead the Ruby Tucker Readers literacy program that fosters a love for reading for disadvantaged youth in Alexandria. I also previously served as Vice Chair of the Alexandria Commission for Women. Additionally, I was the lead organizer/event planner for Alexandria Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day - a partnership with Alexandria City High School. Also, I am and have been very active in local politics for many years.

An Experienced Professional
I have spent 20+ years in the private sector working for an independent marketing consultant/meeting planner assisting companies and organizations in achieving their goals. Additionally, I spent 10 years in Corporate America managing large projects and budgets.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The best advice ever shared with me is, “Do good for others. It will come back in unexpected ways.” This is one of my life mottos that I carry with me on a card with me each day. It reminds me of my passion and purpose for community activism/advocacy, centered around providing equal opportunities for the underserved in my beloved Alexandria.

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

At my core, making life better for others and improving our public education system are what drive me. I ran for School Board in 2018 and am running again because I am dedicated to giving equal opportunity for all students to succeed. Additionally, I want to make sure we properly prepare them for whatever comes after their public education whether it be higher education or a fulfilling career. I have been truly honored by the trust put in me by the voters of District A to help mold our future citizens and I would be equally honored if they give me the chance to continue that work for another term.