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Crowley
Phillips |
Both candidates for the Stafford County School Board's Hartwood District seat have held elected office.
Incumbent Doreen Phillips is vying for her second term on the board in the Nov. 3 election.
Her opponent, Noreen Crowley, served the Falmouth District on the School Board from 1998 until 2002. She moved to Hartwood in 2007.
Crowley also ran as a Democrat against Del. William Howell, R-Stafford, in 2001.
Phillips said she's established rapport with many people in Hartwood and wants to continue serving them.
"I feel like I was able to make a lot of progress with the constituents in my district and form really good relationships with many of the neighborhoods," Phillips said.
Crowley points to her work in all three levels of government. In addition to her term on the School Board, she has been the state's assistant secretary of education and was a policy analyst for the Educational Testing Service in Washington.
"I think what I bring is an understanding of the local, the state and the federal dynamics involved in education policy and how we can work on these issues to move Stafford County public schools forward," Crowley said.
Phillips said she thinks it's "fantastic" that the division didn't lay off employees this year as did some other school systems around the nation. Now, she said, her first priority is to give school employees raises.
Stafford teachers did not receive cost-of-living or step raises this year.
"Spending needs to be kept under control so that we can afford to give raises," Phillips said.
Crowley's priorities also include what she calls the "fair compensation of school staff." She noted that teacher salaries remained the best in the region during her previous term on the School Board--even with unprecedented student growth.
"That took focus by the School Board--that took prioritizing," Crowley said.
Phillips said another one of her goals is to build the county's first career and technical center using a public-private partnership. Such a facility would alleviate overcrowding in high schools and provide recreational opportunities for the entire county, she said.
A real-estate agent and property manager, Phillips said her job experience helps with what she calls the "business side" of running a school system. Her Web site criticizes the School Board for not consolidating schools to save money and better use space.
"I think that I bring vision and common sense in smart spending at a time when it's absolutely critical," Phillips said.
Crowley said the School Board needs a more long-term approach to issues such as redistricting and student-teacher ratios.
For instance, she said the division should address better ways to use its facilities, noting that some schools are overcrowded and others are underutilized.
"Student achievement needs to be the primary goal of School Board members," Crowley said.
Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com
NOREEN CARROLL CROWLEY Address: 160 Summer Breeze Lane Political experience: Stafford School Board, Falmouth District representative, 1998-2002 Age: 54 Family: Husband; four children, one of whom currently attends Colonial Forge High School Occupation: Grant writer for Inova Health System; education policy consultant Education: Bachelor's degree from Mary Washington College, 1976; master's degree in public administration from Virginia Tech, 2004 Military: None Community activities: Board member and secretary of the Stafford Education Foundation (2008-present); vice chairwoman of the division's gifted advisory committee (2008-09); board member of the Virginia Association of Health Occupation Students of America (2006); member of Virginia's Consortium for Adequate Resources in Education (1999-2003) Most important issues: Bring a long-term, future-focused approach to education goals and decisions; provide strong support for the fair compensation of school staff to facilitate quality learning and a high quality of life in Stafford; uphold a commitment to fiscal efficiency and accountabilityWeb site: Started Baskets for our Soldiers; Adopt-A-Classroom sponsor Most important issues: Work within budget constraints to give employees pay raises; build a career and technical center using a public-private partnership; get more parents and residents involved in school organizations, such as advisory committeesWeb site: doreen4schools.com |
