When Republicans present themselves with pride as great fiscal managers, please know that they are totally lying. Really, they are.
And Fairfax County Republicans are so fiscally careless, that they even went rogue on their own tax payers by pushing for an early Special Election.
The Republican members of Fairfax County School Board pushed for a Special Election, costing the tax payers of the county an extra 250,000 to hold a Fairfax County School Board Special Election in late August. Typically, this is the time when families are re-adjusting their schedules after summer, gearing up for the Fall, and everyone is busy readying for school. They did this to put in someone not qualified. Someone who does not even have much connection with the schools in Fairfax County. Also, Fairfax Republicans want to bring a narrower perspective into the school board.
Karen Keys-Gamarra has endorsements from —
- Fairfax Education Association — Teachers
- Fairfax County Federation of Teachers.
- Gubernatorial candidate Dr. Ralph Northam.
- Lt. Gubernatorial candidate Justin Fairfax.
- Virginia AG Mark Herring.
Furthermore, she has an endorsement from the WaPo Editorial Board:
Tuesday’s special election comes as the 189,000-student school system grapples with fiscal challenges caused by the inability of state and county funds to keep up with its fast growth. A meals tax that would have provided extra resources to public education was roundly defeated in a referendum last year. The candidate with the best understanding of these complicated issues is Karen Keys-Gamarra. Ms. Keys-Gamarra, an attorney and child advocate whom we endorsed in 2015 when she unsuccessfully ran for the school board’s Sully District seat, doesn’t offer simplistic solutions but instead understands that competing needs must be weighed and prioritized — and that the school board must work as a partner with its county counterparts.
Her experience’s meets up with the requirements needed in a school board member —
- Fairfax County is big, and its county government is fragmented. The school board has to be a partner with the county. Karen Keys-Gamarra’s experience with the Fairfax Planning Commission will help the school district in any building and renovations the school district may carry out.
- Additionally, Karen Keys-Gamarra has experience as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. This is one of the roles she has in her legal practice — as as a Court appointed guardian. In that role, she has worked with kids and youths in a professional and supportive capacity.
Both of those make her an extraordinary candidate for the district’s school board.
She is -
- Against bullying.
- For smaller classrooms.
- Is supportive of teachers and improving their morale.
- Supports diversity in schools.
This is what she believes in:
1) That every child deserves a quality education.
2) That every child is a treasure to his or her community.
3) That every child benefits from the collaborative efforts of parents, teachers and the community to address educational concerns.
It takes hard work and focus to build and maintain a quality educational system and Fairfax County provides a first class education. With your help and an opportunity to listen to the voices of parents and members of the community, I believe excellence is and will be the standard found in every Fairfax County Public School classroom
And this is what she is running for —
1) Protect after-school programs from Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos, who want to cut all federal funds to these programs in our schools.
2) Fully fund Fairfax schools so our teachers get the resources they need to give our kids a great education.
3) Enact policies to reduce bullying, so our kids have a safe learning environment.
4) Decrease class sizes so our students receive the attention they need to learn and teachers are better able to support all kids in the classroom.
Vote for the Blue Wave. Make it happen with a vote for Karen Keys-Gamarra.
Come on. We can make it happen.
Remember to vote at your regular polling place this Tuesday, August 29, between 6am and 7pm. Let’s send Donald Trump and his Republican party a message they won’t forget.
See diary by KBoddye.
See SemDem’s diary too.