Schools

Herndon's Fagan Running for At-Large Seat on FCPS Board

Advocate, parent works for students with intellectual disabilities

Herndon resident Lisa Fagan is running for an At-large seat on the Fairfax County Public Schools school board.

Fagan, running as a Republican, has been involved in education in a number of different ways for many years. She currently works as a educational advocate for Special Education Connections, advising parents of children with intellectual disabilities on their educational rights and how to obtain the services they need.

The mother of three said her children all had individual education plans, and she travels to schools throughout the region on a daily basis to help other children get the services they need. “You see things that really work and see things that don’t work,” she said of her experiences.

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In addition to working in schools, Fagan has served as a member of the Fairfax County Public Schools Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities, a member of the Fairfax County Disability Service Board, and a peer reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education among other organizations.

Fagan said she sees a different side of schools than what most people see and thought she might have something to offer the school board. She said something she feels schools really need is more options for students who may not go straight to college after high school.

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She said FCPS should offer more services so students can have alternate plans, whether it is employment, learning a trade or volunteering. She said too many young adults go from one dead-end job to another at 18 years old. She said there isn’t a lot of guidance for students who don’t want to continue onto college.

With many members of the current school board retiring, Fagan said she thought it might be good to step up and bring a different perspective to the board. She said in her work she often hears the thoughts and concerns of parents and teachers and they don’t always get filtered up to the top.

Fagan said she also believes FCPS needs to make sure that teachers know they are valuable. She said the school system needs to be careful to make sure they don’t drive them away, whether it is done through compensation or other means.

FCPS also needs to make sure it is spending money wisely, she said.  If the county is developing programs for in the classroom, they should make sure they are being implemented properly and get used to their full potential so money is not wasted on them.

Fagan would also like to help the FCPS board of directors improve communication and build consensus. She said they will never be able to make everyone happy, but they need to work to have a balance of give and take on both sides of the many issues faced by the school system.

Overall, FCPS does a great job of educating children, Fagan said. People move to Fairfax County for the schools and the services they provide, she said. But there is room for improvement in certain places where FCPS may currently be missing the mark.

Recently there’s been a lot of talk of FCPS’ disciplinary process. Fagan said she has been to disciplinary hearings and does not think school-to-school transfers are necessarily bad. “It’s not black or white,” she said. She said principals need to be able to have some discretion in disciplining students. She said other counties will expel students for less, but doesn’t think it hurts to evaluate how FCPS handles discipline.

Fagan said her children have varying needs and interests, whether it’s sports, robotics or arts and is familiar with area schools through her own children and the children of her clients. She said she believes issues should be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Fagan is a member of the Fairfax County Republican Committee, which will choose its school board candidate endorsements in June.


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