The Mason District of Fairfax County elected a new school board member in a special election Tuesday, giving longtime parent and county schools advocate Sandy Evans 53.5 percent (2,684) of the vote, according to the official results certified by Virginia State Board of Elections.
The Mason District of Fairfax County elected a new school board member in a special election Tuesday, giving longtime parent and county schools advocate Sandy Evans 53.5 percent (2,684) of the vote, according to the official results certified by Virginia State Board of Elections.
With support from local Democratic officials, the county’s teacher advocacy groups and five of the 11 School Board members, Evans defeated the GOP-backed candidate, Samantha Rucker, who received 41.3 percent (2,069) of the 5,014 votes cast Tuesday in Mason District’s 28 precincts.
Evans, a mother of two who began as a parent volunteer in 1996 for her daughter’s kindergarten class at Sleepy Hollow Elementary, earned an endorsement from State Del. Kaye Kory, who she replaced as the Mason District school board member. Kory stepped down in January to represent the 38th District in the House of Delegates.
Mason District supervisor Penny Gross congratulated Evans for her victory Tuesday. “I am delighted that Sandy Evans will be a partner on the School Board as we work to provide the best programs and services possible to the people of Mason District,” Gross told the News-Press.
Evans joins the Fairfax County School Board at a critical point in the 2011 school budget process. The board approved the 2011 advertised budget of $2.3 billion in early February, restoring some of the $200 million cuts proposed by Superintendent Jack Dale.
Following further work sessions and public forums, the board will present its finalized budget to the county’s Board of Supervisors on April 6. The board expects to adopt the 2011 approved budget on May 20.
