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Fairfax County Public Schools elections (2017)
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One of the 12 seats on the Fairfax County Public Schools school board in Virginia was up for at-large special election on August 29, 2017, due to the resignation of former board member Jeanette Hough, who left the position to join her husband on an overseas work assignment. Karen Keys-Gamarra won the election after defeating Sandra Allen, Chris Grisafe, and Michael Owens.[1][2][3]
When Hough was elected to the nonpartisan seat in 2015, she was endorsed by the Fairfax County Republican Party. In that election, Republican-supported candidates gained one seat on the board, changing it from a 10-2 Democratic majority to a 9-3 Democratic majority.[1][4][5] The Fairfax County Republican Party endorsed Grisafe in the special election, while the Fairfax County Democratic Party endorsed Keys-Gamarra.[6] With Keys-Gamarra's win, the majority returned to 10-2.[3]
The 2017 special election attracted a higher number of candidates per seat than the district's general election in 2015. In 2017, four candidates ran for one seat, while in 2015, 24 candidates ran for 12 seats for an average of two candidates per seat. Click here for more election trends.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Fairfax County school board consists of 12 members elected to four-year terms. Nine members are elected by district to represent each of the county's magisterial districts, and three members are elected at large. All board seats are elected to four-year terms in odd-year elections preceding the federal presidential election. A special election was held for an at-large seat in 2017 due to the resignation of a board member.[1][7]
Candidates had to be residents of Virginia for one year prior to the election and residents of the school district at the time they filed to run for office. They had to file with the Fairfax County Office of Elections by June 30, 2017.[1]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by August 15, 2017.[8] Photo identification was required to vote in Virginia.[9]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Fairfax County Public Schools, At-large Special Election, 2-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Karen Keys-Gamarra |
63.90% | 41,526 |
| Chris Grisafe | 32.93% | 21,402 |
| Michael Owens | 2.07% | 1,346 |
| Sandra Allen | 1.10% | 714 |
| Total Votes | 64,988 | |
| Source: Fairfax County Office of Elections, "August 29, 2017 Special Election - Official Returns," accessed September 7, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Sandra Allen | Chris Grisafe | ||
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Karen Keys-Gamarra 
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Michael Owens | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Virginia elections, 2017
The Fairfax County school board special election did not share the ballot with any other election.[10]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Fairfax County school board election:[1][10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 30, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 15, 2017 | Voter registration deadline |
| August 21, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| August 29, 2017 | Special election |
| September 28, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
Endorsements
The Fairfax County Democratic Party endorsed Karen Keys-Gamarra, and the Fairfax County Republican Party endorsed Chris Grisafe.[6] Keys-Gamarra was also endorsed by The Washington Post Editorial Board.[11]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $155,487.18 and spent a total of $153,353.24 in the election, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.[12]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandra Allen | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Chris Grisafe | $29,708.48 | $27,599.73 | $2,108.75 |
| Karen Keys-Gamarra | $125,496.65 | $125,471.46 | $25.19 |
| Michael Owens | $282.05 | $282.05 | $0.00 |
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Fairfax County Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Fairfax County school board special election attracted a higher average number of candidates per seat compared to the district's 2015 general election. In 2015, 24 candidates ran for 12 seats for an average of two candidates per seat. In 2017, four candidates ran for the one seat up for special election.
The 2017 special election was scheduled due to a vacancy on the board, which guaranteed a newcomer was elected. In 2015, four newcomers were elected to the board, taking one-third of the seats on the ballot.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Fairfax County Public Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 4.00 | 0.00% | 0.00% | N/A | 100.00% | |
| 2015 | 2.00 | 25.00% | 83.33% | 80.00% | 33.33% | |
| Virginia | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.61 | 44.66% | 66.02% | 85.29% | 41.75% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Issues in the district
New superintendent appointed
The Fairfax County school board appointed Dr. Scott Brabrand to the position of district superintendent on June 8, 2017. He started the position on July 10, 2017, replacing interim Superintendent Steve Lockard.[13]
Brabrand served as superintendent of Lynchburg City Public Schools from 2012 to 2017. Prior to that, he worked for 20 years in Fairfax County Public Schools as a teacher and administrator. “Almost 25 years ago, I fell in love with Fairfax County Public Schools,” Brabrand said. “It is the ultimate honor and privilege to return here to serve and lead this school system for the entire Fairfax County community.”[13]
Virginia Supreme Court dismisses lawsuit against Fairfax nondiscrimination policy
The Virginia Supreme Court threw out a lawsuit filed against a Fairfax County Public Schools nondiscrimination policy in a unanimous decision on April 13, 2017. The policy was approved by the school board in May 2015 and extended the district's nondiscrimination policy to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The lawsuit was filed by Andrea Lafferty, president of the Traditional Values Coalition and Women for a Great America, as well as an anonymous student and his parents.[14]
The state supreme court agreed with a lower court's ruling when it threw out the lawsuit. The court said the student and his parents did not have standing to sue the district because they had not suffered any injury from the expanded nondiscrimination policy. In the lawsuit, the student said he was distressed by the possible ramifications of the nondiscrimination policy, but the court said his distress was speculative as he had not been punished or threatened to be punished for his opposition to the policy.[14]
In a press release following the decision, Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, the organization that represented the student and Lafferty, highlighted the fact that the court did not rule on if the school board had been allowed to pass such a policy. “Liberty Counsel is not finished fighting for the safety of Jack Doe and public school students in Fairfax County. We are exploring all possible avenues to further challenge these policies and are confident that we will prevail when the courts reach the merits of these challenges,” said Staver.[14]
Fairfax County school board Chair Sandra Evans said she was pleased with the court's decision. “Fairfax County Public Schools will continue creating an educational environment where everyone is treated with respect,” said Evans. “We will also continue to accommodate the needs of transgender and gender non-conforming students in a way that protects the dignity and privacy of all students.”[14]
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
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About the district
- See also: Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia
The Fairfax County school district is located in northeast Virginia in Fairfax County. The county seat is Fairfax. The county was home to 1,138,652 residents in 2016, according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 185,541 students.[16]
Demographics
Fairfax County outperformed Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 59.9 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 36.3 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in Fairfax County was $112,552, compared to $65,015 for the entire state. The poverty rate in the county was 6.2 percent, while it was 11.2 percent statewide.[15]
| Racial Demographics, 2016[15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Fairfax County (%) | Virginia (%) |
| White | 65.8 | 70.0 |
| Black or African American | 10.2 | 19.8 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 19.7 | 6.6 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 3.6 | 2.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.1 | 9.1 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Fairfax County Public Schools Virginia election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Fairfax County Public Schools | Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Inside Nova, "Court OKs School Board special election in Fairfax," June 15, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Judy Flaig," Election Manager, Fairfax County Office of Elections, July 5, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fairfax County Office of Elections, "Precinct Status Report - August 29, 2017 Special Election," accessed August 29, 2017
- ↑ Fairfax Democrats, "2015 Elections: Your Candidates," accessed October 9, 2015
- ↑ Fairfax County Republican Committee, "2015 Elections," accessed October 12, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Metro Weekly, "Parties select endorsees for Fairfax County School Board special election," June 28, 2017
- ↑ Fairfax County Public Schools, "School Board Members," accessed June 29, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 Election Calendar: Election Deadline Calendar," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "In-Person Voting," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "Upcoming Elections," accessed June 19, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Karen Keys-Gamarra for Fairfax school board," August 25, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed January 17, 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Fairfax County Times, "School board announces new FCPS superintendent," June 15, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Metro Weekly, "Virginia Supreme Court throws out lawsuit challenging Fairfax County nondiscrimination policy," April 13, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "Quickfacts: Fairfax County, Virginia," accessed June 29, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Fairfax County Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Fairfax County, Virginia | |
| Election date: | August 29, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Sandra Allen • Chris Grisafe • Karen Keys-Gamarra • Michael Owens |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
