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Scott Hirons
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Scott Hirons is the former Falmouth District representative on the Stafford County Public Schools school board in Virginia. First elected in 2013, Hirons lost a re-election campaign in the by-district general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Hirons earned a bachelor's degree in public administration from George Mason University and a master's degree from the University of Maryland University College. His work experience includes serving as a professional project manager and as a contractor for the United States Army at Fort Belvoir. He and his wife, Heather, have three sons.[1]
Elections
2017
Four of the seven seats on the Stafford County Public Schools school board in Virginia were up for by-district general election on November 7, 2017. Incumbents Irene Egan and Holly Hazard ran unopposed and won re-election to the Aquia District seat and the Hartwood District seat, respectively. Incumbent Scott Hirons was defeated by challenger Sarah Breedin Chase in the race for the Falmouth District seat. In the race for the Garrisonville District seat, which was left open when incumbent Christopher P. Connelly did not file to run for re-election, R. Pamela Yeung defeated Barton Randall.[2]
Results
| Stafford County Public Schools, Falmouth District General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sarah Breedin Chase |
57.74% | 3,341 |
| Scott Hirons Incumbent | 41.81% | 2,419 |
| Write-in votes | 0.45% | 26 |
| Total Votes | 5,786 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Funding
Hirons reported $18,397.59 in contributions and $18,362.32 in expenditures to the Virginia Department of Elections, which left his campaign with $35.27 on hand in the election.[3]
Endorsements
Hirons was endorsed by the Stafford Education Association and the Stafford County Republican Committee.[4]
2013
Results
| Stafford County Public Schools, Falmouth District General Election, 4-year term, 2013 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Scott Hirons |
53.8% | 2,722 | |
| Nonpartisan | Mark G. Kitta | 44.9% | 2,273 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 1.2% | 63 | |
| Total Votes | 5,058 | |||
| Source: Stafford County, Virginia, "November 2013 General Election Official Results," accessed December 12, 2013 | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify any official endorsements for Hirons in the election.
Funding
Hirons reported $12,885.15 in contributions and $12,806.82 in expenditures to the Virginia State Board of Elections, which left his campaign with $78.33 on hand in the election.[5]
Campaign themes
2017
Hirons highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:
| “ | Financial Priorities
Educating our children is one of the most important things our county does. In order to develop the world-class education system we need to set priorities that meet the needs of students, educators, parents and taxpayers. Scott will work with all of the stakeholders in our education system to ensure we are setting the right priorities and making the right decisions to ensure Stafford County Public Schools continue to grow to be the world-class education system we all desire.[6] |
” |
| —Scott Hirons (2017)[7] | ||
| Accomplishments | Results |
|---|---|
| Adopted a Modern Teacher Pay Scale | Teacher Recruitment: Stafford has #1 starting teacher salary in Rappahannock Region |
| Chair Finance and Budget Committee | Budget Transparency: SCPS FY18 budget documents received Award of Merit from National School Public Relations Association. Budget documents received praise for ease of reading and transparency by members of the Board of Supervisors |
| Developed process for setting annual budget priorities | Teacher retention: Through setting budget priorities that focus on teacher compensation improvements and improving overall workplace environment and satisfaction, SCPS has experience a three year trend of fewer teachers leaving our division from year to year. |
| “ | The Next Four Years: Over the next four years I will continue to lead the School Board in setting budget priorities that are focused on continuing to improve teacher and staff salaries, focuses on spending our tax dollars on the classroom to continue to improve student achievement and focuses on continuing to improve the organization that supports our schools.[6] | ” |
| —Scott Hirons (2017)[7] | ||
| “ | Measure for Success
Success of our schools goes beyond how well our students perform on standardized test. We can only be successful if we are meeting the needs of all the stakeholders in our public education system. Stafford County needs to explore more methods to measure for success. As a program manager with a long record of leadership success Scott understands the needs and ways to measure for success across stakeholder groups.[6] |
” |
| —Scott Hirons (2017)[7] | ||
| Accomplishments | Results |
|---|---|
| Adopted a new Strategic Plan | Accountability: With the adoption of the new Strategic Plan the division has a plan for the future and continuous improvement. All activities and expenditures of the division are tied to goals identified in the Strategic Plan. |
| Adopted division-wide Staffing Standards | Class size reduction: With adoption of a new strategic plan and a focus on improving student achievement new staffing standards were adopted that have resulted in reduced class sizes in k-5 classrooms. Previously SCPS had an average of over 27 students in a classroom under the new staffing standards class sizes are capped at 24 students in k-3 and 26 students in 4-5. |
| Adoption of C5W learning cirriculum | Student Achievement: C5W is the framework for the learning curriculum throughout the school division. It focuses on the student and maximizing student learning through educator engagement. |
| “ | The Next Four Years: Over the next four years I will continue to lead the School Board in working strategically and following our adopted plan. I will continue to work to reduce class sizes throughout the division including middle and high school core classes. Student achievement will continue to be a focus to ensure all students have the opportunity to a world-class education.[6] | ” |
| —Scott Hirons (2017)[7] | ||
| “ | Communication
The most important thing a public servant can do is communicate. Scott understands the importance of communicating with those he represents. Scott will stand committed to having open and honest communication with the citizens of the Falmouth District and Stafford County.[6] |
” |
| —Scott Hirons (2017)[7] | ||
| Accomplishments | Results |
|---|---|
| Adopted a division-wide Communications Plan | Improved parent communication: The division implemented standards on messaging to parents using Blackboard Connect to ensure there is consistency throughout the division. The division also implemented electronic flyer distribution system to enable flyers about school and community activities to be emailed to parents. |
| Maintained a School Board Member Facebook page and Website | Transparency: Scott Hirons has maintained a website with a blog, updating the community on a routine basis throughout his tenure on the School Board. He has also maintained a Facebook page dedicated to service on the School Board, and keeping the community up to date on activities of the School Board and school division. |
| “ | The Next Four Years: Over the next four years I will continue to communicate with the community. Transparency will continue to be a cornerstone of my public service. My website will continue to be updated and I will continue to update the community through my Facebook page.[6] | ” |
| —Scott Hirons (2017)[7] | ||
2013
Hirons highlighted the following issues on his campaign website:
| “ | Financial Priorities
Educating our children is one of the most important things our county does. In order to develop the world-class education system we need to set priorities that meet the needs of students, educators, parents and taxpayers. Scott will work with all of the stakeholders in our education system to ensure we are setting the right priorities and making the right decisions to ensure Stafford County Public Schools continue to grow to be the world-class education system we all desire. Measure for Success Success of our schools goes beyond how well our students perform on standardized test. We can only be successful if we are meeting the needs of all the stakeholders in our public education system. Stafford County needs to explore more methods to measure for success. As a program manager with a long record of leadership success Scott understands the needs and ways to measure for success across stakeholder groups. Communication The most important thing a public servant can do is communicate. Scott understands the importance of communicating with those he represents. Scott will stand committed to having open and honest communication with the citizens of the Falmouth District and Stafford County.[6] |
” |
| —Scott Hirons (2013)[8] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Scott Hirons Stafford County Public Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Stafford County Public Schools, Virginia
- Stafford County Public Schools elections (2017)
- Stafford County Public Schools elections (2013)
External links
- Stafford County Public Schools
- Office website
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- Twitter account
Footnotes
- ↑ Scott Hirons, "About Scott," accessed October 15, 2013
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Stafford County Registrar," June 15, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports: Search Committees," accessed January 17, 2018
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Scott Hirons," October 17, 2017
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections Campaign Finance Reports, accessed December 18, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Scott Hirons Falmouth School Board, "Issues," accessed October 19, 2017
- ↑ Scott Hirons, "Issues," accessed October 15, 2013
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