Sheryl Wolfe

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Sheryl Wolfe

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Prior offices
Fauquier County School Board Lee District

Contact

Sheryl Wolfe is the former Lee District representative on the Fauquier County School Board in Virginia. She was first elected in 2007. Wolfe sought another term in the general election on November 3, 2015.[1] Sheryl Wolfe won the general election on November 3, 2015. Wolfe resigned from the board in March 2016 because she moved out of state for work.[2]


Elections

2015

See also: Fauquier County Public Schools elections (2015)

Opposition

The Fauquier County School Board is a five-member board elected by district to four-year terms. All five seats were up for election on November 3, 2015. Cedar Run District board member Donna Grove defeated challenger Shannon Lee Smith-Wood to retain her seat. Newcomers Suzanne Sloane, Heidi Van Voorhis and Linda Williams ran for the Scott District seat held by Maureen Riordan, who did not file for re-election. Sloane won the open seat. Incumbents Brian Gorg, Sheryl Wolfe and Raymond Bland ran unopposed and won re-election to the Center District, Lee District and Marshall District seats, respectively.[1]

Results

Fauquier County School Board, Lee District, General Election, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Sheryl Wolfe Incumbent 98.0% 1,935
Write-in votes 1.98% 39
Total Votes 1,974
Source: Fauquier County, VA, "Fauquier County 2015 election results," accessed November 3, 2015

Funding

Wolfe reported $523.74 in contributions and $476.18 in expenditures to the Virginia State Board of Elections, which left her campaign with $47.56 on hand as of October 28, 2015.[3]

Endorsements

Wolfe did not receive any official endorsements in this election.

Campaign themes

2015

Ballotpedia survey responses

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Wolfe participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

Making sure EVERY SINGLE CHILD, no matter what their background or economic situation, has the same opportunity for success. And ensuring that our staff believes in our students and has high expectations for all! [4]

—Sheryl Wolfe, (2015), [5]
Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Education policy
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Click here to learn more about education policy in Virginia.
Education on the ballot
Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking Issue
4
Balancing or maintaining the district's budget
2
Expanding career-technical education
1
Closing the achievement gap
5
Expanding arts education
6
Improving college readiness
3
Improving education for special needs students
7
Expanding school choice options
Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:

Question Response
What is your stance on implementing Common Core standards?
"They should not be implemented as VA has very rigorous standards already in place."
Should your district approve the creation of new charter schools?
"We have already created a Governor's School and I don't see a need for the creation of any additional schools at this time."
Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system?
"No."
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?
"No, they are only one of many measures of a student's achievement."
How can the district ensure equal opportunities for high and low achieving students?
"We have begun to raise our standards for ALL students and encourage all students to challenge themselves by enrolling in more rigorous courses and will are also challenging our teachers to have high expectations for all students. For instance, we increased the number of middle school students taking Algebra by 40% and still the pass rates are over 95%! I also would like to see broad band internet access for all families in our county. Students who do not have internet access at home are at a disadvantage. Also, I would like to provide transportation for students for all activities. Participation in after school activities has proved to be important for student success. And, finally, I would like to expand our summer programs to include ANY student who would like to attend and provide transportation and expand the content of these programs to include for instance video game design, art, theater, and culinary arts programs."
How should expulsion be used in the district?
"We use a combination of the answers above. In my 8 years on the board we have only expelled two students. We use the VA Tiered System of Supports (VTSS) and the Positive Behavioral Intervention (PBIS) to prevent such instances where expulsion must be considered. We have an OUTSTANDING alternative school for middle and high school students that offers a small classsize while these studetnts learn using a project-based curriculum. Often times these students need a change of environment and individualized support. We find many students do not want to leave this alternative school."
If a school is failing in your district, what steps should the school board take to help the students in that school?
"I want to start by saying that we do not have any "failing" schools. While the final results are not back until October, the preliminary reports show we have four schools which are "Accredited with Warning" which means we have work to do. Small class sizes, individualized supports, parent/family participation programs, and expanded professional development for the staff at these schools are all things that should be implemented. It is NEVER a one-size-fits-all type of situation. Our staff will need to work with each school to determine the best course of action."
Do you support merit pay for teachers?
"No."
How should the district handle underperforming teachers?
"We have in place three Mentorship program, additional training opitions, and depending on the severity of the underperformance, a teacher may be put on a probationary period. Many times especially with new teachers, mentorship and targetted professional development can help a great deal."
How would you work to improve community-school board relations?
"Holding many public forums before making any significant change can help to improve these relationships. Instead of them having to come to us to get information, we need to take the information on the road. This means board members getting out in the community and in our schools, talking to people, hearing their concerns. And we need to continue to have advisory groups who present annually to our board and continue our superintendent quarterly student advisories held at each of our high schools. And we have vastly must continue our improved presence on social media because this helps keep the community, students and parents informed."

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Sheryl Wolfe' 'Fauquier County Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Candidates," September 9, 2015
  2. Fauquier Now, "Donald Mason wins Lee school board appointment," May 9, 2016
  3. Virginia State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports," accessed October 27, 2015
  4. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  5. Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Sheryl Wolfe's responses," September 26, 2015