Brandon Clark Opts Against Endorsement In Arlington School Board Bid

Arlington VA

05 May, 2022

2:33 PM

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ARLINGTON, VA — Brandon Clark, a teacher at Gunston Middle School who is running for Arlington School Board, has withdrawn from the Arlington County Democratic Committee's endorsement process Clark, who made the announcement Wednesday, said he did not want to align himself with a political party in his run for the school board. "As a current teacher in Arlington Public Schools, I encourage students to look at all sides of an issue," Clark said in a statement. "Perspective-taking is an essential part to making well-informed decisions, and, as a candidate, I did not think it was appropriate to align myself with a particular political party." Clark, a resident of Fairlington, has already collected enough signatures to qualify to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot and still plans to run for the school board. In early March, he became the first candidate to announce a run for the school board. The seat up for election is currently held by Barbara Kanninen, who has served on the board since 2015 and is currently serving as the board's chair. In January, Kanninen announced she would not be seeking reelection. Last month, James "Vell" Rives, who serves as co-chair of Arlington Public Schools' School Health Advisory Board, announced that he would be running as an independent for the school board seat and would not be seeking the Democratic Party's endorsement for the election. Rives, a Fairlington psychiatrist, also has enough signatures to qualify to be on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 8. Bethany Sutton, chair of the Arlington Public Schools Advisory Council on Teaching and Learning, is now the only candidate seeking Arlington Democrats' endorsement for the Arlington School Board seat. Under Virginia law, school board seats officially are nonpartisan, but political parties can endorse candidates rather than formally nominating them. Arlington Democrats said they would hold a four-day voting process only if more than one candidate seeks the endorsement. Since Sutton is the only candidate seeking the endorsement, they will not hold the vote. Arlington Democrats are holding a meet-and-greet with Sutton on May 14 at Busboys and Poets in Shirlington. Clark, a graduate of Wakefield High School, teaches social studies at Gunston Middle School, where his wife is a math coach. They have twin children, who recently celebrated their first birthday. A graduate of James Madison University, Clark received a master's degree in secondary education and teaching from Villanova University. Prior to joining Arlington Public Schools in 2017, Clark worked as a fourth-grade teacher at a charter school in Philadelphia. Arlington School Board candidate Brandon Clark, with his wife and children. (Courtesy of Brandon Clark) Clark said he is running on a four-point platform: bringing a teacher's perspective to the Arlington School Board; fiscal stewardship; committing to furthering the progress already made in the county's schools; and more effective communication. As an Arlington County teacher, Clark said he would provide a viewpoint that is not currently represented on the Arlington School Board, where none of the members currently work as teachers. If elected to the board, Clark said he would resign from his position in Arlington Public Schools to avoid any potential conflict of interest and then look for a teaching job in a neighboring jurisdiction or switch careers. Clark also believes Arlington Public Schools need a single landing page for electronic communication that is user-friendly and transparent. He also would push to involve parents, students and staff in a direct and collaborative manner early in all decision-making processes. "These are the hallmarks of a school system that wishes to be preeminent in our region," Clark said in a statement. "Education should be as non-partisan as possible, in my opinion. I look forward to taking my campaign to all the voters of Arlington County in November." Visit Clark's website to learn more about his candidacy for the Arlington School Board. RELATED: James 'Vell' Rives Enters Race For Seat On Arlington School BoardBethany Sutton Launches Campaign For Arlington School Board