Whatever Happened to 'The Main Thing?'

When Fairfax County elected its first School Board in 1995, the superintendent had a sign on his desk that reminded us all why we were here.  It said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

In other words, we should never lose sight of our primary goal: to improve teaching and learning, so that our students will achieve academic success.  And ever since I first took the oath of office in December 1995, I have tried to “keep the main thing the main thing.”

Over the past few years, a number of advocacy groups have formed in Fairfax County, each one dealing with a narrow issue relating to the schools.

However strongly some people may feel about these issues -- school boundary changes, decisions to close two schools, reconfiguring the grading scale, and “reforming school discipline” -- most of them have little to do with “the main thing.”  But any School Board member who does not follow the wishes of these groups risks withering attacks in the media, charges of deafness to the wishes of constituents, and threats of non-support at the ballot box.

More hurtful to Fairfax County’s school children in the long run is the charge that board members and school officials who buck these interest groups do not care about children -- a charge that is false and misleading.  And, most telling, is the lack of interest in and attention to the real challenges we face that directly impact student achievement.

One recent example illustrates the point.  On June 9, the School Board met to consider its annual changes to the policy that governs student conduct, the procedures for investigating misconduct, and the consequences for serious misconduct.  Because our students understand what conduct is and is not appropriate in school, fewer than 1 percent of our students engage in serious misconduct -- such as assault inflicting injury, gang activity, possession of guns or knives, and drug use and distribution.

It is important to address this issue because even a few instances of serious misconduct can profoundly impact the safety of all the other students and adults in our schools.

An advocacy group that supports wholesale changes in student discipline -- and other allied groups -- organized a lobbying campaign and rally before the June 9 meeting.  Thirty-five people attended the rally, and fewer than that stayed for the meeting -- including four candidates for election to the School Board.

The rally received “saturation” coverage from the print, broadcast, and electronic media.  At the end of the evening, the Board voted to make common-sense changes that will give administrators more effective tools to guide students who make serious mistakes, and give serious offenders more support, while maintaining safe schools.  Virtually all the changes were adopted without any controversy.  The advocacy group was not satisfied.

Four days later, the School Board held a two-hour discussion with staff about one of the most intractable challenges facing American education today:  the issue of high school dropouts.

Fairfax County has the second-best “on-time” graduation rate in the nation -- 85 percent of our students graduate in four years.  But instead of resting on our laurels, our superintendent appointed a task force to identify the factors that cause the remaining 15 percent of students to drop out or not graduate on time, and recommend strategies to address the needs of this large block of mostly poor and minority students.

The discussion was rich and engaging, and should have been “must viewing” for anyone interested in our schools or in serving on the school board.  But not a single member of any “advocacy group" and not a single candidate for school board bothered to attend this important meeting.

We have worked together for many years to build a world-class school system in Fairfax County.  And yet when advocacy groups, candidates for School Board, and the media focus only on headline-grabbing issues, and ignore the issues that impact student achievement the most, we risk losing focus on the main thing, and forgetting about the vast majority of parents and citizens who know what great things happen in our schools every day.

While we acknowledge and address all the important challenges we face, we must never lose sight of the “main thing.”  I hope you will insist that those candidates who seek your support for election in November broaden their focus, and advocate for responsible change -- never losing sight of the great system we have built.