By Karl Frisch:
My partner, Evan, and I have 150 kids in Fairfax County Public Schools–he’s a teacher. When you love a teacher, you share your life together with their students. The challenges they face are your challenges, too.
I have spoken with parents about the overcrowded classrooms and trailers their kids sit in all day, and educators who left Fairfax County for better-paying jobs in other districts. I have spoken to special education parents who have lost trust in our schools, and custodians who cannot raise their families in Fairfax County because we do not pay them enough to afford living here.
Providence District families need a school board member who will make sure every student has great schools, amazing teachers, and the resources they need to succeed no matter who they are, where they are from, or how much money their parents make.
My father immigrated to the U.S. when he was ten years old. After high school, he joined the Navy and later became a union cop. This union job, along with my mother waiting tables, gave my family a middle-class life and retirement security for my parents when they grew older.
I learned valuable lessons from them growing up. Sure, I learned the importance of working hard and not making excuses, but I also learned how critical labor unions are because working hard is no guarantee for success. Only by working together can we all succeed. Perhaps that is why I am so proud to be endorsed by the Fairfax Education Association.
For the past 18 years, I have put equity into action as a progressive policy advocate. Most recently I led Allied Progress, a DC-based, non-profit organization that advocates for consumers and student loan borrowers. Our mission has included fighting the likes of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos as she tries to weaken programs specifically designed to help teachers repay their student loans.
Here at home, I walked door-to-door for the 2016 meals tax because I know how challenging it is to bring additional resources to our schools. I have also been outspoken on issues facing the school board and recently joined local teachers as they lobbied, marched, and rallied in Richmond to demand better pay and support.
Beyond this advocacy, I have attended more choir showcases, football games, musicals, teacher happy hours, proms, educator conferences, bake sales, car washes, and other school functions than I can possibly count – and I have loved every minute of it. Our school community has welcomed me with open arms, and I would be honored to serve them on our school board.
Support for public schools, scientific reality, full equality, and equal opportunity are Democratic values. That is why I am seeking the Fairfax County Democratic Committee endorsement–because it sends a clear message to voters about where I stand on these fundamental issues.
We have fantastic schools in Fairfax County, especially in Providence District. With the right leaders on our school board, they can be even better–for everyone.
Karl Frisch is seeking the endorsements of the Providence District Democratic Committee and the Fairfax County Democratic Committee for his election in the November 5 general election as Fairfax County School board member from Providence District