Simons for School Board
an Educator for School Board
Simons in the News
- 8/7/08: What the Alexandria Times has to say about Elynn Simons
- 8/7/08: Alexandria City Councilman Ludwig Gaines Endorses Elynn Simons
- 7/10/08: My View: Elynn Simons - Why I'm Running
- 7/10/08: Alexandia Times article about the School Board election
- 3/5/08: My View: Elynn Simons - No Panaceas for Curriculums
What the Alexandria Times has to say about Elynn Simons:
“When I tutor with a student the first thing I try to do is meet with the teacher and say, ‘OK lets see how we can make this work,’” Simons said. “It’s inside information, so to speak. So that gives me a unique perspective. When I’m teaching summer school, teachers talk to me, so I know what’s going on in our schools. I know the curriculum: Some of it works and some of it doesn’t. I would see myself as a bridge in some ways.”
Simons is also wary of the school board’s role, which is technically to hire the superintendent. She believes the board should “set the tone” of the school system.
“It is my understanding that the school board is responsible for hiring the superintendent,” Simons said. “Beyond that we have no authority to hire or fire or anything. “I would encourage the superintendent to look at central administration and decide if it has become too large. My perception from the community is that it has become too top heavy”
As for a non-voting student member on the board, Simons would “have to really think about if it would be a non-voting member as opposed to a voting one. The same way that teachers talk to me all the time, students do too. I would encourage that. The students obviously have the biggest stake in all this.”
“Right now I think we need to do a better job of long-range planning,” Simons said. “I’ve seen too many times that we’re wasting money on things that could have been avoided had we planned for them.”
Simons also suggested working with the Chamber of Commerce and realtors to promote the public school system so people moving to Alexandria “know that our schools are wonderful.”
My View: Elynn Simons - Why I'm Running
I am running for School Board in District B because it is time to refocus the spotlight away from the School Board members and Central Administration of the School System and back on the classroom. This election is not about the past and the In a time where the economy is taking a toll on all aspects of the city budget, we need to be focused on what our priorities for our schools should be. I believe that we must look at the following issues: 
partisanship that it engendered but rather how we can work with the new superintendent and the educators in the classroom to make our schools even stronger.
1) Take a strong look at the central administration budget and place more of those resources directly into the classroom. At present only 54 percent of the school budget goes into the classroom.
2) We need to improve the quality and commitment of the schools to special education. The system is broken and it is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
3) We need to focus more on what is happening at the elementary and secondary school levels. We cannot fix many of the problems that arise in the early years of learning at the high school level.
Alexandria City Councilman Ludwig Gaines and wife Crystal endorse Simons
Next Tuesday (12 August) voters in District B will elect a new School Board member. We are very fortunate to have a number of qualified candidates willing to serve. We’ll be voting for Elynn Simons.
Ellyn has an impressive professional background, commitment to education, and passion to move our schools forward. As a parent of two children educated in our schools K-12, and now as both a tutor and teacher, Elynn has a critical and fundamental understanding of our schools at all levels on instruction.
She is a problem solver and consensus builder with an advanced degree in conflict management; invaluable skills needed to work with the community, fellow School Board members and the school system to meet challenges and bring about the change necessary to ensure a world-class education for all our students.
Elynn has a deep commitment to the needs of our special education students and to ensuring that necessary services are provided all students no matter the school, location or parents’ income level.
In tight budget times, Elynn is committed to building bridges in the community and with City Council to ensure our schools are appropriately funded and tax dollars are spent effectively.
And, finally, Elynn is passionate about our schools. She recognizes that with a new Superintendent a new era for our school system is on the horizon. For over twenty years she has been a dedicated and strong advocate for our schools. We share Elynn’s belief that strong schools equal a strong community. And, that’s why Elynn Simons is our choice for school board.
Sincerely,
Crystal and Ludwig Gaines
See this letter to the editor published in the Alexandria Times.
MY VIEW: Elynn Simons - No panaceas for curriculums
March 5, 2008
A couple of weeks ago the Post ran an article about a “new” math program in Prince William County. Parents were struggling with the merits of this program’s approach to teaching the basics of Math. This article caught my eye because I have been a tutor for over twenty years in the Washington Metro Area.
This program sounds eerily similar to the Everyday Math Program currently in use in Alexandria’s Elementary Schools as well as numerous private schools in the area. I believe this program just like Alexandria’s Everyday Math is destined to fail our children. There was much said in the article about how this “new and improved” math curriculum is helping students obtain passing scores on the Standards of Learning tests. To that I say “Big deal!” Anyone familiar with the SOL’s knows that they teach to the lowest common denominator. All of us want better for our children.
The time has come for school systems to realize that there is no panacea for curriculum that will work for all children.