Shawna Russell

We asked Shawna Russell to prioritize two top issues she would address as a school board member, as well as provide information regarding her background in education.  

New and/or improved high school

Although I believe that a new high school is our most pressing need in FCCPS, the bond referendum will be decided by the voters on November 7 and is out of the hands of the School Board. Regardless of the outcome, if I’m elected, I want to use my relationships with school system leaders, city leaders, and residents to make our school system and facilities more responsive and available to the community and strengthen the broad support for public education that underlies Falls Church. We are a better community, and doing our best for our students, when we are all pulling together for their success.

Growth of student population

Small class size and recruiting and retaining high quality teachers will be my top priorities on the School Board. Our ability to deliver outstanding curriculum to our students and well-prepared high school graduates to the world depends on the quality of the learning environment we create and the ability of great teachers to maximize their interactions with our

students.

Experience in Education:

One month after we moved to Falls Church City, my daughter started kindergarten at Mt. Daniel and I started volunteering in Mrs. Nelson’s classroom. I had already spent several years on the executive board of our kids’ cooperative preschool and knew that I enjoyed the hard work of assisting their teachers in making my kids’ learning environment as strong as it can be. Since then, I have spent countless hours volunteering in the classroom and our community, getting to know our teachers and administrators, and learning how they make our public schools so successful. I have served as the Elementary PTA President, Executive Board member of multiple PTAs, and chair of several PTA committees. I am also a regular volunteer for the Falls Church Education Foundation, helping the Foundation’s leaders with their major fundraisers. My children now attend George Mason and Mary Ellen Henderson, and I am ready to take on a new role to make sure Falls Church continues providing a first-class public education to all

our children.