Thomas E. Reed*

Office sought: At-Large School Board
Party: Independent
Age: 52
Residence: Leesburg
Web site:
http://www.tomreedatlarge.org
E-mail:
tomreedatlarge@aol.com

* Incumbent

Occupaton: Senior business consultant, SAIC; treasurer, Loudoun Chapter, American Red Cross; retired military officer.

Education: AS, rsc. mgmt., Comm. Coll. of the AF; BS, indus. tech., S. Ill. Univ.; MS, computer info. sys., St. Mary's Univ.

Elected offices/civic activities: At-large member, Loudoun School Board, 2000-present; treasurer, Potomac Crossing Barracudas Swim Club; member, American Legion Post 34; member, Federal Relations Network, National School Boards Association; member, NSBA Pre-Kindergarten Legislative Committee; member, Washington Area Boards of Education; member, Virginia School Board Association Limited English Proficiency Caucus; trustee, Loudoun Education Foundation.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why should voters elect you?

A: I am committed to improving our student's educational opportunities. My over arching principal is and shall always be: Children First!

Q: Are you satisfied with the current process for choosing the sites for new schools? If not, what changes would you make?

A: No, I'm not satisfied with the current process. We used to deal primarily with proffered sites, but now we have to seek out sites and go through a series of negotiations/discussions with the owners, the County and in a growing number of cases, with the towns. We have begun to start the procurement process sooner, so that we'll have ample time for processing the requests through the County so that schools can open when needed and not three or more years late. In one instance, we're purchasing a site for an elementary school where the kindergartners haven't been born yet and most of the families that will attend the school don’t live in there yet. Also, we have partnered with The Board of Supervisors, representatives from the towns, and citizens to discuss the next Western Loudoun high school.

Q: What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the Loudoun County school system?

A: Student Growth is the major pressing issue: Over the next five years, our schools will welcome nearly 17,000 additional students, an increase of over 30 percent. As our population increases, so does the diversity of our students. Today, we have over 70 languages spoken amongst students that represent many different races and cultures. Increased diversity creates short-term challenges, but strengthens our schools and community in the long-term. In order to meet the challenges of growth we must recruit new teachers and retain our experienced teachers. We must also take advantages of technological advances to improve the delivery of the curriculum and improve operational efficiency.

Q: Recent census figures show that Loudoun's minority and immigrant populations are growing rapidly. Do you forsee the need for any changes in school programs, staffing or policies because of this increasing diversity?

A: We anticipated many of the changes and have implemented programs to enhance the educational opportunities for these students without diminishing the opportunities for our regular education students. Several years ago, we expanded the Parent Liaison program to all of our schools to facilitate better communication with parents, especially those with limited English skills. We have expanded our English as Second Language programs to meet the demands of an ever increasing population of English Language Learners. Also, we've expanded to nine programs in eight schools full-day kindergarten for students that are ‘at-risk’ of falling behind. We've also expanded our interpreter services to support nearly all of the 70 plus languages spoken by our students and their families. With regard to staffing, although our staff should reflect the student body, our primary goal must continue to be to hire ‘highly qualified’ staff.

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