Medawar runs for Stafford School Board, focus on school safety

Carol Medawar, an experienced educator from Fredericksburg, is running to represent the George Washington District in the Stafford School Board. She lists school safety and educator retainment as high priorities.

Name: Carol Medawar

Party: Independent

Town: Stafford County

Running for: Stafford School Board, George Washington District

Website: medawar4schoolboard.com, Facebook

Work: Director of School Engagement

Education: BS – Elementary Education, West Virginia University Masters – Instructional Technology, George Mason University PhD Student – Instructional Leadership, Virginia Commonwealth University

Community Involvement: Church volunteer, PTA or PTO volunteer, Math Tutoring, Fundraiser and Organizer of Various Community Organizations

Questions and Answers

PL: What are the top three major issues facing the district you wish to represent? 

Medawar: School Safety, Recruiting and Retaining Educators, Collaboration and Partnerships with Community Stakeholders

PL: What concrete solutions do you propose to address these issues?

Medawar: Increase Analysis of Data to inform actions. Empower educators to have a voice in the solutions to improve working conditions. Examine exit interviews of employees who are leaving. Increasing pay across the scale and not just increasing starting salaries. Work collaboratively with the Board of Supervisors, Businesses, and Industry to create a long term plan to address workforce needs and solutions for our area.

PL: From your perspective, what is the job description of the office you’re seeking?

Medawar: Set the vision and goals for the district. Adopt policies that give the district direction to set priorities and achieve its goals. Hire and evaluate the superintendent. Adopt and oversee the annual budget process.

PL: What expertise will you bring to the office?

Medawar: I have 23 years of classroom and education experience. I have worked at the high school, middle school, and elementary level as well as working with students who struggle and students who excel. I have served as a board member at the local, state, and national level of education institutions. I have studied best practices and education research and believe in making research and data-informed decisions.

PL: Do you feel that the average citizen is well-informed and understands the workings of local government?

Medawar: I believe increasing communication and developing an easy way for citizens to be involved in local government is very important. Having information readily available so that citizens have access to them through digital means makes the most sense. I also believe that hosting town halls that make it easy for parents and community members to meet and hear from their elected officials is important. Some communities even have the technology in place to allow citizens to connect in virtual ways and I believe this could be helpful given the number of people who work outside of the county.

PL: Have you ever made any mistakes in your public life? How have they affected you?

Medawar: I do not believe there is a person who has not made mistakes. What matters most is how you reflect on the mistake and use the experience to grow as a person and a decision-maker.

PL: Our readers want leaders in local government. Why should they vote for you?

Medawar: I have been involved in education policy for over two decades in Stafford County. I am prepared to take office knowing the issues and with ideas for improvement from day one. My background and experience bring a vast amount of perspective on many levels of education. As a foster parent, biological parent, and former math teacher, I believe in problem-solving and collaborating as well as checking the solution to see if it works. There is simply no problem we encounter in Stafford that we can not solve should we simply make the decision to tackle the issue together. Our students deserve school board members who have demonstrated long term commitments to them and their futures. I humbly ask for your support on November 5th.