This fall, Stafford’s voters will choose their representatives for the School Board and Board of Supervisors for Garrisonville, Hartwood, Falmouth, and Aquia. George Washington, Rockhill, and Griffis-Widewater are up for election in 2027.
To help local voters learn more about their candidates, Potomac Local News invited all School Board candidates to a virtual interview with the same five questions; their answers have been condensed into a series of articles. This is the final article of the series.
The videos are available here.
What makes you the right person to represent your district on the School Board, and what would you want voters to know as they head to the polls?
Scharpenberg (Aquia): 
I think I’m a good candidate because I have a great deal of experience. I’ve been in several different public schools, I’ve taught at private schools, and I’ve taught soldiers on a military base to read in English. I know what it takes to walk into that classroom every day. I also know teachers are often overburdened with administrative tasks. Many teachers need more paraprofessionals in their classrooms. I am retired – I have the time to put into being on the school board. If I need to put in 20 hours a week, I can do that. I don’t know how someone who works full-time can actually take on the school board. I would be very quick responding to constituents’ questions and I’d be glad to represent them. I have always loved public education, and I am pretty passionate about it.
Regan (Aquia): 
My background as a public school teacher and the fact that I’m teaching in the 2025-26 school year gives me a unique perspective on what is happening in schools today, and what students need to be successful today. As a parent seeing two of my students graduate from Stafford County Public Schools. I saw things that I didn’t particularly agree with or like, and so I can understand and facilitate improvements for what our students need in 2025. Learning today is very different than it was even before COVID, and it’s certainly different than it was in 2010. It evolves and changes every year. Having someone in the classroom living these changes, and then being able to use that knowledge and information to leverage changes for Stafford County is only a positive. My master’s degree in educational leadership has given me some insight from a school administrator’s view from the top down, and my experience as a head coach has taught me how to put a team together and work in a team. The combination of my experiences, really makes me the right person to represent the Aquia District. I taught in the Aquia district. Everything that I do, or every vote I make will be what I think is in the best interest of our students, because I think that’s what the role of a school board member should be.
Breedin Chase (Falmouth, incumbent): 
They often say that when you join the school board, you are basically drinking out of a fire hose. There is so much you don’t know before you get on the board that it is quite amazing. And you get dumped immediately into budget season; you walk in there in January, and at the end of February, you’re adopting a budget. Experience matters, and I have put in a lot of time learning about the budget, learning about our schools, learning about laws related to being on school boards and about school systems. I think I have managed to be calm and thoughtful and sensible in the role of school board for the last 8 years, and it’s been a huge honor to serve. I would very much be willing to continue to serve if the voters of Falmouth want me to.
Chergosky (Falmouth): 
I tend to get along with a lot of people, and I love to work with others. I have a lot of energy and love for what I do, and I really care about the students. I’ve served on PTA and PTO boards, and I’m on the Transportation Advisory Committee for the school board. I try to be involved as much as I can. My students were really important to me when I used to drive all the kids [as a bus driver] – they used to know me as Mrs. C. It meant a lot to me to make a difference in their day-to-day lives. When I became a routing specialist, I was able to affect their lives in an even better way to help make sure they get to school. This is a position where I can help the students even more, so I’m so excited about it.
Siegmund (Garrisonville, incumbent): 
If you had asked me 4 years ago, I wouldn’t have known how to answer. I just was somebody who was willing, and I still am. What has changed over the last 4 years is my knowledge. [Four years ago,] I brought to the table seven years of working in federal education policy. Now I’ve added four years of working in state and local education policy, and being able to bring that information together. I’ll have completed my MBA by the end of this year. That’s not something I had four years ago. I work in HR and benefits now, that’s not something I was doing 4 years ago. Those are skills I was able to bring to the table as we hired our new superintendent. Four years ago, I only had three children in two schools; next year, I will have four children in five schools. The relationships I’ve built in all of our buildings and across the county, my ability to find the information and bring solutions to the table makes me the best person for this job. I want the public to know nobody is going to work harder for your kids – I’m already doing it for my four. Elected or not, I’m going to be at meetings, I’m going to be asking questions, I’m going to be finding answers. If I was a member of the public, I would only have 3 minutes, but I would use every single one of them. I’m happy to continue to do it, and I will be here for the long haul as a parent of students in our schools. I love what we do and want to continue making it better every day.
Mojica (Garrisonville): 
As a parent, I’ve dealt with inadequacies within our school system, which was the number one reason why I decided to run. I vowed to serve our community with integrity. With dedication and a servant’s heart, together we can build a brighter future for our children. They are the number one priority, and if I’m elected, the parents will matter and be listened to. I think parents feel ignored – I felt ignored. When I go and speak to parents, I write down what they say, because how they feel things should be done is important, and they bring up ideas of what the school boards should be doing. If parents feel like they’re important and they’re being heard, you’d probably see them at the school board meetings more. I will remain accessible, responsive, and unwavering in dedication to what is best for our children and the community. I’m passionate about driving positive changes and pledge to be a strong advocate for parents while supporting student success in every area – IEPs, mental health, testing and nutrition and so on.
Fingerholz (Hartwood): 
When you’re heading to the polls, vote local. That is actually what really impacts your day-to-day. Do at least a little bit of research and vote for one of those [local offices] so that you know who’s going to be representing you and using your tax dollars. What you’re voting for is somebody that has passion, truly cares, is willing to do the hard work, and is willing to sit down and listen. When I go to town halls, Board of Supervisors meetings or school board meetings, you hear over and over. That people don’t feel like anybody’s listening to them. They know that every vote’s not going to go the way that they want, but they want to know that they are valued and their knowledge is valued. I love to learn and I love to sit down and have conversations, even really hard ones with people that don’t agree with me. How can we work together and find a solution that will work? You have budget considerations, policy and law considerations, but I’m willing to sit down and have those conversations so that we can make progress, because the kids are worth it. It takes time, energy, emotion – but, man, these kids are so worth it. They’re so smart, and they’re so creative, and they’re going to be leading Stafford. If we don’t teach them how to critically think, and how to work with each other, and pass that knowledge down to them, then Stafford’s going to keep being stuck. We need to have someone that’s willing to sit down and take all those voices into account and pass down that knowledge, and I’m excited to do that.
In Stafford County, early voting will be held Monday through Friday at the Registrar’s Office at 124 Old Potomac Church Road, Ste. 205, from Friday, Sept. 19, through Friday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The only Saturday voting days will be Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The deadline to register for voting or request an absentee ballot is October 24.
