4 Falls Church School Board Applicants For Vacant Seat Give Pitches

FALLS CHURCH, VA — Four Falls Church City School Board applicants seeking to fill the seat vacated by Phil Reitinger gave their pitches Tuesday.

Reitinger, who has served on the School Board since his election in 2015, stepped down in mid-January. The school district began searching for candidates to fill the vacant seat for the rest of the term through Dec. 31, 2023.

The School Board will make a final decision on appointing a new member by Feb. 1. The new member will be sworn in and attend the Feb. 14 School Board meeting.

The candidates who spoke at Tuesday's School Board meeting were Tahir Qamar, Amie Murphy, Jerrod Anderson and Bethany Henderson. Two other applicants withdrew their applications.

Qamar worked in financial management for USAID Pakistan for 17 years before recently coming to the U.S. with his family. His work included monitoring financial aspects of educational programs such as merit-based and need-based scholarships and education in flood-impacted areas. Qamar said he was happy with the decision to move to Falls Church due to the quality of the schools.

"I also feel that this is my ethical responsibility to give a return to the society what I have learned during my career," said Qamar. "So now I think it's time to serve the United States and the city and the society."

Murphy, a U.S. Department of Justice lawyer with the Civil Rights Division and a mother of two, moved with her family from Pittsburgh in 2016. In explaining her desire to be on the School Board, Murphy recalled when one daughter was having trouble learning to read in second grade and was diagnosed with dyslexia. Her daughter recalled the kindness the teacher showed when she used headphones to have a test read to her.

"The reason I'm telling you this is because I believe to continue to have great schools, we have to support the needs of all kids but also the teachers, the administrators and the staff that are there to support them every day," said Murphy. "My agenda for the coming year is simple: it's to listen and to learn before casting my vote."

Anderson, a health statistician who ran for School Board in 2021, is the father of two children at Mount Daniel Elementary. One of his children receives special education services at school.

"I think that allows me to have the perspective of an important part of our community: those families who are receiving special education services," said Anderson. "And while no one person embodies all relevant perspectives, I can listen to other people's concerns and I do not give pride of place to my own."

Despite not being elected to the School Board in 2021, Anderson has followed all School Board meetings and writes summaries in a newsletter to the community. Anderson said he plans to run for School Board again in the 2023 election.

Henderson, a nonprofit CEO, has two children who are neurodivergent. She has been involved as a parent volunteer, including the recent Give Day with students packing 25,000 meals for food banks and Ukraine. She said her work with city governments around DC and the U.S. and budget is relevant to School Board service.

"We have a lot of different stakeholders in Falls Church City and the schools that are important: our students, our teachers, our parents, our community members, our administrators, and all of them have different perspectives and different needs," said Henderson. "So figuring out how to integrate those...to outcomes that everybody can understand, that are intentional, that are based in principle and that are based in the values and the strategy that the School Board and the administration have identified is something I have a lot of experience doing."

While the applicant chosen for the seat will complete the term through 2023, the seat will be up for election in 2023. Three School Board seats will have an election in 2023. If a primary election is called, it will be on June 20, 2023. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 7, 2023.