Candidate Profile: Carrie Rist For PWC School Board Chair

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Carrie Rist is running for the at-large chair seat on the Prince William County School Board.

Rist is one of three challengers opposing incumbent Chair Babur Lateef in November's election. Julia Biggins and Kimberly B. Mehlman-Orozco are also running for the seat.

Patch sent the following questionnaire to Rist, Lateef, Biggins, and Mehlman-Orozco to help voters make more informed choices on Election Day.

Name

Caroline "Carrie" Rist

Age

43

Town of Residence?

Haymarket

Position sought:

Prince William County School Board Chairman-at-Large

Party affiliation

Independent (School Board positions are nonpartisan, so all candidates run as independents. The local Prince William County Republican Committee chose to endorse my candidacy.)

Family? Names, ages and any other pertinent details you wish to share

I have seven children, five school-aged and three in Prince William County schools.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education Level

JD - Handong International Law School; LLM - George Washington School of Law; currently a Ph.D candidate in final semester finishing my dissertation in Public Health Law.

Occupation, including employer and years of experience

Vice President, Compliance - 22nd Century Technologies - since 2019

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None.

Campaign website

https://carrie4chair.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I’m running for Prince William County School Board Chair because our schools are facing an unprecedented crisis. Worsening violence and bullying, plummeting academic performance, and the worst teacher shortage in Prince William County history have deprived our children of the promise of a world-class education. On top of that, the School Board has disrespected PWCS teachers, and worked to conceal information from parents. Our students, parents, and teachers deserve so much better!

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our schools is the bullying and escalating violence. Last year alone, PWCS saw 46 violent threats and 24 confiscated weapons, including 9 guns. Last month, several Freedom High School students were involved in perpetrating a drive-by shooting. The senseless violence and loss of life has created a culture of fear for our students and teachers, making it harder to learn and harder to teach, and contributing to a teacher shortage that has caused a cascade of problems for our schools. EVOLV metal detectors will not solve this crisis, and teachers should never be asked to man them as front-door security. As School Board Chair, I will prioritize working with the County Police to place an armed SRO in every school building, provide adequate grounds security, and implement a zero-tolerance policy for students committing violence or making violent threats against anyone.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to recent issues (i.e. the pandemic)? What if anything would you have done differently?

Lateef and the School Board’s answer to the violence in our schools has been a disaster. Metal detectors are a half-solution to a whole problem, and they aren’t even all turned on. To make matters worse, the metal detectors are not adequately staffed, which has led schools to resort to asking teachers to man the front-door security stations. Teachers are already working in fear for their safety, and this is a burden they should never be asked to carry – especially as they are negotiating for better working conditions and better pay. But worst of all, the School Board’s half solution leaves almost all of our elementary schools completely unprotected, as they are not scheduled to receive the metal detectors at all.

I’m not interested in revisiting every aspect of the School Board’s pandemic response, but one thing I would have done differently is not shut down our schools. Even though children were at an extremely low risk of serious COVID health side effects, the School Board shut down all of our schools and mandated at-home learning. Not only did this cause our children significant harm to their social development, but where parents were not cooperative with their learning needs, it deprived them of a good education. Today, we’re seeing the consequences: 20% lower SOL scores. 30% of our elementary schoolers behind in reading. 20% of our high schoolers behind in math, and 50% failing at least one of their classes. A six-year low for on-time graduations. This needs to be a top priority, but instead, Lateef and the School Board have sugarcoated the statistics and pretended that there isn’t a crisis.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I’m a former teacher. I’m the mother of 7 children, five school age, including 3 current PWCS students. I’m a vice president at a company where I oversee 5 departments and over 6,000 employees. I’m a boy’s soccer coach for Prince William County Schools. And, preparing me for overseeing a diverse school district, I’ve lived overseas for much of my life and speak Korean!

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

Lateef and the School Board have neglected our students and teachers, and disrespected parents. The numbers speak for themselves: our schools are facing the worst-ever teacher shortage in PWC history, a worsening crisis of violence and bullying, and record academic decline.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I’m a firm believer that when parents entrust their children to the schools, the School Board and the School Division owe those parents respect, deference, and trust. Parents should be treated as partners, not opponents. Instead, our School Board has endorsed policies that exclude parents from the process and even hide important information about their children from them. That’s wrong. One of the items in my campaign platform is recognition of parents’ rights to be involved in their children’s education and upbringing, and for the School Board to behave transparently and deferentially towards the community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I’m a VP for a state and federal contractor, overseeing 5 departments and 6,000 employees. Our contract portfolio is approximately equal to the PWCS $1.5 billion budget – I know how to run a large organization. I’ve also lived all over the world and speak a foreign language (Korean), am a former teacher, and of course have a ton of experience parenting. Seven children, five school-age, three in Prince William County Schools!

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The slogan of my law school – “Why Not Change the World?”

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

When I am your school board chair, I will give my all to fix the problems in our schools. I will give my all to ensuring our children receive the bright future they deserve – And, through it all, I will listen to you. I will respect you. And I will work with you every day to get the job done.