Q1: What is your understanding of the school board's role and what the school board should or should not vote on and why?

KADERA: The School Board’s most important obligations include:

• Developing (in collaboration with APS and with input from the community) and approving policies that govern the operation of our school system; • Approving operational and capital improvement budgets;

• Hiring and overseeing the work of the Superintendent; and

• Listening and responding to constituent ideas and concerns.

I have gone on record during my campaign to say that I believe the School Board should have voted on APS’s plans for continuity of learning and reopening schools. Given the extraordinary nature of the pandemic situation and the magnitude of its effect in the community, I think a board decision regarding challenges during the pandemic was warranted.

Q2: Do you agree with the school board's decision to increase class sizes? Explain why/why not.

KADERA: During my campaign, I’ve expressed my perspective that we could have captured cost savings and created efficiencies within existing class size limits. Please see https:// www.maryforschoolboard.org/blog/why-we-need-to-talk-about-the-next-aps-budget-now for more information.

Q3: Do you agree with the increase in administration spending (both the regular budget and ARP funds) this year and not on teachers and other student-facing positions (e.g. reading and math specialists)?

KADERA: APS needs sufficient and capable central office staffing and adequate and talented student-facing staffing if it is going to be successful. When we express concern about having a “system of schools” instead of a “school system,” there’s a direct line we can draw between a lack of central oversight, accountability and guidance (the central office function) and inconsistencies in instruction and student services in each our schools. It’s important to look each year at whether our staffing model reflects current needs and adjust accordingly—which is one argument for zero-based budgeting (see again https://www.maryforschoolboard.org/blog/why-we-need-to-talk-about-the-next aps-budget-now).

Q4: What do you think APS’ device policy should be for elementary and middle school students? Please address total time usage during the school day, whether devices should be allowed to be taken home, if students should be allowed to access the internet with their APS issued ipads, etc. Please be specific as to grade level in your answer.

KADERA: I have worked in education technology and thanks to that experience I have seen really wonderful, transformative uses of technology and also many less-than-optimal uses. Ed tech (iPads, laptops, etc.) is a tool just like any other available to teachers—textbooks, manipulatives, lab equipment, studio art supplies, and more. Each of these tools can contribute to teaching and learning if used correctly, or can lead to wasted time and distraction if used incorrectly.

Our youngest learners (preK-2) need ample time for social learning with peers; hands on experiences with manipulatives to help bring abstract concepts to life and to tap into kinesthetic learning; and plenty of activities that will help them master gross and fine motor skills. In addition, some learners are working with sensory processing issues and may need the kind of sensory feedback (touch, pressure, proprioception) that real world learning experiences provide. Technology has to be used in a very purposeful and developmentally appropriate way, especially during early childhood development.

I would like for us to find a way to communicate total screen time to parents, both to create a shared understanding of what’s happening for students during the school day and to be able to adjust accordingly at home in the provision of “off hours” screen time. I would also like for parents to have a way to control administrative features on school-issued devices when they’re at home—such as restricting access to certain applications, setting bedtime limits, etc.

Q5: Do you share the concerns raised by the signatories of this open letter to the Arl Dems? What will you do about it?

KADERA: My interest has always been, and continues to be, seeking to have the best possible community members serving on our School Board. I am not interested in elected officials who see the School Board as a rung on a ladder to higher political office, nor those who want a seat on the School Board because they have a particular axe to grind. The work of the School Board is too important for that.

I am educating myself and investigating the issues raised in the letter in four ways. First, I have talked with leadership in the Arlington Democrats to get a better understanding of why they run a Caucus. Second, I have talked with a range of community members about their perspectives on the practice. Third, I am currently analyzing data on how School Board campaigns happen in other jurisdictions (both those with political party endorsements and those without.) Fourth, I am reaching out to candidates in other communities who have run for School Board, both with and without party endorsements, to understand how endorsements have affected the competitiveness and outcomes of these elections.

I continue to work to analyze the issue and better understand what alternative scenarios are available to make sure we are using the most inclusive and effective process in Arlington. I look forward to sharing what I learn with you and others in our community very soon.

Q6: What is something the School Board has done right this past year? And something you would have done differently?

KADERA: As I mentioned above, I would have liked to see the School Board vote on decisions affecting school operation during the pandemic.

I applaud the School Board for its unanimous vote to change the nature of police presence in our schools. And as important as that vote was, it is just as important that APS and the School Board undertook a very careful, inclusive, and thoughtful process to engage the community on this issue (the SRO Working Group), which interests me as model for future community engagement and school-community collaboration on really challenging and potentially divisive issues.

Q7: What, concretely and specifically, will you do to address the learning loss among APS students this past year?

I am a big believer that academic success rests on a foundation of supporting students’ physical, mental, and socio-emotional well-being. During my campaign I’ve written during my campaign about the steps I believe we should take to a) provide that foundation and then b) diagnose academic needs and design learning accordingly. Please see here (supporting all students), here (instructional vision and planning), here (English learners) and here (start of the new school year).

Of course, all of this rests on the assumption that we will have the staff we need to do this important work—and in APS, as elsewhere in the country, we are experiencing significant staffing shortages. Please see my statements about the staffing shortage here.

Q8: Do you agree with the board’s programmatic apportionment of ARP funds and have they met the minimal a) federal requirements in accordance with the grant guidelines including community engagement and b) needs specific to APS students to address learning loss?

Here’s my take on APS’s approach to apportionment of the American Rescue Plan Act funds:

1. APS should have provided additional information and/or avenues for engagement on its use of ARP funds, as it suggested it would do in an FAW posted here: https:// www.apsva.us/budget-finance/arpa-esser-fund-info/

2. I am concerned about the use of ARP money to a) plug the budget gap with one time funds, which is not sustainable, and b) fund staff positions whose future funding is not assured. I want APS fiscal decisions to be made on a sustainable basis.

3. As with all expenditures, APS should be evaluating return on investment. I would like APS to identify intended outcomes attached to expenditures, and determine whether its commitment of funds yielded the outcomes desired.

Find out how the county board candidates answered our Election 2021 Questionnaires