Candidate Q&A: Edward P. McCabe

What makes you the best candidate?

Years of serving the community in various agencies and organizations has introduced me to hundreds of people that possess talents that can be accessed to benefit the school system. I feel that community involvement in schools is critical to a successful school system.

What should be the school district's top priority now, and how can it be achieved?

The city manager’s proposed budget does not include the requested 3.8 million dollars in new money. We have to work under the assumption that this money will not be there. This means that we will have to become creative and think outside the box on how to save money in other parts of the budget so that the money allotted can be utilized for teacher’s salaries. One example is to freeze all travel unless absolutely necessary.

What do you think will be the school district's most pressing issue in 10 years, and how can the board prepare for it?

Preparing our children to be able to compete successfully in a very competitive global economy. In the 1950’s and 1960’s America was number one in all educational categories. Of the fifty-three industrialized nations we are now 8th in college graduates and 15th in high school graduates. We must all work very hard to ensure that our country continues to compete successfully on the world stage.

How effective are Virginia's Standards of Learning and the national No Child Left Behind initiatives in raising student achievement?

I have very mixed feelings about the Virginia Standards of Learning. They are an effective tool to measure student comprehension of a subject area. However, their rigidity is detrimental to teacher creativity and initiative. Example: with 30 students in your class, say you need 20 to pass to become accredited. Should your emphasis be only on preparing 20 students to take the SOL at the expense of the rest? The No Child Left Behind initiative was never properly funded to be effective.

What would you do to ensure that accredited schools in the division remain accredited? What do you think should be done at schools that have not yet achieved accreditation?

Over the past several years the school system has developed programs designed to help get whole classes as well as struggling individuals ready to pass the SOL. We need to adapt the successful programs system-wide. We also need to continue to enlist volunteers to mentor those having trouble mastering the SOL.

What should the division do to ensure school campuses are safe?

This is a societal issue. The community needs to continue to work hard to make sure all children start school with the skills necessary to achieve success. Successful students contribute to a more positive learning environment and are not as prone to act up. As the child grows older, positive programs (sports, arts, music, etc.) need to be available to ensure positive student development.