About a year and a half into their four year term, the Fairfax County Public School Board’s 12 members have elected Sandy Anderson as their new Board Chair. She was elected to the School Board representing the Springfield District in the 2023 election. She now succeeds Providence two-term board member Carl Frisch as Board Chair. This elected 12-member board, one for each magisterial district and three at-large, will serve a four year term ending December 2027. A new board chair typically is selected each July.

Teacher, PTA President, School Board Member, Parent

Anderson grew up and was educated in Fairfax County, graduating from Lake Braddock High School. She holds a Bachelor degree in English from George Mason University, and a Masters in English from University of North Carolina. She has been an educator and involved with community support of schools throughout her working career. Her teaching experience began as an instructor and camp director for Fairfax County Park Authority. Later she taught college level English at Kansas State University, George Mason University, and Northern Virginia Community College. 

Although the 20-year Army career of her husband took the family to other areas of the country for a time, they returned to this area again before his Army retirement. 

Having been a local student, a teacher, a curriculum developer, an educator, and now serving on the Board, she also has seen the school system from the perspective of parent. She has two children and volunteered with the parent-teacher organization at Silverbrook Elementary for seven years, including serving five years as its president.

Personal Priorities

As Andersen considers her role as Chair and her responsibility to set the Board’s agenda, she has two priorities in mind. The first is teacher retention. The system reached a retention rate of over 90 percent of teachers in 2024 for the first time in four years. The system currently has about 136 teacher vacancies. 

She includes retention of current school superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid in that goal. Anderson says she highly respects Reid’s ability to effectively handle a school system the size of Fairfax County and Reid’s positive attitude. 

Anderson second priority: that the school boundary work now underway be successful. She notes that no essential boundary changes have been made since her parents were in school in Falls Church. “We are not able to build our way out of school crowding … and the county has run out of room for westward expansion.” [The board recently authorized the $150 million purchase of a former private school site in the Herndon area.] 

Anderson recognizes the issue is unpopular. “Everyone wants to stay at their school.” There is a need for small iterative changes to level out school populations since “no one wants to move kids.” Since all Fairfax County Public Schools are “the very best” she hopes that each school’s members will be involved with sharing their “cool programming” to highlight each school’s commitment to excellence and help all feel welcome and comfortable being at any school.

Dealing with Contention 

As parents know, school board members have responsibility for setting general school policy and establishing guidelines that will ensure the proper administration of public school programs. They make decisions that directly affect the quality of education and resources available to students and staff in Fairfax County. The Board has five standing committees composed primarily of school board members and district staff: audit, budget, planning, governance, and Anderson’s assigned committee: public engagement. 

School board membership is not a responsibility that comes without contention from differing points of view. To assure diverse perspectives are considered, board members also serve with community members on Community Advisory Committees (CACs). These are made up of community members, parents, students, and other stakeholders who provide input, advice, and recommendations to the School Board on specific issues or topics. 

School Boundary Realignment 

The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee is dealing with the contentious process of comprehensive school boundary review, the first in 40 years. The Board says the process is necessary to address concerns about overcrowding, temporary classrooms, transportation issues, and issues like attendance islands and split feeder patterns. The aim is to assure equitable access to programs and facilities, efficient use of school facilities, and reduced transportation times. For more on the committee, see 

https://www.fcps.edu/members-superintendents-boundary-review-advisory-committee 

Anderson says she recognizes the importance that parents place on school assignments, even going as far as making their home purchase based on the assigned school community. As the boundary realignment process progresses, parents can expect to be provided several opportunities for input. That input will be invited through the CAC, and through a series of public meetings, likely restarting in October, when the next draft boundary maps are expected from the consulting firm hired. 

The Board is not expected to vote on the options until January 2026, with the expectation that the plan then will stabilize for five years, with more options to stay in known schools.

As School Board Chair, Anderson helps to lead the ninth largest school system in the nation, with about 188,000 students, and nearly 17,000 full-time teachers, making it one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth. For this responsibility, board members draw a salary of $32,000. The Chair earns a $18,000 salary bump for the period of chairmanship.