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Higher Standards. Better Schools.
...that serve the whole community.
Why I'm Running
I am running for re-election to the Manassas City School Board and respectfully ask for your support as I seek a second term.
I first ran four years ago because serious issues in our schools were not being addressed. As a parent and co-manager of a local preschool, I regularly heard from families who shared the same concerns about our schools' performance.
I felt a responsibility to step up and be part of the solution.
Something special happened during that campaign—something increasingly rare in today’s politics. Thousands of Manassas residents from across the political spectrum—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—came together around a shared goal: fixing problems in our schools.
And together, we won.
During my time on the School Board, I have stood up for higher standards for both our students and the adults who serve them. I have consistently pushed back on the excuse-making that has characterized our School Board for too long.
As one of the few current School Board members with school-aged kids (and the only School Board member with elementary-aged kids out of the seven member body), I believe that this has made a difference in my approach.
Instead of accepting the status quo, I energetically tackle the problems that face our schools:
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Raising standards on student academics:
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Led repeal of the “no zero” grading policy, restoring the expectation that students do their schoolwork
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Drove initiative to close the achievement gap for Students with Disabilities
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Supported higher teacher pay leading to improved retention and recruitment
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Raising standards on student behaviors:
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Advocated ending student cell phone use in school and proposed updates to our Student Code of Conduct for misuse of generative AI
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Secured funds for more security & truancy officers; supported improved parent notification of student absence
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Supported new alternative program for at-risk students
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Delivering schools that serve our whole community:
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Spearheaded the formation of the Immigrant & Refugee Advisory Committee to support student and family engagement in light of changes to national-level immigration policies
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Enhanced Board transparency by making Board meeting materials more available to the public
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Circulates a constituent newsletter with School Board updates (the only School Board member to do so)
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While progress has been made in many areas, this is not mission accomplished. There is still a lot of work to do – our schools are still not where they should be.
I want our school system to ultimately attract families to our City, not push them away. I want a school system that can be trusted; that delivers for students of all kinds; and school leadership that is unafraid to tackle our issues head-on.
We are not there yet.
I am asking for your help to get us there.
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About Sara
I have three young children (ages 8, 6, and 2) with my husband Eric, and I’m active in the PTO at Baldwin Elementary—where our kids attend. We have done the math: our youngest child will graduate Osbourn high school… in 2042!
My professional career began in education working with at-risk students in a troubled public high school. I later became a paralegal and have worked on school system litigation and with charitable organizations in juvenile and family law. I also briefly worked in rural Nicaragua for an aid program, where I developed Spanish-language skills.
More recently, I co-managed Alpha-Bet Cooperative Preschool located here in the City.
I also serve on the regional Board of Directors for our local Boys & Girls Club, where I’ve worked to enhance collaboration between the City and the Club to improve recreational programming for our kids.
Additionally, I have been honored to serve on the state Superintendent’s Investigative Panel on teacher licensure. I was originally appointed to this state-level position by Governor Youngkin’s state superintendent, and I have continued my service under Governor Spanberger’s administration. As the only School Board member in the commonwealth to serve on this panel, I am proud to have earned the trust to serve under both administrations.
As a School Board member, I currently serve on the Joint Board for the Governor's School at Innovation Park and have previously served as the School Board liaison to the Special Education Advisory Committee and the Gifted & Talented Advisory Committee.
I also spearheaded the formation of the Immigrant & Refugee Advisory Committee to combat the negative effects on student attendance and family engagement following changes to national-level immigration policy.
I grew up in a working-class town with a large immigrant community of people from Poland, Greece, and countries throughout the Arabian Peninsula. My father worked at a truck depot and my mother struggled while attending community college at night and raising three kids. Many of my childhood friends or their parents were English language learners.
I have experienced how language and cultural barriers create schooling challenges, but the public schools I attended were well regarded. The school system drew students from across the community, it performed at a high level, and was key to my own and my friends’ future successes.
I know Manassas schools can be better.
I’m on a mission to make that happen – because our kids deserve it.
What Manassas is Saying...
"Sara is in touch with the worries and aspirations of this generation of school families. She listens to our concerns and takes action. I trust her to keep striving for higher excellence in our schools."
Allison McCauley
PTO Officer, MCPS Parent, & Osbourn HS Graduate*
