The political-action committee of the Arlington Education Association has added School Board candidate Kathleen Clark to its list of endorsees.
Clark has long been an advocate, “teaching other parents and caregivers how to navigate the school system in order to provide every learner with access to the tools and resources needed to be successful,” the organization said in announcing the endorsement Aug. 5.
The union earlier had endorsed Zuraya Tapia-Hadley in the Nov. 5 election, and that endorsement remains in force, Arlington Education Association president June Prakash told the GazetteLeader. There are two seats on the ballot; incumbents Cristina Diaz-Torres and David Priddy opted against seeking second terms.
Tapia-Hadley and Clark in May won the Democratic endorsement for School Board. In November, they are facing off against James Vell Rives and Paul Weiss. All candidates run at-large with the top two vote-getters winning four-year terms on the five-member body.
Under state law, school board seats are officially nonpartisan, and political parties can’t formally nominate candidates. But they can, and often do, “endorse” candidacies – which often proves a distinction without a difference.
Since 2004, no candidate has won a general-election victory for School Board in Arlington without first having won the Democratic endorsement.
