From Matt Rhoades. Email him at matty[AT]borderstan.com.

In a change of plans, Mary Lord announced Friday that she will run for an At-Large seat to the DC State Board of Education, instead of seeking re-election for the Ward 2 seat on the Board. The DC Board of Elections reported this week that Marvin Tucker also picked up petitions for the At-Large Education Board seat. Both Lord and Tucker picked up nominating petitions Friday, according to the DC Board of Elections.

In his June 10 fundraising report to the DC Office of Campaign Finance, Jack Jacobson reported raising $18,216 for his race to win the Ward 2 DC State Board of Education seat. Lord’s decision leaves Jack Jacobson as the only announced candidate for the Ward 2 Education Board seat.

Jack Jacobson. (Luis Gomez Photos)

As Washington Post political columnist Mike DeBonis noted Wednesday about Jacobon’s fundraising, he “has built quite the war chest in his nonpartisan bid to unseat State Board of Education member Mary Lord. His $18,216 on hand is particularly impressive considering SBOE races have a $200 donation limit.”

Jacobson represents District 4 on Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2B, which covers the Dupont Circle area.

In his Friday statement, Jacobson said the following about Lord: “An inaugural member of the board, Mary has been a valuable asset to me in my capacity as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in Dupont Circle (2B04). Her passion for a top-quality education for all District of Columbia students is undeniable. The possibility of two sitting board members, well versed with the issues facing Ward 2 schools, makes me hopeful that significant improvements across the entire school system are within reach. I welcome the opportunity to work with Mary in the near future.”

DC school board elections are non-partisan — candidates do not run in the primaries on April 3 for party nominations. School board seats are filled in the general election on November 6.

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Jack Jacobson at his campaign kickoff Saturday, March 24. (Luis Gomez Photos)

From Matty Rhoades. Email him at matty[AT]borderstan.com.

Jack’s Jacobson, center,  with his parents, Kimberly and Earl. Jacobson’s parents came to the event from their hometown of  Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (Luis Gomez Photos)

Jack Jacobson officially kicked off his campaign for the Ward 2 DC Board of Education seat on Saturday night with a fundraiser at The Chastleton, 16th and R Streets NW.

“People should always understand that everything revolves around public education. Public safety, economic development… everything goes back to good public schools,” Jacobson told the crowd.

Jacobson announced on March 12 that he was running for the seat; incumbent Mary Lord confirmed that she will seek re-election. Jacobson is now an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for ANC 2B/Dupont, representing District 04. There is no primary for the non-partisan School Board seats, and the candidates will be on the November 6 general election ballot.

“I want to make sure that our schools are places where everyone is supported — students, families, teachers,” said Jacobson.

During his remarks on Saturday, Jacobson again emphasized his involvement with public education in DC –citing his work as a reading mentor at Marie Reed Learning Center with Everybody Wins, to becoming a charter member of the DC Public Education Fund’s Young Professionals Committee, to participating in Ross Elementary School’s Safe Routes to School Program.

Lord was first elected to the Ward 2 Board of Education seat in a special election in August 2007, and then to a full term in 2008. Jacobson was first elected to his ANC seat in a special election in March 2008, and then elected to full terms in November 2008 and 2010.

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• Jack Jacobson Challenging Mary Lord for Ward 2 Education Board Seat

From Matty Rhoades. Email him at matty[AT]borderstan.com

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Jack Jacobson (2B04) announced Monday that he is running for the Ward 2 DC State Board of Education seat. The seat is held by Mary Lord, a Dupont-area resident, who confirmed she will seek re-election. If elected in November, Jacobson will be the only openly LGBT member of the Board of Education.

Jack Jacobson is challenging incumbent Mary Lord for the Ward 2 seat on the DC Board of Education. (Jacobson campaign)

DC school board elections are non-partisan — candidates do not run in the primaries on April 3 for party nominations. School board seats are filled in the general election, which is November 6 this year.

In a statement released Monday morning, Jacobson said, “I have been honored to serve our community as a Neighborhood Commissioner, and am eager to take this next step in public service to represent all of Ward 2 on the State Board of Education. Having been the son of a public school teacher and two school board members, I’ve been involved in education my entire life. Recent tours of a number of Ward 2 schools and conversations with parents, teachers and community members have persuaded me that we need new leadership on the Board of Education.”

Lord told Borderstan, “Yes, I plan to seek re-election as the Ward 2 representative on the DC State Board of Education and look forward to a spirited campaign. The more people who engage in discussing the role of teaching and learning on our communities, the better. It takes time to build strong schools.” Lord was first elected to the Ward 2 Board of Education seat in a special election in August 2007, and then to a full term in 2008.

Jacobson was first elected to his ANC seat in a special election in March 2008, and then elected to full terms in November 2008 and 2010 (ANC 2B covers the Dupont Circle area). During his stint on the ANC, he has served as treasurer, public safety liaison, chairman of the 17th Street Moratorium Renewal Committee and chair of the 17th Street Renovation Working Group. He also helped found a consumer group focused on taxicab regulation, DC Taxi Watch.

Jacobson said his main goal will be to work with parents and the community at large to improve neighborhood schools in Ward 2 and to ensure that parents have confidence in the ability of our public schools to provide their children high-quality education. He said that if elected he would also focus on reducing attrition when students move to middle and high schools by ensuring those public schools provide continued rigorous curriculum that give students the life skills necessary to move into the global workforce.

“The District’s difficult effort to reform and improve our public schools has been remarkable and is beginning to show real results,” said Jacobson. “Ward 2’s representative on the Board of Education should fully support school reform efforts here in the District of Columbia. Our children in Ward 2 and throughout the District all deserve to attend strong, effective neighborhood schools, and if elected I’ll do everything in my power to ensure all Ward 2 schools lead the District in student performance and success.”

In a statement to Borderstan, Lord said, “I have led numerous efforts to promote excellence and achievement. That includes being an unwavering partner and advocate for the LGBT community, working to ensure that education policies reflected our shared commitment to social justice, dignity and respect. Ask anyone involved in the fight over the District of Columbia’s first-ever learning standards for health. I pushed to ensure that HIV/AIDS education, gender identity, and other issues did not get watered down or removed — as some demanded. It was the right thing to do, for in approving those standards, we enlisted schools in the fight against our city’s soaring rates of HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy.”

Lord she has raised two children in Dupont Circle. “We’ve made remarkable strides in creating vibrant options for more and more Ward 2 families. Our neighborhoods are home to some of the city’s highest performing schools. I hope to continue that momentum and engage the broader community in helping all children realize their full potential. Education is everybody’s business,” said Lord.

Jacobson emphasized his involvement with educational issues, citing his work as a reading mentor at Marie Reed Learning Center with Everybody Wins, to becoming a charter member of the DC Public Education Fund’s Young Professionals Committee, to participating in Ross Elementary School’s Safe Routes to School Program. He also announced that his campaign manager is Lee Granados,a former public school teacher for 8 years who is now a consultant for the Center of Applied Linguistics; she is active in the Ross Elementary School PTA where her children attend school.

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