Jefferson graduate Dalia Palchik played in the Thomas Jefferson Marching Colonials (TJMC) pit, was a member of Amnesty International as well as Culture Club, and tutored at an elementary school.

Now, Palchik is running against incumbent Patty Reed to represent Providence district on the Fairfax County School Board.

Palchik emphasizes increasing students’ global readiness, partnering with local organizations to provide students with exposure to various career options, and focus on implementing efficient solutions to solve the budget problem. She moved from Argentina to Virginia at a young age, and joined the ESL program following her arrival.

“We need to make sure FCPS [Fairfax County Public Schools] has strong language and technology courses, and reduce standardized testing to focus on learning and critical thinking, so that FCPS graduates remain some of the best in the world,” Palchik said.

Palchik is able to voice concerns that come directly from instructing in classrooms, as she is currently a teacher. If elected, she would be the second teacher on the school board.

“Some of our best teachers in FCPS are leaving our schools because teacher pay is stagnant, and lower than surrounding districts,” Palchik said. “If elected, I will focus on making sure we keep our best teachers in FCPS. I will also work with our local, state, and federal level representatives to address funding issues in our schools so we don’t have to continue cutting funding in the classroom.”

While Reed abstained from voting on including gender identity to the FCPS nondiscrimination policy in May, Palchik is in support of it.

“I believe all students and staff should be protected from discrimination and bullying regardless of their background or how they identify,” Palchik said.

To garner support for her candidacy, Palchik has been door knocking every day, reaching out to voters and listening to their concerns. In addition, she is currently in touch with local and state representatives, as well as other school board members. The donations that Palchik has received over the course of the year will go into distributing mailers to voters.

“Best words I’ve heard [from knocking] at a door today: ‘You’re too late, I already voted for you.’” Palchik posted to Facebook on Oct. 31.

School board elections are on Nov. 3. Click here to learn more about Dalia Palchik, her viewpoints on school-related issues, or how to contact her.