Loree Williams: School Board Candidate Brings New Face, New Voice

Prince William County School Board elections are Nov. 5 and incumbent Steven Keen and candidate Loree Williams are vying for the Woodbridge District seat. Keen was sworn in on Jan. 2 to fill the vacancy left by Denita Ramirez's November resignation. Williams, an involved PWCS parent, is Keen's only challenger to the seat. 

Williams believes she is well-suited to the role of a school board member because of her strong connection to the county and the school system, her training as an executive assistant and administrator, and her passion as a parent. She cited her committee participation, research and customer service skills.  

"Board members are required to make presentations, educate themselves, and serve on numerous committees," she said. "My customer service skills come in handy on an everyday basis. I need to serve my customers, and as a school board member that would be the Woodbridge District residents. I would need to maintain an open line of communication with everyone." 

Strong ties to Woodbridge

Williams has lived in Prince William County for over 33 years and attended Rockledge Elementary School, Fred Lynn Middle School and Woodbridge Senior High School before going to George Mason for her undergrad degree. She has two children. Her older son went to Rockledge and is now attending Rippon Middle School.

"When he was in elementary school, I enrolled in the PTA there," Williams said. "It was there that I began to notice that I could be an effective advocate for my son. I also began to be an effective advocate for parents."

She later worked in the PTSO for Rippon and served on the Prince William County Advisory Board. Her candidacy for the Woodbridge District seat on the school board seemed like the next step.

"This is a natural progression for me in my desire to continue to advocate for Woodbridge residents," she said. "My key platform is definitely to advocate for the Woodbridge District when it comes to legislative concerns."

She also hopes to "improve the overall parent-teacher communication."

Challenges facing Woodbridge District schools

Class sizes, teacher-student ratios, and cramped facilities are some of the problems that face Woodbridge schools, according to Williams.

"I spoke to someone in my neighborhood whose wife is a teacher and she was very concerned about not reaching step increases," Williams said. The teacher also mentioned the high student population in her class. "She was telling me how much time it takes from her day when she has that many papers to grade." 

Williams said she will educate herself on these issues. 

"I'm continuing to educate myself on teacher salary and facility management," she said. "I would definitely make sure that I am a voice when it comes to appropriating funds in the budget and that the money is spent as well as it can be for Woodbridge residents."

There's a limit to what the school board can do with the budget they have, Williams said.

"Class sizes is something that I know that the school board is looking at," she said. "It costs several million dollars to reduce class sizes by just one student. It's more than just adding another class. Some schools need to add additions. Some schools need to hire teachers. In the next ten years, we have to hire 8000 teachers to account for population growth. As far as student / teacher ratios, that's something that would have to be looked at at an individual site basis." 

A new face, a new voice

As a parent, Williams said she has a vested interest in the success of Woodbridge District schools. 

"There's a lot of perspective and diversity that I bring to the table," she said. "I am a new face to the board. I bring a new voice. I am a product of PWCS, so I have a history with the system. I'm a very participatory Prince William County resident. I have a student right now in the school system." 

Her passion to see PWCS students and teachers succeed is what drives her.

"The bottom line is I care," she said. "I'm a caring mother, and I'm a caring professional, and I want to not only see my children but the children in my district succeed and become effective citizens."

What do you think of Williams as a school board candidate?