Adele is a teacher running to be the Brentsville representative on the Prince William County School Board.Adele Jackson is a special education teacher who is running to become the Brentsville District representative on the Prince William County School Board.
Jackson, who taught at Woodbridge Middle School in the county until last year, said she decided to run as a way to advocate for her students and all students.
“It seems like a good way to continue to advocate for my students, a good way to continue to be connected to my students, and to make a positive change and bring my voice as a teacher to the board.”
It was not a decision she took lightly. To serve on the board she left her position as a Prince William County teacher. She may return to teaching outside Prince William County Schools, but at this point is focused on her campaign.
Jackson is a wife and a mother of five-year-old twin boys, who will soon be Prince William County students. She sees education from the various lens as a parent and as an educator. She received her Master's Degree in Special Education from George Mason University and has been a teacher for 14 years, 12 of which she spent in Northern Virginia.
She is the local Democratic Party's preferred candidate. (Although the school board is officially a nonpartisan race, both parties have endorsed a candidate and the Republicans are endorsing former teacher Shawn Brann who served as the Acting-Brentsville representative on the board in 2016-17.)
Jackson said it is not about partisan politics. She feels comfortable talking to anyone and working with those of different political affiliations. It is really all about advocating for children, education, and citizens.
Jackson said she is running under the umbrella of “equity and inclusiveness.” She believes Prince William County Schools biggest challenges are overcrowding, funding and gaps in achievement between groups. She wants to make sure PWCS serves all children well regardless of ability, country of origin, background, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or zip code.
She would advocate for county supervisors to provide the schools with sufficient funding to help these students and also supporting teachers and working towards equity.
“I would work with the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. I do think we need to look on how resources are divided; how we divide the resources is a problem and BOCS has the power of the purse.”
She wants to encourage the involvement of parents and community members in the school, especially in neighborhoods where outreach is needed. She said it is incumbent upon school board members and educators to be accessible, whether that means having translators, having meetings during different times, or just having an advocate on the board.
“Nobody’s going to achieve unless we all achieve,” she said. “Look at the infrastructure. We cannot use a one size fits all budget.”
Jackson approves of current Brentsville school board member Gil Trenum’s directive to division administrators to look at where schools are older and populations are economically disadvantaged and see if they can provide additional funding. “I’d like to see what the actual plan is,” she said.
She feels strongly about this because she has taught many different kinds of students. She is also a differently-abled person as she has a significant hearing loss, as does one of her sons, so she knows what it is like to face those obstacles.
Jackson wants to address teacher pay. She took a $12,000 pay cut to work in Prince William County. She wants the best teachers to stay in the county because it benefits the students; it benefits everyone. “You want people to take care of your kids.”
While the school board cannot set the tax rate, she believes PWCS needs to tap into all forms of funding: state, federal, corporate partnerships and grant money.
She also believes in giving teachers more time to teach, trusting teachers, and listening to them rather than administrators primarily talking to other administrators.
Jackson only recently joined the race, but she will be giving 100% to the campaign.
“I can’t stop teaching; it’s who I am,” she said, but this is also important. “I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think it was needed.”
Jackson said she did not want to leave “I love my students. I’m doing it for them.”
Find out more about Jackson's campaign on her website.
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