And one candidate says the next chief shouldn’t be too fat.
“He’ll have to make a lot of public appearances,” said Braddock District hopeful Nell Hurley. Beyond serving as an excellent manager, she said, a superintendent also should model healthy habits for children and parents. “Somebody who’s terribly obese might not be the best person for that particular job.”
Weight discrimination in hiring is legal in every state but Michigan, said Rebecca Puhl, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. Puhl said a handful of cities, including the District, prohibit such discrimination.
“A person’s body weight says nothing about their abilities, their accomplishments or their contributions to society,” she said. “We would never see this if we were talking about race or sexual orientation or gender, but with weight this remains acceptable and people do it automatically.”
Hurley’s opponent, Megan McLaughlin, said physical appearance should not be a factor in hiring. “Look at Chris Christie,” she said of the Republican governor of New Jersey. “He’s a very large man, and yet people adore him.”
Both Braddock candidates are considered change-minded activists who largely agree on key issues but have different styles and backgrounds. Democratic-endorsed McLaughlin helped lead the countywide Fairgrade campaign to ease a strict grading policy. Hurley, with Republican backing, has focused her efforts in Braddock, particularly at W.T. Woodson High.
Braddock is one of six contested districts. Here is a snapshot of campaigns in the other five. The races are technically nonpartisan, but parties have some influence. There are also three uncontested district races and separate campaigns for three at-large seats on the 12-member board.
The most heated district race is in
Dranesville
, where incumbent Jane K. Strauss faces a strong challenge from parent activist Louise Epstein.
In public debates, Republican-backed Epstein has charged that Strauss “supports the bureaucrats” and doesn’t listen to teachers and parents. Democratic-endorsed Strauss has emphasized her role in helping schools boost student achievement while navigating a difficult recession.
A key issue is a staffing formula that sends more teachers to needy schools and thus leaves schools in affluent Great Falls and McLean with somewhat larger classes. Strauss calls the formula essential for helping the most challenged students; Epstein proposes revising it to reduce crowding in Dranesville.
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