School Board Is Bracing for Two Vacancies

After Primary Win, Kory Could Follow Niedzielski-Eichner

The Fairfax County School Board is gearing up for a midterm shuffle, with one member stepping down because of a federal appointment and another seeking a seat in the Virginia General Assembly.

Phillip A. Niedzielski-Eichner (Providence) plans to resign in November after 5 1/2 years on the board, because of the demands of his new job. He was tapped this spring to become a senior administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration, which maintains the nation's nuclear stockpile.

Niedzielski-Eichner called it a "reluctant choice between two important and rewarding opportunities." The community deserves someone "fully engaged" in helping to lead the nation's 12th-largest school system, he said in a release. His replacement will be chosen in the November general election.

Board member Kaye Kory's upset victory over 16-year Del. Robert D. "Bob" Hull in Tuesday's primary makes her the Democratic nominee in the 38th District of the House of Delegates, which includes Baileys Crossroads and Annandale.

Kory (Mason) enters the general election campaign with the advantages of name recognition and a Democratic-leaning district. Her opponent, Danny Smith, has a long career in finance and experience working in two Republican administrations.

A November victory for Kory would trigger a School Board special election for her seat.

Kory and Niedzielski-Eichner have been leaders on a 12-member board that is grappling with the toughest financial decisions in a generation and struggling to keep pace with a surge in enrollment and increasing numbers of students with special needs.

Niedzielski-Eichner is known for his calm demeanor and attention to detail. He led the board's painstaking budget review and deliberations for the past two years and fostered consensus around difficult cuts. Kory is known for her passion. She is outspoken about equal opportunities for minority and poor students.

Both helped the board reshape its goals for the 169,000-student system and shift its management style -- focusing more on long-term academic goals and less on day-to-day decision making.

Kory's victory against Hull came 10 years to the day after she won her first School Board campaign in a special election. With 5,005 votes cast, she ended the day 66 votes ahead of Hull.

What tipped the scales for Kory in many voters' minds was her shoe-leather campaigning. She knocked on more than 4,000 doors, by her count. Many voters interviewed outside polling stations Tuesday remembered front-porch conversations with her about neighborhood issues and her work on the School Board.