Edward W. Pratt

Candidate for School Board

Age: 62

Residence: Wellington.

Education: BA, economics, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania; MS, economics, South Dakota State University.

Occupation: Associate director, Office of Government Ethics.

Elected offices/civic activities: Member, Manassas School Board, 2002-present; member and past president, Manassas Host Lions Club; past chairman, Wellington Covenants Committee.

What do you think is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction? "The most urgent problem facing the Manassas public schools is the challenge of keeping our schools fully accredited under the Virginia Standards of Learning in the face of an increasingly diverse student population. This, in turn, raises issues of how our instructional services, including the delivery of ESL services, should be organized centrally, whether our 52.6 percent revenue sharing agreement with the City of Manassas should be revisited, how much more we should hold our principals accountable under a site-based management approach and whether we can ensure the success of our non-English speaking students and challenge all of our students."

Why should voters elect you? "Based on my four years on the School Board, I have demonstrated the integrity, experience and teamwork needed to lead in successfully addressing this problem."

Web site: None given.

E-mail address: haddon61@comtekmail.com