McLean Neighbor Profiled in The Washington Post

The Washington Post wrote two stories centered on McLean school issues last week.

In case you missed it, the first one was a front-page profile of McLean neighbor Catherine Lorenze, a GOP strategist.

"Her name won’t appear on the ballot. Most voters have no idea who she is. But Catherine Lorenze, a sharp-tongued parent activist and Republican strategist, wields uncommon influence in the race for the Fairfax County School Board," the Post story said.

Half of the board’s 12 members are retiring, ensuring high turnover among those who set the direction of one of the country’s largest, highest-performing school systems.

"Much of Lorenze’s work is behind the scenes: writing campaign plans, analyzing election records, organizing volunteers. But she also broadcasts her views on her blog, Red Apple Mom, where she writes about incumbents she wants to depose," The Post wrote.

Lorenze, the mother of three, started out as a typical activist parent interested in school issues, the Post story said. Then because of her political knowledge and aggressive style, her role grew large.

Most of the candidates she is backing are connected with Fairgrade or the Fairfax Education Coalition, a group of parent and teacher organizations that has been critical of the board. Lorenze is communications director for both groups.

Lorenze is directing most of her energy to helping Louise Epstein unseat incumbent school board member Jane Strauss, whom Lorenze blames for McLean’s large classes. “She consistently redistributes our resources to the rest of the county,” Lorenze said of Strauss. This is the Dranesville school board race.

"Strauss has supported a staffing formula that sends more teachers to — and thus lowers class sizes at — schools with high numbers of poor children and children who speak English as a second language.

"The result is uneven class sizes. Some high-poverty schools along Route 1 in the Mount Vernon district have average class sizes, in the high teens and low 20s. In well-to-do McLean, averages hover in the high 20s, and classes can climb into the mid-30s," the Post story said.

Here's the complete story.