FCC School Board Member Lori Silverman's 2025 Re-Election Bid
Four years ago, Lori K. Silverman – a Democratic Political Consultant with her own LLC, a non-practicing lawyer with a Juris Doctorate from GWU School of Law, and a mom of two Falls Church City public school kids – won more votes than any other candidate for the open seats on the Falls Church City School Board. Now, after the Board’s “tremendous successes in the past four years,” she’s running for re-election in the upcoming Nov. 4 citywide elections to ‘keep building on those successes,” she told us in a Sept. 17 phone interview.
Silverman, 49, is campaigning against four other women candidates, with all five competing to fill the four available School Board positions following School Board Chair Dr. Tate Gould’s announcement he won’t be seeking re-election Nov. 4. She’s competing against current Board members Kathleen Tysse and Anne Sherwood, and aspirants MaryKate Hughes and Sharon Mergler.
Why Re-Election?
Asked why she’s throwing her hat back in the ring, Silverman – a resident of the City of Falls Church since 2016 – said, “It’s been such an honor and an opportunity to serve the people of Falls Church City…. A few of the really great things we’ve been able to do for our schools is to pass budgets that support our students’ needs, to respond to the growing population, to ensure that we can attract and retain high quality teachers, and – something that was new to Falls Church City Schools – was that we were able to pass the first ever paid parental leave for our teachers and staff, which was really important to me.”
Looking Beyond Her Own Family's Needs
We were curious to know what particular issues Silverman might be championing on the School Board this term. Refreshingly, she made clear she’s driven foremost by the educational needs of the whole school district rather than the particular needs of her own family. “I don’t have a personal agenda. I want to serve the people of Falls Church City,” Silverman emphasized. “I want them to bring the agenda to me. And any of the issues they seem concerned about are the issues I would like to bring forward. I don’t have an ax to grind…. The issues are the people’s issues and I hope they have seen that I’ve been accessible and responsive for the past four years."
How has Silverman’s parenting experiences as the mom of a 7th grade daughter, Isabella, and a 4th grade son, Ryan, informed her work on the School Board? “You know, my kids might tell me something that’s anecdotal and that’s one person’s view. And I can hear about how they perceive things and how they see things. But, in terms of how I make decisions for the School Board, it’s not about me and it’s not about my own family,” Silverman said. “It’s about what’s really best for the communities. So, while yes, they are part of the community and, obviously, I do listen to them and I take their opinions to heart, my goals and what I want to do aren’t driven by my family’s issues. This is about what’s best for the community.”
Silverman cited her support for the funding and building of Meridian High School’s new baseball field as an example. “I don’t have any baseball players in my family but I was still supportive of building a new baseball field even though there were some logistical problems along the way.”
Team of Seven
Since 2021, Silverman has delighted in working on the cohesive, thoughtful and “really qualified team of seven” on the School Board. “While we’ve had different combinations of groups of seven, it’s been a really great experience,” she said. “We all bring very different experiences, very different backgrounds, and very different perspectives. And, listening to the other six on their perspectives I think is very important to me to consider the policy issues brought before us.”
On Team Terry
Silverman’s especially excited about the School Board’s choice of a new Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Terry J. Dade who replaced retiring Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan on July 1. “I’m a huge Terry fan. One hundred percent. I’m on Team Terry. I think he’s a fantastic asset to our district. He’s a good listener. He knows what he’s doing. He comes from a place of caring. I think he really relates to the community and to the teachers and staff. I just have a lot of faith in him and that he’s going to be doing really good things,” she said.
Judicious Budgeting
As a priority should she be re-elected, Silverman wants to ensure that the City’s school system continues to support students’ varied needs, and that all budget proposals are carefully considered to maximize their educational benefits. “I think ensuring that our budget reflects the growing population and continues to support the needs of all of our students,” is a high priority, she said. “And our students have many very different needs. And all of the students need different supports, whether they’re social/emotional, or academic, or a student who has an IEP…. There are many different ways those needs can show [up] and our budget needs to reflect that …. I just want to make sure that the funds are used judiciously…. and there’s a clear benefit to the students.”
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We asked Silverman for her views on the positive or negative effects Artificial Intelligence (AI) might have in students’ educational experiences and whether specific policies on AI should be adopted. She made sure to emphasize her open-mindedness on the topic and the importance of listening to experts’ advice.
“This is a place where I'm still learning a lot. I do hear some concerns from parents about cheating. So I do want to make sure those types of issues are addressed,” Silverman said. “I also know that AI sometimes can be useful in a positive way. We already have a policy about cheating and about using work that’s not their own. But our AI policy will probably have to address that further. But I really want to hear from the AI experts."
Cell Phones in Schools
On the contentious issues surrounding student cell phone use on campuses during the school day, Silverman was quick to highlight her differences with current Board members, Kathleen Tysse and Anne Sherwood, on the policies currently in effect at Meridian High School confining such phone use for students in all classroom settings on campus, but not during study halls, passing times, lunch, and club meetings. While Tysse and Sherwood voted for the current less restrictive policies, Silverman supports a “bell-to-bell” ban on students’ use of cell phones during the school day, with certain exceptions for students with special needs.
“This is actually an issue that does differentiate me from the other two incumbents who are running,” Silverman said. “I voted differently than they did. I voted “no” on the current policy. They voted “yes.” I voted “no” because I do support a bell-to-bell policy on cellphones. Again, I'm listening to the experts and leaning in with what they're saying to us. Those experts being police enforcement for emergency situations, and mental health professionals. And, in every study coming in – study after study – nothing has shown that there’s a positive effect to having cell phones in schools, whether it’s an emergency situation or not. So I’m definitely in favor of a bell-to-bell ban.”
“Obviously there would be exceptions for those who medically need them or if there’s some sort of IEP exception, right? But, generally, I’m for bell-to-bell,” Silverman continued. “What I said at the last work session where we discussed this was: there are two problems with cell phones in schools, in my opinion. One, is the academics piece, cell phones in the classroom as a distraction to the person using the cell phone but also to the people sitting around that person, plus, being a hardship on the teacher and everybody else. And, two, there’s the [lack of] social connection and the [increase in] bullying. Because bullying now happens online.... And I said at the last meeting, ‘We have done everything we can as a School Board, on policy, to address the first issue. But we have done nothing to address the second issue.’ So, during lunch time and during passing periods kids could be sitting on their phones versus building those social connections.”
“Now, of course, bullying is going to happen off school grounds. But that’s outside of our ability to control, right?,” Silverman continued. “A policy is not going to end all bullying. But, a policy absolutely can address some of the bullying that happens on school grounds. Now, are kids going to cheat and break the rules? Of course they are because they’re high school kids. And I even know of cell phones that are used in the middle school [Mary Ellen Henderson M.S.] when they’re not supposed to be. Kids break the rules. But our job is to set the policy and then work on that implementation. I don’t think we should be scared, [as in] ‘Oh, that’s too hard to implement. So we shouldn’t pass the policy.’ I think we should pass the policy and be principled and do the right thing and then we work on that implementation. And the implementation is, of course, never going to be 100 percent perfect.”
Asked if she were specifically disagreeing with Meridian H.S. Principal Peter Laub’s approach allowing student cell phone use during “non-instructional” times in order to foster students’ abilities to use cell phones responsibly, Silverman had only good things to say about Principal Laub, despite her differences on cell phone policy. “I highly, highly respect Mr. Laub. I think he’s been a fantastic principal. But he is still not the mental health expert – with all the studies that are coming in saying that cell phones are not helpful in schools.”
“Listen, I’m no different,” from other parents, Silverman said. “I have the same struggles with screen time as I’m sure many parents do here. And yes, it’s a struggle. So, there’s a real thing with screen addiction. And all the texting that happens. So, again.... I’m going to listen to the experts in the field and the mental health professionals who say this is not a good idea. And now the state has passed a law that says it’s bell-to-bell…. And, I believe we're waiting for the [state] guidelines. But, that passed overwhelmingly. I think it was like 98-2 in the [Virginia] House, bipartisan legislation that passed saying bell-to-bell, because that’s in the best interest of the students. And I believe that that’s what we should be focused on. I’m sure that there are some students who can handle it just fine. But there are many who can’t.”
Behind the Scenes
Asked if there have been other issues Silverman and the School Board have addressed “behind the scenes” that folks should know about, she laughed and said, “You know a lot of what we do is so mundane. We got new laptops. That was a big discussion. I don’t know if that’s really exciting to the public. Although, actually I’ve heard many comments like, ‘Wow, I actually have a new laptop that works this year,’ and I just think to myself, ‘Right, because we just purchased the new laptops!,’ [Laughs]. And there are capital improvements to the buildings. Those are all important. But is that very exciting to the public? I’m going to guess not. But if you have leaking ceilings in Oak Street [Elementary School], let’s say, that can hinder education. So, those sorts of things need to be addressed.”
School Security
Silverman also highlighted her “behind the scenes” work on school security issues in the wake of so many school shootings around the nation in recent years. She has received a “candidate distinction” from Moms Demand Action, an affiliate of Everytown for Gun Safety. “As I’ve been a School Board member, they’ve seen that I’m very supportive of their issues of trying to keep our schools safe. And one thing I did – again, these are seemingly mundane issues – but I do think they’re very important still, is that as a legislative liaison I worked with the Board to encourage Senator Saslaw, who was our State Senator at the time, and State Delegate Simon to push for funds in order to upgrade the entrance to Oak Street Elementary. And now it has a vestibule because of those funds so that when people check in they can’t just walk straight into the school. They stop first at the separate room that has a security guard.”
Silverman also toured the new Meridian High School as it was being constructed and received a briefing on the campus’s security features. “When I was a candidate four years ago, I got kind of a personal tour of the building and was told about all the security features and since then – we don’t like to publicize the security features – but to me, not having a security background, it seems to be the best it can be.”
Foregoing the CBC Candidate Pledge on Outside Funding
Before wrapping up, we wanted to be sure to ask Silverman about another possibly contentious issue. According to the Citizens for a Better City (CBC), Silverman is the only School Board candidate in the current election cycle not to sign the CBC’s candidate pledge to forego campaign donations from donors outside City limits (with the exception of “close family and friends.”)
Asked why she decided not to sign the CBC’s pledge, Silverman argued it’s unreasonable to expect candidates to fund their own costly campaigns without anticipating that only the wealthy will run for office. So, she wrote her own pledge in place of the CBC’s. “I actually wrote a separate pledge,” she said. “I wrote my own pledge that actually strengthens [the CBC pledge].
"Let me find the exact words," she said. Silverman's pledge is published here for the first time:
‘Because I don’t believe that only people with financial means should have a realistic chance to serve in elected office in Falls Church City, I will limit self-funding to $100 and hope the other School Board candidates will do the same. If, for some reason, I self-finance above $100, I pledge to donate the overage to each of the other candidates’ campaigns.”
“I think CBC quoted that the average amount spent is $7000 and I believe that average will absolutely increase after this year,” Silverman added. “So let’s say the average goes up to $9000 or $10,000. Should it only be people with the means to afford that who can run for office?” Silverman confirmed, however, that she has not “felt pressure” from the CBC to sign the pledge.
For an accounting of Silverman’s fundraising tallies so far this election cycle, go to Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
A String of Endorsements
As a fundraising specialist for Democratic candidates in Virginia and the mid-Atlantic, and the small business owner of loriksilverman.com in the City of Falls Church, Silverman has many influential local politicians in her camp.
In addition to being endorsed by such local political luminaries as Don Beyer, Terry McAuliffe, Tom Clinton, Jody Acosta, Saddam Salim, Marcus Simon, and Laura Downs, Silverman has also received the backing of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, the Falls Church City Education Association (FCCEA), and has earned a Moms Demand Action Candidate Distinction.
Here are a few of the endorsement quotes for Silverman forwarded our way:
“Lori Silverman has shown herself to be a thoughtful, balanced, and trusted leader on the Falls Church City School Board. Her commitment to listening to all perspectives and making decisions in the best interest of our students and community is exactly the kind of leadership we need.”
~ State Delegate Marcus Simon
“What sets Lori apart is her ability to balance competing priorities while keeping the focus where it belongs — on student success. Falls Church City Public Schools are stronger because of her service.”
~ State Senator Saddam Salim
“I support Lori Silverman’s candidacy. She and I served on the School Board for two years together. Of course we didn’t always agree on everything, but we always had constructive conversations about the issues before the Board. She would keep an open mind and listen to my viewpoint as well as feedback from the community. At times, she would stand her ground if she felt strongly about an issue, but she was also willing to compromise and to me that’s what makes an effective public servant.”
~ City Council Member Laura T. Downs
Office Hours
Incumbent School Board candidates Lori Silverman and Anne Sherwood will be holding Office Hours, Oct. 9, from 6-8:00 p.m. at Plaka Grill at Birch and Broad, 1216 W. Broad St.
For our profiles of the City's 2025 School Board candidates thus far, see below:
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