Oct 2, 2025 16 min read student cell phone use

FCC School Board Vice Chair Kathleen Tysse’s 2025 Re-Election Campaign

FCC School Board Vice Chair Kathleen Tysse is running for re-election. Photo courtesy kathleentysse.com.

Kathleen Tysse – Vice Chair of the Falls Church City School Board, former elementary school teacher with a U.V.A. Masters in Education, and mom to four students in the City’s public schools – is running for re-election in the Nov. 4 citywide elections, to put “all she has learned to use" to help the School Board continue its string of “successes to be proud of.” She’s also dedicated to ensuring the district’s schools “continue to improve” and excel, she told The Falls Church Independent in a phone interview, Sept. 26.

Tysse, 45, 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, Lori Silverman and Anne Sherwood, and aspirants MaryKate Hughes and Sharon Mergler.

Current members of the Falls Church City School Board. Front seated left to right: Board Chair Dr. Tate Gould, and Kathleen Tysse. Standing left to right: Amie Murphy, Anne Sherwood, Dr. Jerrod Anderson, Bethany Henderson, and Lori Silverman. Courtesy FCCSB.

Poised to Be Appointed Chair?

Asked if she were interested in becoming the next Chair of the School Board, Tysse did not demure. “I would certainly want to be considered for the role in January when that comes before the seven of us to decide. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but I certainly would be honored to have the opportunity,” she said.

Reasons for Running

Tysse thought deeply about running again before committing to the campaign, however. “I did make sure to do self-reflection to be sure it was the right choice for me and my family. And it just seemed pretty obvious that I still have a lot more to offer,” she said. “I spent my first term learning, listening, and working. For the last two years as Vice Chair, I’ve had the opportunity to get even closer to the work and to give more. So, I want to use all I’ve learned in my first term – especially in my two years as Vice Chair – to continue to serve.”

“I'm a lifelong bookworm, the daughter of a lifelong educator, and am passionate about public education and literacy,” Tysse says on her campaign website. “I met my fantastic husband in northern Virginia at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology 31 years ago. After having some really great adventures traveling and living around the world, we couldn't resist coming back home to raise our four children near both of our large extended families in the area.”

Listening carefully to individual voices comes naturally to Tysse as a former elementary school teacher. She believes it’s vital to consider all points of view carefully and to assess all the facts, evidence and testimonials the Board gathers for every critical policy decision. “I work hard to bring a balanced approach to my School Board work – celebrating our community's many strengths while maintaining a commitment to continuous improvement,” Tysse said.

What Differentiates Her Candidacy?

Tysse’s considerable experience in education helps differentiate her from the field. “I do think something that distinguishes me from the other candidates is my history of leadership both before I joined the Board, as PTA President, and being deeply engaged in the community. I served on the Library Board, I was on the Advanced Academics Committee, but then especially since I’ve been on the Board and in my time in leadership as Vice Chair, I feel like that has really informed my work and I feel like a stronger candidate than I was four years ago. I’ve learned so much and worked hard to understand our schools and our community. That leadership, I think, could really help me be successful, especially as we move into this next chapter welcoming new people onto the Board and continuing to make sure our new Superintendent settles in successfully.”

In addition to serving as Vice Chair of the School Board, Tysse has served as a liaison to the Health and Wellness Advisory Committee and the Special Education Advisory Committee. And prior to joining the Board, she served as a Liaison to FCCPS from the Rec. & Parks Advisory Board, as the President of the Falls Church Elementary PTA, a member of the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, the FCCPS Gifted Education Advisory Committee, the Mary Riley Styles Public Library Board of Trustees, and the Gun Legislation Advisory Working Group to the City Council.

Perhaps most impressively, Tysse served deep in the educational and parental trenches as the PTA Room Parent for all four of her children “while they were in elementary school.”

Tysse’s campaign has been endorsed by the Falls Church News-Press, and the Falls Church Education Association. Beyond simply receiving a “candidate distinction,” Tysse has also received the full Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund Endorsement.

School Board Accomplishments

We asked Tysse if she’s proud of the School Board’s accomplishments in the last few years as she’s served as Vice Chair.

“I would be happy to share the successes and what we’re proud of,” she said. “We’ve worked really hard. I would say some of the main things that come to mind are passing our parental leave policy. That was really important to me the last time I was running. So, to be able to see that across the finish line was very rewarding. We were also one of the first in the state to be able to offer that to our employees…. We’ll have to keep our eyes on that and see if we can expand it further, but we made big strides in getting that passed.”

“I also think offering collective bargaining for the first time in Falls Church was another huge accomplishment of the School Board,” Tysse continued. “It took a lot of work to make sure we did it with integrity and with intention and that we’re setting everyone up for success. So we’re really proud of our collective bargaining.”

“Another thing that comes to mind is our new Superintendent who’s really fantastic,” Tysse said. “That was a major undertaking to make sure we celebrated Dr. Noonan on his way out but also welcomed Dr. Dade. The process was extremely rigorous for all involved and we couldn’t be happier with where we landed. It’s really exciting to have this next chapter for Falls Church. And I would say that’s another reason I wanted to run again, that I feel like we’re starting a new chapter and I’d really like to be a part of that and to be part of the bridge between those eras.”

On the Agenda for Next Term

If re-elected, Tysse wants to prioritize critical school budgeting needs are protected in a time of economic uncertainty and the likelihood of growing enrollment as the City continues to develop. “I would say one of the big challenges in this current environment is going to be the budget and making sure we work really closely with our partners in general government to continue to pass really responsible and transparent budgets. Everything feels very unpredictable right now in terms of our enrollment group even though we do our best to work with the demographer on the predictability on our projections. It's just harder with all the development to get all those projections right.”

“Then obviously with all the uncertainty in the world right now, the economy is so unpredictable, and so it’s going to be a time where we have to really tighten our belts and really dig into the work of [the] budget, working with our partners in general government to make sure we’re doing all we can in times of real unpredictability. I feel like my work in the last few years on the budget cycle, having been through it four times already, I have an understanding of how it works and I have really strong relationships with people in general government that I think will help shepherd us through this uncertain time.”

Following up on the School Board’s commitments will also be essential. “I think honoring our collective bargaining agreement is paramount. And ‘Our Budget is People’ – and that means the vast majority of our budget goes to supporting people. So that is first and foremost. We are also fortunate that our facilities are in good shape in general with having space for any increased enrollment but we do have some capital projects that are going to need some attention to make sure all of our buildings are up to our standards.”

How Teaching & Parenting Inform Her Work

We were curious to know how teaching and parenting have influenced Tysse’s perspectives on the School Board. “Well, honestly, I think whether I’m wearing my parent hat or my teacher hat, my answer would probably be the same. I have four kids who have very different needs and are just their own individual people and it was the same when I was teaching. You have a class, whether it’s 10 or 30, and they’re all individuals. They all come with their own stories and their own unique backgrounds, needs, and strengths. And I think that really always stays present in my mind that we have to be thinking of the whole spectrum of experiences and the whole spectrum of voices when we’re making decisions and trying to serve our community – which can be hard, right? Because certain decisions are going to always benefit some people more than others. But I think making sure we keep our focus on that and remember that there’s not just one kind of kid or one kind of path is something that’s important to me because I know it’s not a one-size-fits-all family and there was not a one-size-fits-all in my classroom.”

Addressing Exceptionality

With the emphasis on individuality, we naturally began to discuss Tysse’s views on student “exceptionality.” What are her priorities for ensuring students with varying educational support needs are taken care of?

“I think it’s really important,” she said. “All of our 'subset populations' are growing. So I think it’s going to become increasingly important for us to stay focused on diversifying what we offer to kids to meet them where they are, whether it’s language acquisition, or special needs, or advanced academics, or what we call the “2E” where you have special needs and you’ve been identified for advanced academic services. There’s a growing need to put a focus on that and I think we’re doing a good job acknowledging that. But we need to keep digging in and doing more work to make sure we’re meeting the needs of those growing populations.”

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

How does Tysse address the swirls of political controversy around DEI policies and teaching in public schools?

“I’ve lived all over the world. I’ve lived in four other countries on three other continents. I’ve taught all kinds of students and I don’t understand why there should be any controversy,” Tysse said. “I guess I’d ask, ‘What would be the controversy over diversity, equity, or inclusion? How could you be opposed to that?’

“Now, I understand the content of what you’re asking in terms of making sure we believe in it deeply. And we need to make sure our community is one that is welcoming to all. And we need to reflect the values of our community,” she continued. “And those are the values I see day-to-day in our schools and in our neighborhood. We want to be a community that is welcoming.”

“I think the schools are proud of what we’ve done and we’ve been trying to re-double our efforts in that way in terms of making sure we’re doing our due diligence and doing our part. So our schools are now designated by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to have a No Place for Hate designation. So we’ve been working with the ADL on their programming to bring it into our schools. I deeply believe that celebrating our differences and making sure we are constantly working to be more inclusive is the only way.”

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We were also curious to know Tysse’s thoughts on controversial issues surrounding the use of Artificial Intelligence in school.

“AI is obviously a major focus of the current School Board’s work,” Tysse said. “We are putting together an ad hoc committee to help inform our work. We’d really like to work toward passing the policy that will inform us on AI by the spring. So we’re going to be spending this year learning what we can about both the advantages and disadvantages of this tool. And, we need to learn how to both embrace its positives and safeguard against all of the challenges that come with it. So, we’re really coming into this year having that as one of our focuses.”

School Security

As a mom and former classroom teacher, how does Tysse view issues surrounding school security?

“This is a topic I’m not at all afraid to address head on,” Tysse said. “I’ve been a member of Moms Demand Action for many, many years and I had their Candidate Distinction last campaign and their [full Endorsement this campaign.] I’ve spent a lot of time advocating. I worked on the City’s Firearms Working Group back in, I think it was 2020. I was helping to inform their policies. I’ve lobbied in Richmond with Moms Demand Action. It’s an issue very close to my heart.”

“I think it’s really important to balance what we do with our facilities and our education without causing undue fear,” Tysse continued. “So I want to make sure when we’re educating kids we’re doing it in a really informed and responsible way while also making sure our facilities are as secure as possible. I know we’ve done some really good work at Oak Street making both of our entrances more secure and I fully support the security efforts we’ve made thus far.”

Tysse elaborated on security efforts in the schools. “We do carry out some screenings at the secondary level for mental health, and, with our students through surveys and those sorts of tools. Anonymous forms where students can fill out and share their concerns are also, absolutely, in place.”

Asked if she feels confident the School Board is addressing campus safety, Tysse reassured, “Yes. I think it’s something we re-visit every year to make sure we’re staying vigilant.”

Student Cell Phone Use

As the Vice Chair of the School Board over the last two years, how does Tysse view controversies surrounding student cell phone use during the school day?

“It’s certainly one of the big topics right now,” Tysse said. “And I certainly understand and share the same concerns about screen addiction and fractured attention. I have the same challenges as every other parent has right now in my own house with four kids. So when we decided last year to draft a policy, we first did a lot of listening. We invited the school leadership to a public discussion at a School Board meeting and then we hosted four separate town halls for the community, one for students, one for staff, one for parents, and one in Spanish, so we could really learn more about the issues and the nuance.”

“What it really came down to in the end – the hardest part of the decision – was whether or not to fully ban phones at the high school every minute of the day or to take a more measured approach in this first year of the policy. And it’s just the first year because we’ve written into the policy that it will be re-visited annually. So, we’re sort of holding ourselves accountable to stay mindful on the issue. So, for this first year, we ultimately voted to take up the more measured approach.

“In large part – at least what informed my vote – and it wasn’t the only reason, but a reason, was listening to the teachers and staff who are the professionals, who are with these students all day and really know the ins and outs of their students and would also be the ones responsible for implementing and enforcing whatever policies we set. Now, no group is a monolith, but they were pretty clear, by and large, that they were supportive of this more moderate approach where students do have access for certain parts of the day to their phones.”

“So, I feel confident in saying we tackled the most problematic and pressing issues of cell phones which is their distraction during instruction and I think we made huge strides by changing the culture of whether phones should be available during instruction [times]. I think if you talk to students and teachers, I think we’ve made big strides. Is it perfect? No, of course not. But, I do think we’ve been successful.”

“Whether or not we should ban them the entire day without exceptions? I always quote my colleague on the School Board who says, ‘This is a place where reasonable people can disagree.’ And the challenge with policy work like this is that it impacts students age 14, fresh out of middle school, but also students who are legal adults, well over 18, who are on their way to college or the work force. So these sorts of policies are not going to perfectly meet every student’s needs and that’s a real challenge.”

“But we’ll have to consider what implementation will look like and the logistics and the reality of it and then whether the challenges of that will be worth the benefit of a full ban. Lots of districts around us do have a full ban and are doing it in lots of different ways with varying approaches and varying degrees of success. So I’m grateful we’ve taken this year to get more feedback from the community, learn from the surrounding districts how their approaches are going, learn more about getting new legislation, and then if we get to the point where we need a stricter policy, we’ll see. I feel like I’m always listening and learning and staying open and look forward to revisiting it in the winter and learning more at that time.”

Asked if she thought Meridian H.S. Principal Peter Laub’s argument before the School Board last year that older IB students need to learn how to use their phones responsibly during non-instructional times was reasonable, Tysse said, “I really had those students in mind as I was weighing all the factors. Because of course phones can be a distraction and of course they can prevent kids from being productive, but they're also a really valuable tool for helping our kids both be productive and to manage their executive functioning and keeping track of all of their reminders, and their calendars, and their grades. And also, our building is seven stories and it’s really hard to find your friends if you don’t remember where the club is meeting or you want to find which friend you want to eat lunch with. Our students are really lucky they have some real independence throughout our campus and if we want to support their social needs during their downtimes, I think their phones can be a real positive tool for that.”

How Schools & Students Bring Hope

As she took the Citizens for a Better City (CBC) Pledge not to accept donations from individuals or groups outside City boundaries, Tysse spoke of the optimism she feels when interacting with students on campuses across the City. “I said this at the CBC, but it really is true: we're living in such stressful times with so much fear and so much uncertainty that it can get really discouraging, and I personally find that being in the schools is the best antidote to that.”

Kathleen Tysse with her 'pandemic puppy." X photo.

“I would encourage the community to become part of our schools as well because when I met with some high school students this week who were really working on an incredible project they’re doing and I just sat in the hall and watched this school day happen all around me – I find truly that just being around these students and teachers gives me so much hope and perspective and it really is all the motivation I need, especially in these times, more than ever.”

What project were the students working on?

“We were working on a sustainability [project],” Tysse said. “But, I wasn’t working on it – I was just a cheerleader and an observer! [Laughs]. But they’re taking a program called Better at the Bin where they built these bins to put in the cafeteria to sort recycling, trash, waste, and organics, and they’re trying to make it a full-year initiative where they responsibly sort in the cafeteria all year long with volunteers at the bin.”

“Then, on top of that – which is fantastic enough in making sure the organics actually get composted – they’re taking [plastic with certain identifying numbers]…. and they have an injection molding machine where you cut the plastic and melt it down into other things, like planters. It was super impressive and really, really cool. I’m hoping to highlight it at a future School Board meeting because the community should know about the awesome work happening there.”