Teacher Sharon Mergler Launches F.C.C. School Board Campaign

Just a few hours after Falls Church City School Board member Anne Sherwood kicked off her re-election campaign from Cherry Hill Park’s pavilion Sunday, Aug. 24, Early Childhood Special Education Teacher Sharon Mergler – an Ohio native and City resident from the Winter Hill neighborhood – launched her own bid, before dozens of enthusiastic supporters, for a seat on the City’s School Board, in the upcoming Nov. 4 City elections.

Mergler will be running against four other women candidates – MaryKate Hughes and current Board members Kathleen Tysse, Lori Silverman, and Anne Sherwood. All five will be competing to fill the four available School Board positions following School Board Chair Dr. Tate Gould’s announcement he won’t be seeking reelection in the fall. 

The Falls Church Independent spoke with Mergler as campaign volunteers sporting her campaign t-shirts scurried to set out food, treats, and refreshments, neighbors and friends chatted, and kids swirled about blowing bubbles and sharing in the excitement.  

The Candidate's Background

“I’m originally from Ohio – Go Bucks!,” Mergler said with a laugh. “... But, I grew up in Ohio and went to Ohio State for college. That’s where I studied Early Childhood Education and got my degree. I moved here in 2007 right after I graduated and had a job working for Fairfax County Public Schools. At that time I was a Preschool Autism Teacher…. So, I graduated and started right in June with a classroom of six kids, two assistants and myself, which was a great ratio. I taught there for several years. I then moved up to Elementary Enhanced Autism and had a class of Kindergarten through 5th grade.”  

Then in 2015, Mergler took a “mid-life retirement” to have her two kids, Josephine and Sawyer, with her husband, Josh, a federal employee. For four and a-half years, she stayed home taking care of the family but continued her involvement in education by volunteering for their Preschool Board and School Cooperative. “I just can’t stay away from preschool!,” Mergler said. “Early Childhood is my background.”

“I love families and helping them and I love to work with little kids,” Mergler said. 

With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Mergler was able to return to teaching online in the preschool. But her job also had her on the move. “I would go into people’s homes. I would go into our Fairfax Public School’s Head Start programs. And private preschool daycare.”  

“I’ve met so many wonderful educators along my [teaching] road,” Mergler added.  “And one of them, who was [our kids'] preschool teacher before the pandemic, and so she came to our house and had a little group that she would teach outside while I was teaching my preschoolers inside…. It was my son’s last year in preschool and my daughter’s first year in kindergarten and I’ve been in that preschool resource-level ever since. And, we went back into homes just as everybody else went back into the classrooms.” 

Mergler’s passion for teaching and helping students and parents navigate challenging educational landscapes is clear.  “I work with some amazing educators who’ll be here today,” Mergler said. “I’ve also mentored other teachers, new Special Ed teachers…. I love teaching just about anybody, parents, everyone.” 

Her Vision for the School Board

Asked to describe what her vision is for the School Board, Mergler said, “I think it goes along with my passion for connecting with people. My job has allowed me to meet so many educators, parents, principals, related service providers, private interests, lawyers, everybody. I think what I would like to bring to this Board is educational perspective, for sure. But, also, I want to work on connecting to the community because we have a special place here and we should all know what’s going on with our kids’ education.”

“Everyone should feel comfortable asking a question and bringing their opinions, and I think my background has allowed me to have really heightened, sensitive conversations with families," Mergler said, emphasizing, for example, how difficult it can be to discuss with parents, a three year-old’s recent autism diagnosis. 

The Primary Campaign Theme

“I feel like that’s our job, to be here for them and make them feel heard and help them come to a solution, and to advocate for themselves,” she said. “I pride myself in making those connections, making them feel safe, helping them through that process. So when people ask me what my platform is, it’s tough because I think my platform is, ‘I’m here to serve you.’”

Applying Professional Experience to School Board Service

Asked how she might draw upon her professional experiences to serve as a member of the School Board, Mergler said, “I think first and foremost, Special Education is my focus. And there’s always room for improvement. If you’re an educator, that’s the name of the game. If a child is not learning, it’s [on] us, right? We have to be reflective on how we can change our practice and how we can improve to meet that child’s needs.” 

Professional Development for Teachers and Staff

Teachers and staff need to be “ever evolving,” Mergler said. So, she prescribes enhanced professional development to adjust to “having a new Superintendent, and what’s going on in the world and with changes in our government.” 

“I want to uplift and support our educators,” Mergler stressed. “They’re the ones who directly impact our students. And a teacher wants to learn. If there’s something they can do for that student, they want to learn about it. And I want us to expand our focus to consider how we’re supporting our teachers to help access that. And, that’s general education teachers and those students in their classroom as well.”

Teacher Excellence and Retention

Another key policy emphasis for Mergler is to “obtain and retain excellent teachers.” Educators should “feel like they’re bringing their best selves” to the classroom and doing “their best jobs,” she said. “And I think we can do that. It’s not a criticism. It’s just that we’re moving in a different direction where people are going to need to have more information and I’d like to provide that to the families.”

Transparent Communication and Feedback Loops

Another overarching theme for Mergler is to foster positive feedback loops with “organized and transparent communication” between parents and the school district. “There’s a lot of information parents are provided through Falls Church City Schools,” she said. “And, I think sometimes that’s overwhelming. I'd like to look at some of those systems and processes and see how we might reach them better. How can they feel more comfortable with what they’re learning?"

Teamwork

Mergler also emphasizes the importance of teamwork at all levels in helping improve the learning experiences of children and their parents/guardians. “I would love to be that person to help organize that and create that process, with my team,” she said. “Because it is a team, it’s a School Board, it’s a team of people and I want to be one part of that team who can help support families feeling connected and the Board feeling connected to the community.”

Cell Phones in Schools and AI in the Classroom

Communicating well as a team will also help the Board tackle tough issues such as cell phone use in the schools and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom, Mergler added. “AI and cell phones – those are the next two big steps,” for the School Board, Mergler said. 

But, Mergler’s approach to cell phone use at Meridian High School would be more strict than is the City’s current approach, confining such use in all “learning environments,” but not during study halls, passing times, lunch, and club meetings. 

The harmful effects of excessive screen time and cell phone use appear to outweigh the benefits of allowing students access to their phones during the school day, Mergler believes. She’s particularly concerned with recent studies showing increased rates of anxiety and depression due to screen time use, loss of focus and attention, and decreased interpersonal communication skills. 

A Bell-to-Bell Approach

“As a teacher myself, we have bell-to-bell. It should be bell-to-bell,” Mergler added, referring to students needing to have their phones secured throughout the entire day – as they do at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School – from the morning bell to the afternoon bell. 

“We’re teaching students how to focus,” Mergler said. “And I think that would give them a good foundation of not being connected to their phone all the time the way I think we all are.” 

“There’s enough research out there about screen time and how it impacts social and emotional [learning], and kids’ self-regulatory abilities,” Mergler said. “Anxiety and depression are huge. I mean, we just came out of a pandemic and I don’t think a lot of people are giving [attention to] how it’s still impacting adults and children. So I think it’s our job to model that at home and also to teach them how to do all those things without having it on a device.”

In other words, Mergler would like to see the City’s school district comply with Virginia Governor Glen Youngkin’s Executive Order 33 of July 9, 2024 mandating that schools in the Commonwealth provide a “cell phone-free education."

“I think that’s what the Governor put out. It’s what we’re supposed to be doing,” Mergler said. “But what we’re doing now is expecting those teachers to monitor a student taking their phone out or using that phone. But teachers have a lot on their plate during the day.”

“I think there needs to be a system where we’re able to secure [students’ phones] at the beginning – where kids can go to school, and have them before school if they need them, and then they’re able to retrieve them and have them after school,” Mergler said.

With Careful Deliberation...

But Mergler believes the School Board should approach any policy changes on cell phone use with careful deliberation. “I think this will be a process. We’ll need feedback from the students, we’ll need feedback from the parents, about how to get something moving in that direction,” she said. “But, I think we’ll set our students up for connecting with other people. I’m a big believer that communication can probably solve 90 percent of everyone’s problems.”

Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom

Though Mergler hasn’t encountered AI issues directly with her students, she has spoken to many parents and older students about their concerns. AI can either be a useful tool for learning or a method to shortcut or cheat the learning process, she believes. The School Board will therefore also need to engage in a carefully crafted process to scope out a district-wide set of AI policies.

“Some people think AI is a tool and I’ve heard some positive ways [many students and teachers] think they can use it. But, I think [AI development] is happening really fast and we need some guidance on how we need to use it appropriately,” Mergler said. “And that’s something I think is a process. We talk about a goal, but really it’s that process to get to that endpoint. We know kind of where we want to go with it but we need to figure out how we’re going to get our students there.”

Working with the New Superintendent

Mergler said she’s excited by the prospect of working on the School Board with the new Superintendent, Dr. Terry J. Dade. “He seems wonderful,” she said. “I had the chance to meet his mom who is a lifetime pre-school teacher, so I connected with her a lot when he was doing his swearing-in at the high school. I think that’s simply amazing that he came from that kind of educator. He also came from Fairfax County. People that I’ve talked to who knew him there speak highly of him. A parent at one of the schools when he was there also speaks highly of him. And, one of his assistants loved him. So, I’m excited to see some change in how people are doing things. Like the process, the interaction, the support he gives his team and the Central Office.”

Candidates Supporting One Another

Finally, I asked Mergler what she thinks about the current cycle of School Board candidates showing up to support one another by showing up at each other’s campaign kick-offs. 

“Oh my gosh, that’s a question I’m still trying to figure out my answer to!,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a competition, yes, but it’s also being respectful and realizing each other’s strengths. They’re wonderful people. They have great backgrounds. They’re very qualified. And, I think maybe voters have a tough choice in this election because of who’s available because there’s not a bad choice.”

“I’m a very positive person. I think if you talk to some of the people here today, it’s a lot of my friends, colleagues, and neighbors – I think that I really pride myself on the fact that I want relationships. I spend a lot of time building them and that, to me, is important. And that’s something I think that helps distinguish me from the crowd and something I want to bring to this School Board.”

Chats with Supporters and Volunteers

We noticed Josh Singer, IB Diploma Program Coordinator at Meridian H.S., wearing a Mergler campaign t-shirt, so we saddled up to the Instructional Leader and asked how he came to support the candidate.

“So, we live in Winter Hill which is also the neighborhood here in Falls Church that Sharon lives in,” Singer said. “And I first met Sharon, I think a few summers ago, and already there was just a magnetism to her that was really all about people, taking care of people, and that gravitation pull she has of just pulling people into great activities."

“She cares deeply about all of our kids. She cares deeply about our schools,” Singer continued. “So, I’m proud to be supporting her and her great campaign. I think our School Board does a phenomenal job of representing the City with a variety of viewpoints that exist within the City. And I think what excites me about [Mergler’s] campaign is her ability to talk with everybody and gain information about what their experiences are throughout the entire school system. And that’s for all of our students and all of the parents. I think that’s her superpower."

"And that’s why all of these t-shirts say on the back of them, ‘Have you met Sharon?’ Because that’s her personality — going out and leading people and talking to them and learning about their experiences.”

“We’re happy for Sharon,” Mawuli Vodi, owner of a financial literacy company told us. “We’re good family friends. Especially my wife who works [as an ESOL Teacher] with Sharon. She’s a great judge of character.... Sharon watches our kids. We just love their family and just know that she would do a great job in any leadership position, especially in a county and city where she lives and she can really drive an impact.”

“I think she’s a natural-born leader and advocate,” Vodi said of Mergler. “She’s one of those people who just steps up and stands out for the smaller voices.” 

Highlights of Sharon Mergler’s Campaign Kick-Off Speech

Intro:

Sharon Mergler is “a parent, coach, mother, Girl Scout leader, literally everything you could name, she’s done!," said a campaign volunteer. "I’m pretty sure all of my children have worked with her in some capacity. So, we really appreciate and we’re so excited by such a great opportunity to have such a wonderful candidate whom I think speaks for the schools. She currently works as a teacher. And so, with no further ado, Sharon Mergler!"  [Applause].

Mergler’s Speech

Thank you all so much for being here! I am a little overwhelmed by seeing everyone out here at the moment staring at me. I’m not very good at talking about myself. [Laughs].

But, I wouldn’t be out here without you and your support, whether you said it at the pool, and you said, ‘Yes, you would do a good job,’ or you’re a colleague and said, ‘You’re crazy, what are you doing?’ [Laughs]. Or a friend that said, ‘Yes, I’ll help you.’

And, I wouldn’t be here without several individuals…. [Thanks many].

So, many of you know me and my story and I will be brief. I grew up in Ohio – Go Bucks! [Loud Cheers]. And I had this amazing opportunity as a senior in high school, to do a senior project. I wanted to be a psychologist. I was fascinated by the mind. But, this school psychologist allowed me to go into every Special Education classroom she entered to do testing with the children. And I fell in love with being with the students every day. 

The next two summers I worked in a multi-handicapped classroom and it took off from there. I never looked back.

Entering Ohio State for my Early Childhood Special Education degree, I was able to work at Easter Seals for my first classroom teaching opportunity in the summer and then with the little guys, working with the youngest learners, along with their parents – I just felt very connected to it. 

….I’ve been working for Fairfax County since 2007 and then I took a mid-life retirement to have my children and then I came back in 2020. Currently, I’m a Pre-School Resource Special Education Teacher where I go into homes, I go into private preschool day cares, or Head Start programs in our Fairfax County Public Schools where I’ve worked with families, administrators, physical therapists, occupational therapists, lawyers, just about anybody you can think of, to make that team happen and to be cohesive for that student. That has been my career and my life’s work. And my passion is making those connections. 

And I feel like, looking out here, I’ve connected with just about every one of you in some personal way. And I’m just like blown away. That means a lot to me. And that is something I will bring to being on this Board – an educational perspective, with a focus on making those connections with people in the community to make sure you feel connected with what’s going on with your child in their education. 

Other than that, I just appreciate your being here. And I won’t keep you here any longer because I’ve been talking about myself. But I look forward to this road ahead. If you have questions, if you want to walk and talk, you want to invite me to happy hour, I’m always game. [Laughs]. Please do. If you have neighbors, friends, anybody, I would love to talk and connect with them and meet. 

Other than that, thank you all so much for being here and taking the time out of your day to be here to help me with this journey. This is amazing. Thank you all!  [Applause].

By Christopher Jones