FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA – Karl Frisch has officially won the Fairfax County Democratic Committee’s endorsement in his campaign to continue representing Providence District on the Fairfax County School Board. In January, Frisch announced he would seek reelection this November to protect our world-class local public schools.
“I am honored to again receive the Democratic Party’s endorsement in what is shaping up to be a pivotal election year for Fairfax County. Will we abandon our world-class public schools in favor of risky Richmond political experiments, or will we continue our critical work to address every student by name and by need?” asked Frisch in accepting the endorsement. “I am seeking reelection to help protect public education and local control. I will never stop fighting to give every student safe and inclusive public schools with exceptional educators and equitable access to the rigorous academics and other opportunities they need to succeed after graduation.”
The Fairfax County Democratic Committee announced today that school board incumbents Frisch (Providence), Rachna Sizemore Heizer (Braddock), and Dr. Ricardy Anderson (Mason) were unopposed for the Democratic endorsement in their respective districts. First-time school board candidates Robyn Lady (Dranesville), Marcia St. John-Cunning (Franconia), Sandy Anderson (Springfield), and Seema Dixit (Sully) were also unopposed. The contested Democratic endorsement races in Mt. Vernon, Hunter Mill, and the three At-Large seats will be decided in a special caucus next month.
In 2019, Frisch was elected to represent Providence District on the Fairfax County School Board, ultimately garnering more votes than any candidate for that office in the district’s history and becoming the first openly LGBTQIA+ person elected to local office in Virginia’s largest county. He is the only out gay man serving on a school board in the Commonwealth.
On the school board, Frisch has championed efforts to address COVID learning loss, increase teacher and staff pay, expand access to advanced academics and other opportunities, teach accurate history, bring additional resources to local schools, protect school libraries from censorship, and center equity and inclusion.
Additionally, he has been at the forefront of efforts to eliminate literacy gaps, creatively address school overcrowding, prevent gun violence, protect LGBTQIA+ students, keep immigrant families together, rename schools that honored the Confederacy, encourage energy conservation, and give teachers and school staff a seat at the table with collective bargaining.
Frisch is the School Board’s congressional liaison and serves on its Audit and Public Engagement Committees. In past years, he has been the City of Fairfax School Board and Virginia General Assembly liaison. Additionally, Frisch has chaired the Board’s Public Engagement and Governance Committees and served as one of its two representatives on the Joint Environmental Task Force, which works with the Board of Supervisors to address climate and sustainability issues.
His policy work on the board has been recognized with awards from the ACLU, Capital Pride, FCPS Pride, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, and the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers.
About The District: Providence District is home to many diverse and vibrant neighborhoods, including Tysons, Dunn Loring, Idylwood, Merrifield, Mantua, and Oakton, as well as parts of Fairfax, Falls Church, and Vienna. In 2022, Reps. Gerry Connolly and Don Beyer won every Providence precinct, receiving 66% and 68% of the district’s votes, respectively. In 2021, Governor Glenn Youngkin lost every Providence precinct, receiving just 35% of the vote.