Bill Text: VA SJR409 | 2023 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Karen Corbett Sanders.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-02-25 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ409ER) [SJR409 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-SJR409-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, during her two terms on the Fairfax County School Board, Karen Corbett Sanders has worked diligently to support teachers, staff members, and students and promote excellence in and out of the classroom; and
WHEREAS, a Mount Vernon native, Karen Corbett Sanders attended Fairfax County Public Schools and graduated from Groveton High School in 1979; she holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame and Boston University; and
WHEREAS, Karen Corbett Sanders is a retired international business executive who served as a senior vice president of Verizon Communications; she is also a co-owner of Four Sales, Ltd., a local estate auction company, and has been a community advocate for health care and education issues; and
WHEREAS, before running for Fairfax County School Board, Karen Corbett Sanders was an active parent, volunteer, and leader in a parent-teacher association, school booster club, and the Girl Scouts of the USA; she chaired the visionary task force for the original Mount Vernon High School site; and
WHEREAS, Karen Corbett Sanders was elected to her first term on the Fairfax County School Board in 2015 and subsequently served as vice chair, chair, budget chair, and legislative liaison; she ably met the unique challenges faced by Fairfax County Public Schools as the largest school division in the Commonwealth, serving more than 185,000 students; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure on the Fairfax County School Board, Karen Corbett Sanders prioritized equity in excellence, ensuring that all children had the best opportunities to learn and succeed; she worked with the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to develop and fund stadium bathrooms on the 15 school fields that did not have them; helped introduce new curricula on gun safety, the risks of opioids and other addictive substances, and on bystander awareness and intervention; and worked with colleagues to increase access to pre-kindergarten in the Route 1 Corridor; and
WHEREAS, as chair of the Fairfax County School Board, Karen Corbett Sanders created the joint environmental task force that established net-zero emissions goals, including the electrification of the school district's bus fleet and the installation of solar panels on schools; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure as chair, Karen Corbett Sanders also created a working group that reviewed and reformed the memorandum of understanding between the Fairfax County Police Department and Fairfax County Public Schools; worked with county and school staff members, Northern Virginia Community College, and George Mason University to launch the first college pathways program in the county at Mount Vernon High School; and enhanced the school district's approach to literacy with a focus on the science of reading, which was ultimately adopted as a statewide model; and
WHEREAS, as budget chair in 2022, Karen Corbett Sanders refined the process for establishing budget priorities and received full funding for the school district's budget; and
WHEREAS, Karen Corbett Sanders oversaw numerous other enhancements to Fairfax County Public Schools and helped guide the school division through the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, Karen Corbett Sanders currently serves as the northeastern region chair of the Virginia School Boards Association; and
WHEREAS, Karen Corbett Sanders has also served the Mount Vernon community on the THRIVE Advisory Committee for the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority, the Quality Board of Inova Children's Hospital, and the Regional Board for Virginia Odyssey of the Mind; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Karen Corbett Sanders for her service as a member of the Fairfax County School Board; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Karen Corbett Sanders as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for her achievements in service to young people in Fairfax County.
