FCCPS School Board: member since 2022, Vice Chair 2024-present
Prior experience serving the Falls Church City community
Professional experience
Personal
I'm a lifelong bookworm, the daughter of a lifelong educator, and am passionate about public education and literacy. 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. Family keeps me plenty busy, but I also spend time biking with friends, paying too much attention to politics, snuggling my pandemic puppy, and taking care of my backyard chickens.
- Some of the school board work I am especially proud of includes:
- Collective Bargaining, gives FCCPS employees a union voice for the first time
- New superintendent Terry Dade, welcomed after engaging in very robust and thorough search process
- School Board Office Hours, dozens of hours engaging with the community
- Paid Parental Leave, made FCCPS one of the first districts in Virginia to provide paid parental leave
- FCCPS 2022-2027 Strategic Plan
- Calendar Policy, brings predictability and consistency to the difficult process of planning a school year calendar
- Primary Years Programme at Jessie Thackrey Preschool, which makes FCCPS one of the nation's only PreK-12 IB Districts
- Student Attendance Policy, includes one excused absence for civic engagement
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy and Statement on Hate
- Statement on Gun Violence
- Resolution in Support of Girls Wrestling
- Health and Wellness Advisory Committee Liaison, Jan. 2022-Dec. 2023
- Special Education Advisory Committee Liaison, Jan. 2022-Dec. 2023
- Falls Church Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks Member and FCCPS Liaison, Jan. 2022-Dec. 2023
Prior experience serving the Falls Church City community
- President-elect (2018-2019) and President (2019-2020) of the Falls Church Elementary PTA
- As part of my role as PTA President, I served on the 2020-2021 Calendar Committee and the Superintendent's Advisory Council, Summer 2020
- PTA room parent for all of my four children while they were in elementary school
- FCCPS Gifted Education Advisory Committee (2020-2021)
- Mary Riley Styles Public Library Board of Trustees (2018-2021)
- Mary Riley Styles Public Library Foundation Development Committee (2019-2024)
- Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Volunteer (2017-current)
- Gun Legislation Working Group member, advisory to Falls Church City Council (2020)
Professional experience
- Master of Teaching from University of Virginia
- Public school teacher for Charlottesville City Public Schools
- Private school teacher at International Baccalaureate school in Quito, Ecuador
- Developed curriculum and instruction for Primary Years Programme (IB PYP)
- Rock Spring Cooperative Preschool Board Member, including Vice-President and President
Personal
I'm a lifelong bookworm, the daughter of a lifelong educator, and am passionate about public education and literacy. 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. Family keeps me plenty busy, but I also spend time biking with friends, paying too much attention to politics, snuggling my pandemic puppy, and taking care of my backyard chickens.
Paid for and authorized by Friends of Kathleen Tysse.