Meet Mary Hynes

A Long-Time Arlingtonian

Mary moved to Arlington 30 years ago, after graduating from the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. In 1978, Mary married Patrick Hynes, a recent widower, who had two daughters who were 2 and 4 years old, Stephanie and Rachel. During the next 5 years, Patrick and Mary had three more children, Brendan, Shannon and Elizabeth.

A Mother and School Activist

With five children, Mary's family needed the public schools to work. Mary set about learning how to make public school work better for her children with their varied educational needs and, along the way, became an advocate for all kinds of children with all kinds of educational needs.

Mary, Liz, Rachel, Patrick, Brendan, Stephanie, and Shannon (front)

Mary made important contributions to each of her children's schools, and there were many -- Key, Drew and Taylor elementary schools, Swanson middle school, Washington-Lee high school and the H-B Woodlawn secondary program. It was obvious to all who knew her that Mary was a leader. In 1991, Mary was selected to chair the Arlington Schools Futures Committee, a year long community process involving 150 citizens and public school staff that examined how best to meet students' educational needs in the context of rapidly rising student enrollment and increasing student diversity. The Committee's report - Futures Planning - became the framework for school system change in Arlington for the next 15 years.

Making History

In 1993, the Virginia Legislature voted to allow localities to elect their school boards. For nearly 50 years, members of school boards in Virginia were appointed - a response to Arlington's decision to desegregate schools following the Supreme Courts' Brown v. Board Education decision in 1954. Mary's leadership of the Futures Committee prepared her well to become the consensus candidate to run in the Spring primary election against the incumbent appointed School Board Chairperson in the first election in nearly 40 years. Supported by a broad coalition, Mary won the primary and then succeeded in the Fall general election against a well-funded opponent. Mary retired from the Arlington School Board in December, after serving for twelve years - 3 years as Chairperson.

A Leader with Vision

Mary began her 12-year stint as a member of the Arlington School Board in January 1995. Her effective leadership of Arlington's Schools is apparent almost every where you turn. Mary:

• successfully pursued the adoption of academic standards that exceed both state and federal requirements.
  • Annual reports to the community now detail student progress.
  • School system programs are evaluated at least every six years
• funded, with her colleagues, initiatives to close the achievement gap and expand student access to rigorous courses
• led the effort to ensure that the Capital Improvement Program is guided by system-wide space and construction standards. During Mary's tenure, nearly two-thirds of all Arlington Public Schools were expanded, renovated or replaced, almost all on time and within budget
• promoted increased educational options for children by adding:
  • Science Focus Elementary School
  • Claremont's, Gunston's and Wakefield's Spanish immersion programs
  • Barrett Elementary School's math and science focus program
  • Kenmore Arts and Communication Technology Middle School
  • International Baccalaureate programs at Washington-Lee High School and Randolph Elementary School
  • Glebe Elementary School's foreign language program
  • Drew School's elementary Montessori program
  • Barcroftt Elementary School's modified school-year calendar
  • Wakefield High School's AP Network
  • Yorktown High School's Leadership Institute
  • expanded preschool offerings
• led the school admission processes review with the goal of standardizing them so all Arlington families had information about and equal access to all available educational options.
• ensured that budget and capital planning documents were overhauled, to make them more understandable to Arlington citizens
• helped establish the Virginia School Board Association Limited English Proficiency Caucus and the Board Assembly of the Minority Student Achievement Network, a consortium of 24 school districts dedicated to closing the achievement gap,
• was instrumental in the establishment of the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families and the creation of the county-schools revenue sharing agreement
• effectively represented Arlington Schools
  • Served several times as the Board's liaison to the General Assembly and as a representative to the Washington Area Boards of Education
  • served as a member of the Virginia School Boards Association Federal Relations Team from 2003-2006 that lobbied Capitol Hill on behalf of education

A Worker in Her Community

While working tirelessly to make Arlington Schools the best they can be, Mary still found time to be active in Arlington and Virginia in many other ways:

• Governor's Governance Task Force on Expanding Pre-school Offerings in Virginia (appointed in 2006)
• Kiwanis Club - member (12 years)
• Vanguard Services Unlimited, a community non-profit charitable organization which provides addiction recovery services – board member.
• League of Women Voters - member
• American Association of University Women - member
• Arlington Committee of 100 - member
• Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church - 30-year member, choir, plays bass
• Arlington YMCA - Management Committee (10 years), Strategic Planning Committee Chair (4 years)
• Involved in early childhood education since early 1980s - as a classroom teacher, preschool director, and itinerant music teacher.
• Executive Director, Bowen McCauley Dance, an Arlington-based contemporary dance company (beginning 2007)

Recognized for her Accomplishments

Mary's has made important contributions to Arlington and her work has been recognized:

• Arlington Jaycees Outstanding Community Service Award (1993)
• American Association of University Women, Arlington Chapter - Award for educational advocacy (2006)
• Arlington Commission on the Status of Women - Person of Vision Award (2006)

A Leader Arlington Can Count On

For more than a decade, Mary has been a caring, effective steward of the Arlington Schools. She has demonstrated the capacity to work hand-in-hand with citizens from all parts of Arlington. She has garnered widespread respect across the County for her hard work, her keen insight, her outstanding analytic work and her strong leadership. She will be a great County Board Member for all of Arlington.