January 01, 2018

The arrival of Monique O’Grady on the Arlington School Board has caused a reshuffling of some committee assignments among the five members of the elected body.

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New liaison assignments set for approval at the board’s Jan. 4 meeting give O’Grady the following civic associations to which she will serve as liaison:

Arlington East Falls Church; Ashton Heights; Ballston-Virginia Square; Columbia Forest; Fairlington; Foxcroft Heights; Highland Park-Overlee Knolls; Lyon Village; Maywood; North Highlands; Shirlington; Tara-Leeway Heights; Waycroft-Woodlawn; and Westover Village.

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In addition, O’Grady will serve as School Board liaison to the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families; Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee; and Fairlington-Shirlington Neighborhood Conservation Area.

November 07, 2017

A parent-activist backed by the Democratic Party was elected overwhelmingly Tuesday to the Arlington County School Board.

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Monique O’Grady, a first-time candidate, was elevated to the five-member board after receiving 71 percent of the votes, according to preliminary results from the Virginia Department of Elections. She defeated Mike Webb, who captured 18 percent and Alison Dough, who received 10 percent.

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In a phone interview, O’Grady said she hopes the campaign message she sent about strengthening relationships within the community and with the County Board resonated with voters.

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“I’m so humbled and honored to have received the support of Arlingtonians,” the 49-year-old said Tuesday night. 

November 07, 2017

Erik Gutshall will succeed Jay Fisette on the Arlington County Board while Monique O’Grady will take the School Board seat of James Lander, after the Democrats rolled up expected victories in local races Nov. 7.

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Gutshall, who in May topped a field of four to win the Democratic nomination for County Board, bested independents Charles McCullough and Audrey Clement. On Jan. 1, he will take the seat of Fisette, who has served in office for 20 years.

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O’Grady, who in May upended incumbent School Board member James Lander in a Democratic caucus, won the general election in field that included Alison Dough and Mike Webb. She, too, will take office in January.

September 14, 2017

The Arlington Sun Gazette’s editorial page this week endorsed Monique O’Grady for Arlington School Board and Alfonso Lopez in the 49th District House of Delegates race.

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O’Grady “is well-versed on the issues” and is the only “viable option” for School Board on the Nov. 7 ballot, the paper said in its endorsement.

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O’Grady is a longtime education activist in Arlington; she and her husband have seen two daughters through the school system from beginning to end, and have a son currently in middle school. She is well-versed on the issues, and during the caucus race against Lander built a broad coalition and kept her focus on the issues.

May 27, 2017

Monique O’Grady describes herself as just a “regular Arlington resident.”

But this regular resident just convincingly defeated several candidates, including incumbent James Lander, in the Democratic school board endorsement caucus.

May 19, 2017

She won the Arlington County Democratic Committee endorsement for School Board, but that doesn’t mean Monique O’Grady is on the general-election ballot just year. 

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O’Grady must still submit 125 valid petition signatures to county election officials prior to being certified for the Nov. 7 election. The submission deadline is mid-June.

May 13, 2017

A record turnout of almost 6,000 Arlington Democrats voting in a three-day caucus chose Erik Gutshall for County Board on Saturday and opted to endorse School Board candidate Monique O’Grady over incumbent James Lander.

May 13, 2017

Erik Gutshall and Monique O’Grady were victorious at the Arlington County Democratic Committee caucus, winning the County Board nominee and School Board endorsement, respectively.

May 13, 2017

Schools activist Monique O’Grady defeated incumbent School Board member James Lander in the Arlington County Democratic Committee endorsement caucus, which wrapped up three days of voting May 13.

May 09, 2017

We have supported Lander in the past, yet we concede some (though not all) the points made by his opponents. As a result, O’Grady deserves a serious look from Democratic voters headed to the caucus.

May 04, 2017

Arlington Public Schools is at a crossroads. APS is short on seats, short on money, and short on the time to fix these problems before they reach a crisis level.  It’s time to bring new ideas with a fresh perspective built on years of experience.

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As a former PTA president, community volunteer, schools advocate, and parent of three children who attended five public schools in Arlington, I will bring my 19 years of experience advocating for our schools to bear on the challenges facing Arlington Public Schools.

April 23, 2017

Blue Virginia called Monique "highly impressive...broadly knowledgeable and intensely passionate about the Arlington public schools" who "would make a great addition to the School Board."

April 20, 2017

Learn more about why Monique O'Grady would make an excellent School Board member from Arlington In the Morning radio show.

April 18, 2017

Monique O'Grady out-raised both opponents for the School Board race.  

April 13, 2017

A record number of people turned out for last night’s Democratic Party straw poll, where County Board candidate Erik Gutshall and School Board candidate Monique O’Grady were some of the victors.

April 12, 2017

Here are the straw poll results from tonight’s campaign kickoff for Del. Alfonso Lopez: 

ARLINGTON SCHOOL BOARD — Monique O’Grady 46%

March 06, 2017

The two challengers to School Board member James Lander passed on the opportunity to weigh in on the location of Arlington’s next high school in a recent candidate forum hosted by the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

March 06, 2017

Three candidates for Arlington School Board looked to stake their claim for the Democratic endorsement in a forum dominated by talk of capacity, boundaries and diversity.

March 03, 2017

The quest for the Democratic endorsement for School Board grew to three candidates on March 1, as veteran local activist Monique O’Grady threw her hat into the ring.

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“Sometimes, to get to solutions, you have to shake things up,” O’Grady said at a campaign kickoff at the monthly meeting of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

March 01, 2017

And then there were three.

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Veteran Arlington schools activist Monique O’Grady met the Feb. 27 deadline to file for the May Arlington County Democratic Committee’s School Board caucus, party chairman Kip Malinosky told the Sun Gazette Feb. 28.

March 11, 2017

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December 28, 2016

Arlington voters approved this year’s $138,830,000 million dollar school bond measure on Tue, Nov. 8. Approximately 79.5 percent of voters supported the bond, which will be dedicated to addressing growing capacity needs throughout Arlington County.

March 01, 2017

Video of Karla Hagan introducing Monique O'Grady for Arlington School Board