by former Virginia Secretary of Education and former Prince William County teacher Atif Qarni
Hello Prince William Dems,
On May 4th the party members will have an opportunity to select their nominee for school board chair. I am excited to endorse my friend Babur Lateef as school board chair in Prince William and I encourage you to re-elect him to this position. Here’s why I’m voting for Babur:
When I was serving in my role as VA Secretary of Education, a special election for school board chair was held in Prince William. I strongly encouraged Babur to run, knowing how much he cared about providing a quality education to ALL children in Prince William. Babur is a dedicated public servant, with endless energy and genuine passion for education. He is an accomplished ophthalmologist who has served tens of thousands of Prince William residents, including my own family. Babur and his wife, Tarannum, have 4 children and are actively involved in their respective school PTAs. Babur is also engaged with SPARK, an educational foundation which supports students, educators, and schools. Additionally, he serves on the UVA Board of Visitors, which shows dedication to education policy across the education continuum.
Babur is the biggest individual donor to Democratic candidates in Prince William, helping to diversify our school board, board of supervisors, and general assembly. He is one of the major reasons we got rid of the Republican control in Prince William and made the county Blue!
Despite school boards becoming targets for hyper-politicized discussions (e.g., CRT debate) in recent years, Babur ran a tight ship and kept the focus on advancing progressive priorities like:
– Getting teachers and staff 30% raises in the last five years.
– Getting collective bargaining passed at school board but also being instrumental in getting it passed at the overall county level.
– Clearing the backlog of schools in need of modernization/infrastructure updates in our most underserved schools.
– Hiring Dr. Latonya McDade–one of the best decisions Babur made. Recruiting and retaining talent from Prince William – one of the most ethnically and racially diverse counties in the commonwealth–is critical.
– Making safe & informed decisions about students and teachers returning to school based on Virginia Department of Health official recommendations. Babur ensured that personal protective equipment, vaccines for teachers and staff, school meals, and other resources were allocated in a timely and efficient manner.
As we move forward—post-pandemic—there’s still a lot to be done and I know that Babur is prepared to tackle the most pressing challenges facing our school system and communities:
– Under the pandemic, many adverse childhood experiences (including abuse) generally reported to school officials went largely unreported.
– Depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, and learning gaps compounded together have put enormous amounts of pressure on children, educators, and schools.
– Right wing attacks on initiatives regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion in our schools are still persistent (e.g., banning books, attacking LGBTQ+ students and educators).
Like myself, Babur is the son of immigrants from Pakistan. As a Muslim, he has an acute awareness of the challenges of marginalized and immigrant communities. He represents the diversity and the demographics of our county. Most importantly, during these difficult times, he has proven to be a stable, competent and capable leader, whose policies and voting record are reflective of core Democratic values.
I strongly encourage all Democrats to reach out to your local magisterial committees and find out how to vote for Babur on May 4th.
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