Among the dozen or so parents that spoke out about proposed middle school boundary line plans Monday night in Gainesville, Alyson Satterwhite may be able to have the most impact about that issue and others that affect education this year.

Satterwhite is challenging incumbent Don Richardson for the Republican endorsement to represent Gainesville District on the Prince William County School Board. Richardson was elected vice-chair of the School Board this past January.

The focal point of her campaign regards how kids are taught math in classrooms. Her opposition to Math Investigations sets her apart from Richardson. He voted against allowing parents to opt their kids out of classes that use Math Investigations and instead focus on what Satterwhite calls "traditional" math teaching methods.

She said the "division" caused by the debate over the program "didn’t have to be that way."

"We were doing a disservice with Math Investigations," said Satterwhite, explaining that as a School Board member, she would want the county to emphasize teaching methods that enhance a child’s recall ability.

"The whole program does not adequately prepare students for science, engineering, technology and math," she said, later adding, "They’re not methods that parents were taught" when they were in school.

According to Satterwhite, the county is in a good position to address math issues because the process is just starting for math text book approval, meaning that there’s still time to make future curriculum changes.

Another campaign cornerstone for the Gainesville resident is involving parents more in the decision-making process by county administration and School Board officials.

Satterwhite mentioned that she thinks that local schools as a whole have done a good job addressing in-school bullying, particularly highlighting how former Bull Run Middle School principal Bill Bixby discussed the issue with parents and focused on educating kids about the problems of bullying.

When it comes to broader, more controversial issues, Satterwhite said that while she believes in creationism it’s not necessarily something she will press as a School Board member though she does support it being taught along with evolution.

"For me, I’d like to see all sides of the issue presented," she said, explaining that, to her, it "doesn’t hurt anything" to teach both.

"For me personally, it’s a belief," she said, but adding, "I’m not going to go on a crusade" to support it.

In order for Satterwhite to compete in the general election, she does not have to go through all the rigors that partisan offices require because gaining the Republican endorsement is different than receiving the party nomination for the seat.

All School Board seats are technically non-partisan, which means the political parties are not supposed to play a formal role in naming candidates. Candidates are listed as independents and there is no primary process, which allows anyone that files in time to have his or her name placed on the November ballot.

However, political parties do typically "endorse" a candidate as way of informing its members which candidate running represents each party's values. Essentially, the real significance of gaining the endorsement is that it can be used in campaign literature, the party establishment can promote the candidate and whichever candidate competes for and loses the endorsement race is, in theory, supposed to drop out of the general election. That person is not required to drop out though.

Prince William County Republican Committee chairman Lyle Beefelt said last month that there are a couple options for local Republicans to nominate a candidate. One would be a county wide straw poll where voters would stop by the committee or other areas designated by the committee and vote for a candidate in a faux primary. Another would be a caucus where Republicans gather in one area and vote.

Satterwhite is set to kick off her campaign today in Haymarket at the Lion and Bull restaurant in Dominion Valley. "Special guests" Gainesville District Supervisor John Stirrup (R) and Manassas Del. Jackson Miller (R-50th) are also listed to be in attendance, according to the Congressional Tenth District Republican Committee Web site.

During the last two years, Satterwhite donated money to three Republican candidates for public office as well as the county GOP committee. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, she made two $100 donations to Stirrup, one in 2009 and another in 2010. She also made two donations totaling $350 to the Republican Party of Prince William County in October 2010.

Satterwhite donated $400 to Manassas Del. Bob Marshall (R-13th) on October 15, 2009 and, one day later, contributed $250 to then-state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli (R) during his successful pursuit of the state attorney general's office. Her husband Doug Satterwhite sent $500 to Cuccinelli's campaign committee on June 28, 2009, according to VPAP.

Her Facebook page "Friends of Alyson Satterwhite" launched Feb. 11. As of Monday, she had posted links to Web sites discussing bullying, math, special education funding and the boundary line meeting for Ronald Wilson Reagan Middle School at Silver Lake set for March 21. She listed her political views as "conservative" and mentioned on that she graduated from George Mason University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in education.