Rachna Sizemore Heizer

Braddock District Representative

Welcome to my School Board Webpage!

Please scroll below for information about me, my back-to-school video, helpful resources for families, links to my newsletters, and how to contact me.

About Me

Rachna Sizemore Heizer (she/hers/her) is the Braddock District member on the Fairfax County School Board.

She is a college professor, lawyer, child of immigrants, disability justice advocate, and parent to two FCPS graduates. After serving her first School Board term as an at-large representative, Rachna is proud to have been elected in 2023 to a four-year term representing the Braddock District where she has lived since 2001.

On the School Board, Rachna is currently the Chair of the Budget Committee and past-chair of the Governance Committee. She served as Chair of the full board in 2022-23 and Vice Chair in 2021-22. Now in her second term on the board, she has led the effort to recruit and retain the best educators and staff with the historic agreement to institute collective bargaining, an effort which resulted in pay raises for our teachers and support staff. She has championed access to advanced academics, strong math education, mental health services, and inclusive education.

Rachna has worked with the Superintendent on revamping literacy instruction, developing a new strategic plan and enhancing special education services. She also worked to create public accountability reporting systems for the superintendent. During her term as chair, she helped coordinate key hires: the 2021 National Superintendent of the Year, the nation’s first K-12 neurodiversity specialist and Virginia’s first K-12 twice exceptional coordinator. The safety of students is also a top priority and Rachna has focused on accelerating safety enhancements, including vestibules, substance abuse prevention, stop arm cameras on buses, and weapons detection.

She is a knowledgeable and passionate advocate for special education and children who are neurodiverse. Among her other priorities are music and the arts, civics education, equitable access to higher level classes and electives so all students can find their path to success, STEAM programming, and providing competitive pay and balanced workloads for teachers and other staff.

She earned both her bachelor of arts in political economy and her law degree from the University of California at Berkeley. As a lawyer whose practice included employment law, contract law, and complex mergers and acquisitions, and as an experienced board member, she brings a breadth of skills, experience, and knowledge necessary to oversee a large complex organization such as FCPS.

Rachna began her journey toward the School Board by advocating for her own children to receive excellent educations, but realized she could affect system-wide change at the same time. Like many in Fairfax County, English was not Rachna’s first language and, as a child of immigrants, she understands both the immigrant experience and what it means to be a citizen of our great democracy. She is the first Indian American person and first Asian American woman elected to a Fairfax County-wide office.

Prior to her service on the board, she spent more than a decade as a community leader serving on several local boards, presenting on neurodiversity, and supporting underserved children as a disability advocate. Rachna was an appointed member of the Virginia State Social Services Board, was the Braddock District appointee to the board of Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, served on the board for the ARC of Northern Virginia, was an appointed member of the Fairfax County Public School Board’s Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities, and is a former board member of the Fairfax County Special Education PTA. In 2019, she was awarded Fairfax County’s Martha Glennan Disability Inclusion and Equality Award.

In her spare time, Rachna loves to exercise, cook, and travel. Her most important roles are as groupie for her son, a musician with autism; cheerleader for her daughter, who is living her best life as a software engineer; and proud stepmom.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Rachna has been a member of the Fairfax County School Board since 2019, serving as an at-large member 2019-2023 and as the Braddock representative 2023-present.

Rachna holds a law degree and bachelor of arts in political economy from the University of California at Berkeley. She currently is a professor teaching Employment Law and Human Resource Leadership.

SERVICE ON COMMUNITY BOARDS

Appointed member of the Virginia State Social Services Board.
Former Braddock District appointee to the board of the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board (CSB).
Former appointed member of the Fairfax County Public School Board’s Advisory Committee for Students with Disabilities 2012-19.
Former board Member of the Fairfax County Alliance for Human Services.
Former board member of the Fairfax County Special Education PTA.
One of only three community members of the Fairfax County Public School’s Inclusion Workgroup.
Former Board member of the ARC of Northern Virginia, and continues to work with the ARC on advocacy efforts.

CONFERENCE AND MEDIA PRESENTATIONS

Rachna has presented at numerous events, including the National Education Association Foundation’s Symposium on the Promise of Public Education, Netroots Nation Conference, the Online Learning Consortium Accelerate Conference, the College Autism Network Conference, the Network Nova Women’s Summit, the NAACP Juvenile Justice symposium, The RISE district conference, and the Fairfax County Special Education and Equity Conferences.
Rachna has also spoken on several television, radio shows, and podcasts about strengths based education and inclusion, including WTOP radio, The Dean Obeidallah Show on Sirius XM, Inside Scoop, Kitchen Table Conversations, and The Progressive Happy Hour Podcast.

Helpful Resources for Families & Caregivers

School Board Materials
- View this link for a comprehensive list of upcoming meetings and associated information.
- Click here for meeting logistics, agendas and handouts (to view the slides and materials, scroll down to the bottom of the page).
- Visit the community participation webpage to sign up to speak at a regular meeting or public hearing.
- Meetings are live-streamed on the FCPS website and televised on FCPS Cable Channel 99 and available to view later at the FCPS School Board YouTube page.
Fairfax County My Neighborhood - Enter your street address to find out what magisterial district you live in, among other valuable property information. Residents of districts other than Braddock may prefer to contact their actual elected School Board member.
School Board Member Rachna Sizemore Heizer on Facebook - Receive timeline information and links to FCPS news and resources.
FCPS Office of the Ombuds - The FCPS Office of the Ombuds serves as an independent, confidential resource for students, families, community members, and employees who are seeking informal help to answer questions, resolve concerns, and voice complaints regarding FCPS matters.
FCPS Special Education - Navigating the system for your child can be stressful and hard for everyone in your family. Find out what you need to know.
FCPS Family Resource Center - The Family Resource Center (FRC) offers free webinars, confidential consultations, a lending library, and resources to help adults support the success of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and disabilities.
Neurodiversity at FCPS - At Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), we affirm the neurodiversity of all students through promoting positive self-concept, leveraging and nurturing strengths, and universally designing learning environments that center students’ lived experiences, abilities, and identities.
Fairfax County School Board - The School Board makes general rules and sets guidelines to ensure Fairfax County Public Schools runs properly. They follow the laws of Virginia and the rules set by the Virginia Board of Education. Learning about your local school board is important. Understanding their policies and initiatives can help you advocate for positive changes and ensure that the educational needs of all students are met. There are many ways to get involved.
FCPS News - Get the latest directly from FCPS.