Serving on the Virginia Beach City Public School Board, John Fahey confronted a veteran school board and a division with some serious educational challenges: among others, school buses did not meet federal safety standards, social studies textbooks contained numerous mistakes, older elementary school buildings lacked adequate physical education facilities, curriculum was weak in foreign language, science, and math, and student recognition needed improvement.
With persistence of a "maverick" Fahey bucked the opposition and battled to change the status quo throughout his nine-year tenure on the school board.
