Better communication, support: New Brevard school board District 4 candidate talks goals

After 18 years as a flight attendant, mom Crystal Kazy is ready to take on a new challenge: Brevard's Ditrict 4 seat on the school board.

"As a mother of two (Brevard Public Schools) students, I have had time to witness the accomplishments and the failures of District 4 leadership," she said. "I would like to run for this office to address the failures and weaknesses that I have witnessed."

Kazy, the mother of two high schoolers, filed to run for school board on April 26. She's the third candidate to file to run against incumbent board member Matt Susin, who filed to run for the District 4 seat again in June of 2023. Avanese Taylor, mom of a high schooler and an active duty member of the Navy, filed in December 2023. Max Madl, a high school senior at Viera High, filed in January.

Kazy's goals: improve school security, provide more mental health resources, give better support for all BPS staff, and implement better water purification systems at schools located near Patrick Space Force Base.

School safety: better communication needed

Safety and security is the area Kazy is most passionate about, she said. While the district does an "exemplary job" in this area, she said, she feels there are problems when it comes to communication about threats and incidents from administration to students and parents.

"It is so critical for principals to convey information, without divulging security safety sensitive related information, in such a manner that comforts the parent to know that their child is safe without being dismissive," she said.

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Kazy feels that when incidents arise, the communication between administrators and parents differs from school to school, with some schools providing facts about an incident while others keep all details vague. Students' educational records are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, though it doesn't necessarily cover the details of a safety-related incident.

Transparent communication is something the board should be a leader on, Kazy said.

"I believe it's entirely possible for a school board member to represent the district and to lead and to demonstrate that we are serious about the communication, and we're not trying to conceal or hide anything," she said.

Increase support for teachers, support staff

Kazy wants to see more support not only for teachers, but also for staff members like custodians and bus drivers.

"Obviously, we love our teachers, but there are support staff (members) that need more recognition," she said.

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She brought up concerns about teachers' salaries as well, referencing a recent report published by the National Education Association. With the average teacher salary being $53,098 in Florida, the Sunshine State ranks at No. 50 in the nation. The national average is $69,544.

"I know from being at school board meetings that there is room in the budget to increase teacher salaries ... and I plan to address that," she said.

Purify water at schools near Patrick Space Force Base

Kazy wants to put better water purification systems into areas impacted by Patrick Space Force Base and the "forever chemicals" in the area. It's something she's passionate about, as she was a narrator on the Spirit of Pennekamp boat tour at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park prior to being a flight attendant. There, she spoke about conservation and the environment.

"That burning passion inside of me has not extinguished yet," she said. "I would like to see if there's room in the budget to do this, because we want the students to be able to have access to safer water ... at least while they're at school."

She's spoken to several environmentalists in the area, and together, they've collected data to show that this is a worthwhile investment, she said. If elected, she plans to advocate for higher end water purification very early on.

Empowering parents

From witnesses disrespectful exchanges at school board meetings to a lack of transparency from administrators at her childrens' school, communication has been an issue for Kazy. It's something she feels is her strong suit. While working for Delta Connection, she was an advocate for new hire flight attendants, assisting them in areas like navigating attendance grievances, how to pack a lunch bag so they could have healthy meals between flights and more.

"I really do enjoy communicating one-on-one with people, and really listening to the crux of the problem," she said. "I was always there to listen to the issue and seek resolution."

Because the race is nonpartisan, Kazy hopes to help parents across the political spectrum.

"I would love to empower parents to feel comfortable to speak up and to speak to me when there are problems," she said. "My goal is to assist every parent, regardless of their background, regardless of their political affiliation. It's just as if they were a passenger on my aircraft. No person is going to be more important just because of their political affiliation."

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Mom, flight attendant files for Brevard school board's District 4 seat