Election 2022: Barrera faces Lockbaum for School Board District 4 seat
Yvonne Lockbaum is challenging incumbent Kelly Barrera for the St. Johns County School Board District 4 seat, which will be decided in Tuesday's primary.
The Record posed the following questions to each of the candidates. Answers are presented as they were submitted, save for minor corrections to punctuation and grammar.
St. Johns County School Board District 4
Kelly Barrera (incumbent)
City of residence: Ponte Vedra Beach
How long have you lived in St. Johns County? 34-plus years
Previous elected positions: St. Johns County School Board, St. Johns County-St. Augustine Airport Authority
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Community service: Current Boards and service: Young Life of North SJC; Young Life Florida Region; Shultz Center for Teaching and Learning; Community Hospice SJC; JU’s Brooks Rehabilitation College of Health; PVB Rotary
Previous Boards and service: SJC PACT Prevention Coalition; SAHS Aerospace Academy; JU’s School of Aviation; PVHS Academy of International Business and Marketing; JU’s President Parents Council; EPIC Behavioral Healthcare; Sound Connections Music Therapy Program; Sea Turtle Patrol; Young Life Metro area, along with the many activities and organizations in our schools, sports, church and the extra-curricular activities my children and exchange students participated in.
Qualifications for office: Over 30 years in business management, training, aviation, safety compliance and education. Education experience includes corporate training, safety education, administration, dual enrollment and instructing post-secondary courses. Recently served eight years as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s NE FL regional manager with oversight of dual enrollment courses at up to 16 Northeast Florida high schools and 19 instructors.
Currently, serving on St. Johns County School Board involved in directing policy and strategic planning for over 43 schools and 50,000-plus students. The district serves as the county’s largest employer with over 6,000 employees and an operating budget of over $425 million and total budget of over $1 billion. During my tenure we have increased parental involvement, supported teachers, expanded vocational education programs, strengthened security while providing students with access to mental health resources, and championed the issues that are critical to creating a safe, supportive and successful educational environment for our children.
As a board member for St. Johns County-St. Augustine Airport Authority, I was active in visioning, intermodal planning, strategic planning and financial forecasting. We achieved financial self-sufficiency and elimination of ad valorem tax assessments, student internships, commercial air service, U.S. Customs, conference center, and comprehensive sustainability study.
Reason for running: I truly enjoy the opportunity to serve our students, parents, teachers, staff and community.
Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 and continued growth, we have achieved great success over the past four years. Our school district has expanded college credit offerings as well as workforce and career opportunities. We have raised our graduation rates. We have increased local partnerships, programs and support services.
Most importantly, we have continued to be an A-rated school district, leading the entire state of Florida in academic success.
But while we have achieved much success and overcome many challenges, much remains to be done. With the challenges of the pandemic, supply and labor shortages and continued population growth, it is imperative to have experienced leaders advocating for our students.
The leadership of our school district directly affects the quality of our schools. With 50,000 students and a $443 million budget, the St. Johns County Schools need qualified, experienced leaders who are willing to invest their time, energy, values and heart in the hard work of keeping them the best in the state.
I am running for re-election to continue the success we have achieved, serving as the bridge for our families, teachers and schools and to ensure their voices are heard. My personal commitment to our children is to help all students find success.
I am passionate about education and children. I believe education equals opportunity for every student and family in St. Johns County. The stronger our educational system, the stronger our community.
Goals for upcoming term if elected: Protecting students – both through hardening access to schools and providing mental health support in conjunction with families.
Academic excellence, growth: Continuing to support students on their individual academic path.
Increased parental involvement: Parents are a vital aspect of our schools.
Keeping our talented teachers: Retaining and recruiting teachers.
preventing school overcrowding.
Expanding vocational academy programs.
What would you do to help keep the St. Johns County School District at the top of state rankings? Continue to recruit, hire, train and provide additional mentorship and support to our talented teachers; provide resources and social service support for families and additional academic support for students; train and develop administrators; engage and enlist community involvement, support and opportunities. We must develop a strategic plan that will prioritize addressing student needs, continuing academic excellence while inspiring good character, inspiring lifelong learners, and creating educated and caring contributors to our world.
How should the school district manage population growth? Our school district should continue to seek funding to open new schools and expand existing ones, recruit and retain talented teachers and leaders, communicate with our parents and community, and continue to cooperatively work through school community issues with our local and county governments and developers.
Yvonne Lockbaum
City of residence: Nocatee
How long have you lived in St. Johns County? 13 months
Previous elected positions: None
Community service: I have been coaching community sports for 25 years. I have coached children from 5 years of age to high school age in swimming, soccer and field hockey.
Qualifications for office: My experience as a Naval officer with over 22 years of experience and an elementary and high school teacher with over 20 years of experience has equipped me with the leadership and decision-making skills to carry out my duties as a public servant.
Reason for running: I cannot stand by and allow the current school board members destroy our children. I am a proactive patriot, who has witnessed the destruction of our youth and ultimately our country.
Goals for upcoming term if elected: My goals are to remove all sexually explicit, CRT and Marxist literature in schools. This literature has no place in our schools. It’s up to the parents to teach it, if they choose to do so. For every minute schools spend teaching our children gender identity and socialist ideology, we lose a minute in teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. As a former teacher who specialized in teaching students with learning challenges, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of providing a healthy learning environment, where students focus on academics.
School security is another serious concern of mine and will be addressed immediately. The portables/temporary classrooms are not a solution to the overcrowded schools. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has stated these buildings could not withstand physical intrusion, such as gun fire.
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What would you do to help keep the St. Johns County School District at the top of state rankings? For our students to be competitive not only in the state, but internationally as well, we must place emphasis on literacy, scientific inquiry skills and mathematical competencies. Studies have proven the current Core Curriculum taught in our schools does not expand beyond sixth-grade reading comprehension and pre-algebra math skills.
How should the school district manage population growth? Housing developments have been approved several years before actual construction. So, slowing down construction is not an option. The school board and county commissioners need to accurately plan student capacity in the schools. As for the current schools, it’s imperative to build brick-and-mortar additions to the main school buildings.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Election 2022: 2 vie for St. Johns County School Board District 4
