Leon County School Board, District 1: A voter's guide to the 2022 primary election
Basic info
Type of race: Non-partisan
Who can vote: All registered voters living in District 1
What's next: Any candidate who wins 50% plus one of the vote will be elected. If no one tops 50%, the race will proceed to a runoff election in November.
How much does this position pay: $40,856 a year
Campaign coverage
Who's an R and who's a D?: A partisan guide to Leon County nonpartisan race
Meet the candidates vying for Leon County School Board District 1
Leon County School Board member Alva Striplin will leave Children's Services Council
Candidates
Alva Striplin
Age: 51
Profession: Executive director of the Stoops Center for Law & Business, FSU College of Law. Leon County School Board member, District 1
Qualifications: Former math teacher, school board representative for eight years
Website: alvastriplin.com
Q: If you can accomplish just one thing in office what would it be (be specific)
A: I am committed to raising our beginning teacher salary to the state required amount of $47,500, while also assuring our veteran teachers receive raises as well. If we don't raise our salaries in line with other districts, not only will we continue to lose effective teachers, we will also face difficulties attracting teachers to Leon County Schools.
Q. What role should public schools play in students’ lives?
A: Public schools should provide a safe and caring environment with the primary goal of providing a quality education to all students. Schools also play a pivotal role in acting as a community center providing athletic, extracurricular, arts and social gatherings, providing student focused supports for parents/guardians/grandparents, and providing a varying degree of services and additional supports meeting the unique needs of it's surrounding community.
Anthony DeMarco
Age: 43
Profession: Information technology/development/instructional design and delivery
Qualifications: Experience developing educational programs at the Association for Institutional Research.
Website: demarcoforabetterleon.com
Q: If you can accomplish just one thing in office what would it be (be specific)
A: If I could achieve one thing, I would work towards increasing teacher retention and attraction to the district. The large push to homeschool is not parents unhappy with teachers. As a parent, the large push to homeschool is the district not having enough educators to provide a high quality public education for every student. We want an experienced, full staff here at Leon. It's a matter of public health. Students learn better and score higher with consistent, experienced teachers. The primary role of public school is to ensure safety and promote equity while providing a high quality public education.
Q. What role should public schools play in students’ lives?
A: We must operate from a safe place with a foundation of equity to provide a high quality public education to every student. Public schools are a cornerstone institution in the development of America and in our daily lives. They help feed children who live through food scarcity. Our teachers are here for our students mentally, emotionally, and stand ready at a moments notice to put their life on the line. Public schools are where children form their first strongest friendships in life.
Marianne Arbulu
Age: 71
Profession: Retired; current member of the Leon County Code Enforcement Board
Qualifications: Former school board member and superintendent of Jefferson County Schools
Website: mom4schools.com
Q: If you can accomplish just one thing in office what would it be (be specific)
A: The school board is responsible for the district budget and with my budget experience, I hope to improve the process in several critical areas. In the last budget cycle, the fund balance dropped from $63M down to $19M – a troubling decrease. The board must insure availability of adequate reserves to protect the district in the case of extraordinary expenses. Concurrently, with almost half of our students at less than satisfactory levels, we must identify funding for innovations that support improved teaching and learning while also funding teacher and staff salaries allowing us to recruit and retain the absolute best.
Q. What role should public schools play in students’ lives?
A: Public education is the gateway to success for most students and our role as educators is to prepare students for the future, to have a productive life and to be good citizens of this world. That means educators must deliver instruction that is creative, interactive, and grade-level appropriate. We must expose students to a multitude of vocations, businesses and professions so that students discover their individual abilities and interests. Our role is to inspire students to become lifelong learners, where learning is a daily habit, an instinct, which serves them for a lifetime.
Contact Ana Goñi-Lessan at AGoniLessan@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter @goni_lessan.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Election 2022: Leon County School Board, District 1: A voter's guide
