Marion County School Board: Sarah James to run for District 5 seat now held by Kelly King

Sarah James, a former teacher and assistant principal turned operator of the Kid City USA preschool, is running for Marion County School Board in District 5, a seat currently held by two-term incumbent Kelly King.

James, 32, earned her doctorate degree in educational leadership last year. She was an assistant principal at Belleview High School until she followed her true love: early childhood education.

That is what led her to Kid City USA preschool, which is based in downtown Ocala at the Performing Arts Conservatory of Ocala (PAC) building.

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"I had an opportunity to open the preschool," James said. "I really believe in early education and what we can do with our little kids. So when this opportunity came a-knockin', I decided to take it."

James said: "It's been a tremendous opportunity for my family and we've been able to get back to helping kids get a quality education before they go to kindergarten."

King is a two-term incumbent and the senior board member in terms of length of service. She was first elected in 2014, defeating four-term incumbent Ron Crawford, who has since died, with 57.7% of the vote.

King, who also defeated Shelia Arnett in 2018 with 51.27% of the vote, has not decided whether she will run again. The deadline to officially qualify for a ballot spot is noon on June 17.

Another person has pre-filed to run for King's seat. A profile of Taylor Smith, 24, a horse trainer and daughter of Republican Party of Marion Chairwoman Brigitte Smith, will be published soon in the Ocala Star-Banner.

School board members earn $42,627 annually and serve four-year terms. They are elected countywide but must live in the district they represent.

Sarah James, a school district veteran, believes in student-first budgeting

James has spent 11 years in education: three years as teacher, four years as an assistant principal, and four years in private preschool sector.

She earned a doctorate in educational leadership from National Louis University in 2021, a  master's degree from the University of Central Florida in 2013 and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Florida in 2011.

James said she has three top priorities: recruiting and retaining quality personnel, student-first budgeting and expanding vocational opportunities.

Regarding recruitment and retention, she said: "Not just for our teachers, but for cafeteria workers and bus drivers, all the way to the district office. I want to make sure that we're retaining all of our qualified personnel."

As for budgeting, her campaign website states that the school board and district need to "work collaboratively with city and county growth management personnel to prepare and manage" growth.

"We must prepare for the growth that we're experiencing, making sure that we're planning accordingly and balancing our budget so that it's focused on what students need first," she said.

As to vocational opportunities, James believes the district needs to expand vocational programs "at our technical colleges" and create even more partnerships with businesses and the private sector.

Other races for school board beginning to take shape

Marion County School Board Vice Chairwoman Allison Campbell's seat in District 1 is the only seat not up for election until 2024.

In District 2, Marion County teacher Lori Conrad, 50, and school district dean Joseph Suranni, 49, are the only two candidates who have pre-filed to run for the seat currently occupied by Don Browning, who was appointed to the seat last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

In August 2021, Browning was selected to replace Beth McCall, who won in 2016 and was unopposed in 2020. She left office in May 2021 after she moved out of the district she represented.

Because the appointment of Browning came more than 20 months before the 2024 election cycle, there will be special election in 2022. Browning, 79, said earlier this year that he's not getting younger and is not sure if he will run for the seat.

In District 3, board Chairman Eric Cummings announced he would seek re-election. The one-term incumbent defeated Ed Wilson in the 2018 general election, taking 56.43% of the vote. Steve Swett, a retired Dunnellon postmaster, has pre-filed to run.

In District 4, Nancy Thrower announced last week she would seek re-election. The one-term incumbent defeated Angie Boynton, a two-term incumbent, in the 2018 general election, taking 56% of the vote. Juan "Tito" Ocasio III has pre-filed to run against Thrower.

Joe Callahan can be reached at (352) 817-1750 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Educator in Marion County, Florida seeks District 5 school board seat