Meet the candidates vying for Leon County School Board District 1
Two candidates are challenging incumbent Alva Striplin for Leon County School Board.
Anthony DeMarco, an IT specialist, and Marianne Arbulu, former superintendent of Jefferson County Schools, both filed to run for the board's District 1 seat.
Striplin, who has been on the school board since 2014, is running for her third term.
The qualifying period ended Friday.
The races are locked in: Your final run-down of who is running in the 2022 elections
District 1 spans from Midtown to the northeast part of Tallahassee to the Georgia border between Thomasville Road and Mahan Drive and Interstate 10 East.
The Tallahassee Democrat asked Arbulu, DeMarco and Striplin the same four campaign questions. Here are their answers:
Marianne Arbulu
Age: 71
Employment: Retired, current member of the Leon County Code Enforcement Board
Education: Doctor of education in educational leadership and policy, master of public administration
Children: Four children, and two grandchildren currently enrolled in Leon County Schools
Party Affiliation: Registered Republican since 2003
Q. What prompted you to run for school board?
A. When I read about the district’s potential tax increase, I reviewed the district’s profile and found academic and financial trends that troubled me. I decided to run because I know my knowledge and experience would be useful to the district. Good schools are the heart of every community.
Q. What is your experience in education?
A. I was a Jefferson County School Board Member from 2008-2012, then resigned to run for superintendent in 2012. I was elected Superintendent of Jefferson County Schools for the 2016-2020 term at the beginning of the state’s takeover of the Jefferson County School District.
Q. Why do you think you are the best candidate for the seat?
A. I am the most experienced of all candidates. Along with being a former school board member and district superintendent, I had a successful 40-year career in the financial services industry where I gained a reputation as a turnaround agent.
More importantly, I experienced the most unique education experiment in the state, where all schools were placed under a charter company. While the charter managed the schools, the district monitored their performance, but also performed routine district duties such as teacher certifications, student expulsions, payroll, federal and state tax reporting, budgets, grants, and much more. All these district duties were completed with two staff members including myself. I raised the negative general fund balance up to a positive 10% by the end of my term.
Q. What would your role be on the school board?
A. Finance is of utmost importance at this point in the district’s financial health. I am a fiscal conservative and will closely monitor the budget for opportunities and/or risks. Increasing the general fund balance is critical.
One of the primary duties of board members is to communicate with constituents – I have always had an open door policy and I will partner with parents and other stakeholders to further board goals.
I will also work to give our teachers and students the tools they need to be inspired, motivated and successful. Fresh ideas and innovations all provide the opportunity for improvement.
Anthony DeMarco
Age: 43
Employment: Information technology/development/instructional design and delivery
Education: Lively Technical College graduate, 20-plus years experience in programming and senior-level certification in IT and security
Children: Two children
Party affiliation: Democrat since 2021
Q. What prompted you to run for school board?
A. My son's teachers all know me as the dad who always show up for his son. My son has a congenital heart defect requiring multiple medical interventions. The reopening process during COVID was a nightmare for all sides.
I repeatedly asked for help with my child's education, which was suffering greatly from the lack of supports for children with similar health problems and a large portion of the student body. After receiving no response, it was clear to me: My leadership would be the only way to address glaring issues.
Q. What is your experience in education?
A. My parents are both lifelong educators. My father still teaches at 73. I grew up in a household that stressed the importance of public education. My brother also chose a career path that landed him in classrooms teaching.
I've worked with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at FSU, Nikon, Olympus, National Science Foundation, and many more to develop and create high-end educational programs.
I spent a large part of my career at the Association for Institutional Research studying Education policy, best practices for furthering education for staff, increasing retention and positive outcomes for students, and designing educational content delivery systems.
Q. Why do you think you are the best candidate for the seat?
A. The school board needs new direction. I will fill a unique role among the Leon County School Board. Children are our most precious resource. I've had children in Leon Schools for 18 years. I'm more than a "once-a-month, show up at a meeting," representative. The community will continue to see me advocating for our students, our families, and our schools on the local, state, and national level long after I'm elected.
Q. What would your role be on the school board?
A. Recent legislation limits student's academic freedoms, freedom of expression, and prevents the teaching of factual history. Advocating on the local, state, and national level long after I'm elected with increased transparency and communication is the change our campaign will bring to Leon Schools.
Alva Striplin
Age: 51
Employment: Executive director of the Stoops Center for Law & Business, FSU College of Law. Leon County School Board member, District 1
Education: Bachelor's degree in marketing
Children: Five graduates from Leon County Schools, one child currently at Leon High School
Party affiliation: Registered Democrat since 2017
Q. What prompted you to run for school board?
A. While teaching math at Deerlake, I joined the Leon Classroom Teachers Association and began to understand the power of the collective voice of advocacy for educators. As a single mom supporting my family on a teacher’s salary, I began to more fully understand the impact of decisions made at both the state and local level that affect our educators and students.
I ran as a voice for teachers, and was elected in 2014 and again in 2018, but feel my work on the School Board has only begun. During the pandemic, I advocated for keeping our schools open and giving every student the educational learning environment that was best for that student and their family.
Q. What is your experience in education?
A. In 2009, I began my career with Leon County Schools as a paraprofessional, and then became a math teacher at Deerlake Middle School. In addition to coaching Deerlake’s girls Cross Country team and starting and overseeing their Green Team (student green initiative team), I taught History for Leon County Virtual School for one year.
As the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters, I grew our community’s largest mentoring program to over 640 mentors matched with youth in 2018.
In my current role at FSU College of Law, I focus on executive education for adult learners, developing curriculum and creating courses for business professionals in legal compliance.
Q. Why do you think you’re the best candidate for the seat?
A. In addition to being the only candidate with teaching experience, I have displayed true leadership during what has been the most challenging years for School Board members across the country. I listened to the parents and teachers in District 1, and have taken their concerns to district leadership and to the school board. I continue to advocate for increases in teacher salaries. Under my leadership as a Leon County School Board member, we have put student safety first, while successfully continuing to ensure a positive educational environment was provided for all.
Q. What would your role be on the school board?
A. I have and will continue to advocate, not just for safety in our schools, but for increased mental health support for our students. My role has been, and will continue to be, that of classroom teacher, listener, rational thinker, and public education advocate. I am proud to represent District 1, home to most top rated schools in Leon County for academic success.
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: Meet the candidates vying for Leon County School Board District 1
