Collier School Board: Meet District 4 incumbent Erick Carter

The District 4 seat on the Collier County School Board is up for grabs this year as incumbent Erick Carter's term is up. Carter is running for re-election, but Tom Henning is also running for the seat.

Erick Carter is a 54-year-old Republican who has lived in Naples more than 30 years. He first moved to Naples in 1993 and launched a business in Collier County. He and his wife are co-owners and managers of a small business, Salon Zenergy.

Carter is a Lorenzo Walker Technical College alum and continues to serve on advisory councils for the entrepreneurship and cosmetology programs.

Before launching Salon Zenergy, Carter was a ballroom instructor for a national organization. His work brought him to Naples, where he met his wife Anita. Together, they have one son who graduated from Naples High School. Carter's son was active in JROTC and interned with the Collier County Sheriff's Office before earning a fully Army ROTC scholarship at Florida Southern College.

About the Collier County School Board District 4 position

• The Collier County School Board operates, controls, and supervises all public schools within the district. The District 4 member will represent all the schools within District 4.

• District 4 includes the following schools:

  • Alternative Schools

  • Avalon Elementary

  • East Naples Middle

  • Gulfview Middle

  • Lake Park Elementary

  • Lorenzo Walker Technical College

  • Lorenzo Walker Technical High School

  • Naples High

  • Poinciana Elementary

  • Sea Gate Elementary

  • Shadowlawn Elementary

• A Collier County School Board member makes around $48,700 per year.

• School Board members serve for four-year terms at a time before needing to be re-elected.

How much has Carter raised so far?

Carter's campaign has brought in approximately $50,000. He says donations came from teachers, parents, business leaders, and more locals that "recognize the importance of having a strong school system."

"One of the biggest priorities in my campaign was meeting new residents, so that they could get to know the issues our students face and my vision for helping our future leaders achieve their full potential," Carter said.

Who is Carter running against in the election?

Carter is up against Henning, who is also a Republican. Whoever wins the primary election on Aug. 20 will hold the District 4 seat on the Collier County School Board.

Here are incumbent Carter's answers to our questions:

Collier County has seen an increased demand for technical programs for students. How would you address the challenges of managing this growth while ensuring all students receive a quality education in the areas they desire?

Collier County Public Schools continues to grow its technical programs at both the secondary and post-secondary levels.

We utilize data from the Southwest Florida Workforce to ensure we are offering the programs needed to fill the most in-demand careers.

For the last 8 years I have been advocating to increase access to our technical college for all high school students.

CCPS also continues to foster relationships with the business community to ensure we identify and develop programming to meet their needs, which then creates a seamless transition to the workplace for students through work-based learning experiences.

How would you address concerns about teacher retention and recruitment in Collier County?

Last year, we provided teachers with an unprecedented 12.5% pay increase which has, along with climate surveys which we acted upon, improved our overall retention.

Affordable housing continues to be the biggest challenge in our community. We are actively seeking to develop a 35-acre parcel of land into workforce housing. My vision would be to lease the land to the developer for 99 years on the condition that half of the rental units be reserved for teachers and first responders.

It would have a net-zero impact for taxpayers, the District would retain the land, and the developer would be able generate ROI.

Do you believe that CCPS is doing enough to ensure the safety and security of students and staff on school grounds? What changes, if any, would you advocate for in terms of school safety policies and procedures?

As a father, I will never stop fighting for improved school safety. I work closely with members of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office to review safety plans, learn about how potential threats would be addressed, and make sure that all available resources are dedicated to protecting our children.

We are truly fortunate to have the forward-thinking leadership of Sheriff Rambosk, whose team was recognized with a national award of excellence from the School Safety Advocacy Council for our local Threat Management Program. I will continue to support Sheriff Rambosk’s recommendations on school security along with state guidelines.

What is your stance on situations involving potentially controversial materials or displays in schools? (ex. LGBTQ pride posters, religious imagery, etc. in classrooms)

At Collier County Public Schools, our main focus is to provide a high-quality education that prepares our children for the future. School policy does not allow the school to post political items or anything that may be disruptive to our students’ education.

How would you address the concerns of parents and community members who have expressed dissatisfaction with certain books or materials available in school libraries? What role do you believe parents should play in shaping curriculum and library collections?

I completely support more parent involvement in every aspect of our Schools. All parents are invited to get involved in the committees that review potential textbooks for the upcoming school year.

I would also encourage parents to regularly attend School Board meetings so they can learn about issues that never make the news and contribute to solutions.

How would you rank inclusivity in Collier schools among your other priorities? How can CCPS better foster a welcoming environment?

I have high expectations for all our stakeholders to feel welcomed and valued. I have been extremely attentive to the needs of our employees, students, parents and community.

Inclusivity as it pertains to our Board priorities would be embedded into each one.

In building culture and climate, it is inherent in the concept that we make all our stakeholders feel heard, valued and respected.

I would say this is one area with this superintendent that has shown incredible progress. CCPS educates every single student who comes through our doors to reach their potential as productive members of American culture.

What are your thoughts on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the classroom? How should the school district approach AI to enhance education while addressing concerns about plagiarism and academic integrity?

The use of AI tools, without the express permission/consent of a teacher, undermines the learning and problem-solving skills that are essential to academic success and that we develop in each student.

Students are encouraged to develop their own knowledge, skills, and understanding of course material rather than relying solely on AI tools and they should ask their teachers when they have questions and/or need assistance.

Unauthorized use of AI tools is considered a form of plagiarism and any student found using these tools without permission or in a prohibited manner will be disciplined in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct.

Given the new state bill allowing school districts to opt into a program with volunteer chaplains, what are your views on the role of religion in schools? How should the district handle the inclusion of religious activities while ensuring they respect the diverse beliefs of all students and comply with legal requirements?

I am in favor of parental choice.

Allowing volunteer chaplains into our schools provides another option for children to seek help from a trusted advisor, as long as there is written parental consent.

Additionally, if they are to be mental health counselors, policy should require that they meet the Florida Board of Mental Health Counseling.

Furthermore, policy should not allow this to be an avenue for any religious leader to solicit other students within the school. They should only conduct meetings as aforementioned with parental consent.

What are the top priorities for your district, and what new initiatives will you focus on to improve the local education system?

Open more opportunities for Collier County Juniors and Seniors to attend Technical Colleges, so they can confidently start their careers debt free.

• Reduce unnecessary spending by:

  • Ensuring that we establish quantifiable goals on all of our programs so that we can evaluate the return on investment (ROI) for our students, teachers, and taxpayers.

  • Engaging Budget Reduction Committees so that we can continuously improve our processes and reduce waste.

  • Establishing Zero Base Budgeting where applicable.

• Continue to build on our elementary students’ reading gains with a strong focus on phonetical learning.

What do you want voters to know about you, and why should they vote for you instead of your opponent?

I believe in accountability and financial responsibility. Under my leadership, the District has become debt free. We paid $120 million in cash to build three new schools.

I understand the challenges our students face coming into the classroom, and we are working to prepare them for a successful future. Despite 40% of our students starting school with a language deficit or disability, we maintain a 91.5% graduation rate.

Districtwide, 64% of our students live in low-income households and 55% of them do not speak English as a primary language. I’m proud to say our students outperformed the state in 20 of 21 categories.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: What to know about Collier School Board candidate Erick Carter