DeSantis endorses 23 Florida school board candidates, including 2 in Volusia, Flagler

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed 23 school board candidates Friday afternoon, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, which included candidates from both Volusia and Flagler counties.

DeSantis endorsed Derek Barrs, who is running for District 3 in Flagler County, and Donna Brosemer, who is running for District 4 in Volusia County.

"I'm happy to endorse this slate of school board candidates who have pledged to serve with a focus on student success, parental rights and curriculum transparency," DeSantis said on X. "We want the best for our children and I'm confident all 23 candidates will build upon the success we've had here in Florida."

Barrs, an associate vice president at HNTB Corporation and a retired chief with the Florida Highway Patrol, believes his experience in executive-level leadership roles coupled with his extensive background in law enforcement will allow him to serve as a sensible voice on Flagler's school board and contribute significantly in providing top-quality education to future generations.

He is running against Janie Ruddy.

According to a questionnaire Barrs recently filled out for The News-Journal, his top priorities are:

1. Keeping schools safe by proactively planning and focusing on school safety and security.

2. Ensuring every student receives a high-quality education.

3. Fostering community partnerships and engaging stakeholders to enhance resources and support for teachers, staff and administrators.

Barrs told The News-Journal he is "elated" and that it is "an honor and a privilege" to have the governor's endorsement.

"I'm happy to have his endorsement as we work towards educating all students and keeping all of our parents involved," he said. "And so I'm excited about that."

Brosemer is running against incumbent Carl Persis and elementary school teacher Sarah Marzilli.

The retired lobbyist told The News-Journal in a previous interview that she believes in the importance of foundational education and is confident her background in public policy will allow her to bring a fresh perspective to the Volusia County School Board.

She listed her top priorities in the same survey:

1. Improving classroom discipline because teachers can’t teach and kids can’t learn in chaos.

2. Building a strong referral network of social and mental health service providers because those needs cannot be and are not appropriately addressed by the school district whose mission is education.

3. Reviewing administrative staff levels since the district needs more teachers and has experienced a "dreadful mismanagement of Covid funds at the expense of teachers and students."

Brosemer did not immediately respond to The News-Journal's requests for comment Friday after being endorsed by DeSantis; however, on Monday morning, she said she is "proud" and "grateful" to have the governor support her campaign.

DeSantis announced plans to target school board members last year

In February 2023, Persis was "surprised" to learn that DeSantis planned to target him, along with 14 other state school board members, in this year's election because he believed they did not protect parental rights and/or shield students from "woke" ideologies. Volusia County School Board member Anita Burnette was also included in that list; she is not running for reelection.

At the time, Persis, a six-year board member, as well as a former Volusia County teacher, assistant principal and principal for 35 years, sent DeSantis a letter asking to meet, telling The News-Journal that he feels "the governor and I would agree on probably 95% of the challenges facing education ... ."

In a statement sent to The News-Journal Saturday morning, Persis said he was disappointed the governor never responded to his letter asking to sit down and discuss public education.

He also noted that Brosemer wasn't endorsed by the local Republican party, pointing to the Volusia County Republican Party Official Voter Guide which endorsed Laura Roth and Matt Reinhart.

"Why would the Governor want to risk lending his name to a local candidate in a nonpartisan race, who was not endorsed by the local Volusia County Republican Executive Committee, even though she is the only Republican in the race? Does not that speak volumes?" he wrote.

"Let’s keep partisan politics out of school board elections and follow the law, which states: Candidates running for non-partisan office may not state the candidate’s political party affiliation in the disclaimer, or in the body of the advertisement. Florida Statute Section: 106.143(3) and (5)."

Brosemer told The News-Journal in a statement Monday that she was "not surprised" by Persis' "snarky comment, which may explain why the Governor targeted him for replacement."

"The school board needs active and engaged members, and Carl is neither, and I am both," Brosemer said.

"I have to assume Carl is just disappointed that the teachers union did not endorse him," she said in a statement in which she also explained that she was "automatically" endorsed by the Republican Executive Committee of Volusia County since she is the "only Republican in the race" who is running for Volusia County School Board District 4.

Paul Deering, chairman of the Republican Executive Committee of Volusia County, told The News-Journal that the Republican party does not endorse candidates in races where only one Republican candidate is running. However, he said in that instance, that candidate will still appear on the party's voter guide as if they are endorsed, even though there was no endorsement by the party in their race.

"We don't endorse candidates if they're the only Republican running, that's an automatic. They will appear on our promotional materials as if they are endorsed," Deering said. "So technically, we haven't voted on them to endorse them, but they're the only Republican running, and since our voter guide is designed to help Republican voters in Volusia County only, it's just the same as though they had had competition and won the competition because nobody else in the Republican Party ran against them."

Who else did DeSantis endorse?

Here is a list of the other school board candidates DeSantis endorsed:

• Matt Susin, Brevard.

• John Thomas, Brevard.

• Tony Ricardo, Duval.

• Becky Nathanson, Duval.

• Melody Bolduc, Duval.

• Mark Cioffi, Hernando.

• Layla Collins, Hillsborough.

• Myosha Powell, Hillsborough.

• Robert MacCallum, Indian River.

• Kevin McDonald, Indian River.

• Melissa Giovanelli, Lee.

• Bill Ribble, Lee.

• Vanessa Chaviano, Lee.

• Marsha Powers, Martin.

• Mary Blanco, Miami-Dade.

• Allison Crumbley, Pasco.

• Erika Picard, Pinellas.

• Danielle Marolf, Pinellas.

• Stacy Gerier, Pinellas.

• Karen Rose, Sarasota.

• Nate Spera, St. Lucie.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comments from Donna Brosemer and Paul Deering.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: DeSantis endorses Volusia, Flagler school board candidates