Who is running for Lee County School Board? Meet District 3 candidate Bill Ribble
Lee County School Board elections are approaching and the District 3 seat is up for grabs. Incumbent Chris Patricca's term has expired, so candidates Bill Ribble and Kaitlyn Schoeffel are battling for the seat.
Republican Bill Ribble worked as the vice president of corporate operational development with UPS for 35. In this role, Ribble represented UPS to local, state, and federal governments. He managed a $5.7 billion budget.
He worked collaboratively with his employees, peers, and union officials at UPS as well as being a board member of the Kutztown University Foundation Board, Urban League, Chamber of Commerce, United Way Boards, and the Village of Estero Council.
About the District 3 School Board position
The Lee County School Board operates, controls, and supervises all public schools within the district. School Board members represent all Lee County schools.
A Lee County School Board member makes around $40,000 per year.
School Board members serve four-year terms before needing to be re-elected
How much has Ribble raised so far?
So far, Ribble has raised over $43,600 toward his campaign.
He's been endorsed by:
Florida State Atorney Amira Fox
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno
Florida State Senator Jonathan Martin
Florida State Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka
Lee County Commissioners Kevin Ruane, Cecil Pendergrass, Brian Hamman, and Ray Sandelli
Lee County Clerk of Courts Kevin Karnes
Who is Ribble running against in the election?
Ribble is up against candidate Kaitlyn Schoeffel. Whoever wins the primary election on Aug. 20 will hold the District 3 seat on the Lee County School Board.
Here are candidate Ribble's answers to our questions:
The Lee County School District is expecting significant student growth and may need to build 10 new schools. How would you address the challenges of managing the growth illustrated in the District's new 10-year plan while ensuring all students receive a quality education?
The Lee County School District’s 10-year plan has identified a capacity problem as the district grows 95 new students per day.
Keeping a tight budget and identifying existing funds that could be better utilized for construction projects is a must. The budget needs to be reviewed to see if monies spent are for wants or needs.
In the event additional capacity is needed in a zone, existing buildings should be evaluated for expansion. In some cases, maybe a second floor added or a new wing. Also, existing properties should be evaluated for an additional structure.
How would you address concerns about teacher retention and recruitment in Lee County, especially considering that neighboring counties offer higher salaries?
The fact that neighboring counties are offering higher salaries to teachers has been a major challenge in recruitment.
FGCU has been doing an excellent job with their K-12 College of Education program. As a district we need to identify all funds available in the budget so that we can be on parity with neighboring counties.
Partnering with local businesses for mentoring, substitutes and teacher aides will help free up funding for existing teachers. Many local business professionals have the college credits needed to serve in this capacity.
Do you believe that the Lee County School District 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?
The Lee County School District and the Lee County Sheriff’s Department continue to do a good job working together to provide safety and security for all schools in Lee County.
SROs are in place at all schools as are the new Gateway Monitors for scanning all people accessing each school. I would encourage expanding the “Guardian Program” to add security at each school location.
What is your stance on the recent controversy surrounding the “Hate Has No Home Here” banner displayed in a Lee County classroom? How would you approach similar situations involving potentially controversial materials or displays in schools?
Controversial materials and displays have no place on school property.
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?
Florida House Bill 1069 clearly protects parents’ rights to ensure students aren’t exposed to inappropriate material. Lee Schools also requires all parents to fill out a Media Access Form each year to limit access for books and media for their child.
The district has a committee in place to review curriculum and library collections. This committee supports Florida Statutes 1003.41 that sets the standard and curricular content taught in Florida K-12 Schools.
The Lee County School District recently revised its “Safe Space” designation stickers, removing the rainbow flag and language specifically mentioning LGBTQ+ inclusivity. What is your opinion on this change, and how important do you believe it is for schools to be welcoming and inclusive environments for all students?
Regarding the “Safe Space” policy, all schools and their staff need to treat everyone with dignity and respect. All classrooms and offices need to be a place for children to get help. There should be zero tolerance for bullying and mistreatment of anyone.
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?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers advantages and disadvantages in education.
Some of the advantages in an instructional perspective is that it can develop individualized instruction for all students through different platforms. It can be a translation aid for English Language Learners. It can also aid in developing study tools and tutorial programs.
Some of the disadvantages include that it has no social-emotional component, nor does it have a human perspective. It cannot substitute for best research practices. Students need to be taught the ethical concerns of its use in research writing.
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?
Children should be taught about all religions without being partial to one religion. After school clubs can be allowed for students who wish to participate in a specific religious group.
What are the top priorities for your district, and what new initiatives will you focus on to improve the local education system?
My top priorities serving on the Lee County School Board would be to provide for:
“Safe Schools”, keeping students, educators and staff safe.
“Teacher Retention” – Enhance recruitment and retention of teachers.
“Enhance the English Language Learners Program” (ELL) for non- English speaking students’ success.
What do you want voters to know about you, and why should they vote for you instead of your opponent?
I am running for Lee County School Board to assist the board in executing the “Envision 2030 Plan”. For the past 6 years, I was the Vice-Chair for the Lee County Schools Strategic Planning committee where we set policy to support this plan. A plan including the vision to be a world class school system, a mission to ensure each student achieves their highest potential and values that believe in students, achieving excellence, integrity, accountability and professionalism.
With my business acumen, I wish to also address the 2.77-billion-dollar budget, curtail excess spending and focus on higher salaries for teachers.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Q&A with Lee School Board District 3 candidate Bill Ribble
