Primary 2022: Meet the candidates running for the Lake County School Board District 5
Three candidates are vying for the District 5 seat on the Lake County School Board in the Primary Election.
Candidates on the the Primary ballot are up against others in their own party, competing for spots on the General Election ballot in November.
In the nonpartisan Lake County School Board races, however, the top two vote-earners will move on to face each other in the General Election, unless one earns 50% of the vote, plus one.
Early voting for Florida’s 2022 Primary Election starts Thursday in Lake County, and voters can cast their ballots at one of 12 sites across the county. Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Aug. 26. The Primary Election is set for Aug. 30.
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It's time to meet the candidates. Peter Tarby and Marie Aliberti are challenging incumbent Stephanie Luke for the District 5 seat on the Lake County School Board.
The Daily Commercial reached out each with a questionnaire. Here are their responses:
Stephanie Ann Luke
Age: 44
Occupation: Associate Instructor for the University of Central Florida, National Consultant for DNA Mathematics & Solution Tree and Lake County School Board Chairman.
Education: I have completed a Master’s Degree in Mathematics and Science Education and am current Doctoral Candidate at UCF.
Community service affiliations: I have served as liaison to the League of Cities, Audit Committee, Central Florida School Board Coalition, and NCTM & NSTA Associations. I have been a member of the Umatilla Kiwanis Club. I also support the Boys & Girls’ Clubs of Lake County & Camp Boggy Creek.
Why are you running? I am the current chairman of the school board. I have served two terms and during my tenure we have decreased our annual debt payment from over $35 million annually to $19 million annually. We have borrowed $0 in the past 8 years, and continue to increase the health of our funds with a “pay as you go” approach to funding our schools. As a result, we have increased the fund balance from 3% to 14%, thus decreasing the costs from the general fund to enhance other areas of our budget, such as salaries, which are 85% of our current budget. We have a historic tentative agreement, the first ever prior to the start of school, to increase the starting salary to $48,500, higher than surrounding counties, which allows us to focus more funds towards experienced teachers, having met the minimum threshold of $47,500. Finally, we have increased the graduation rate to over 90%, a huge success for all stakeholders.
What experience do you have that lends itself to this position? I am a professional educator with experience at the classroom, district and collegiate level. I have eight years experience on the school board and alongside the other members we have established our board to be strong, committed and successful. I have advocated for additional Career-Technical Education Programs in my district, including the Aviation Academy at Eustis High School, the High School Teaching Academy at Tavares High School and the Construction Academies at Eustis and Leesburg High. All of these are growing academies, in addition to the existing CTE programs available to Lake County middle and high school students (over 70!). It takes time to become adept at the integral working parts of managing a budget that is categorized, statutes that are mandates, accountability requirements and staffing. I have become proficient, if not advanced, in my study of the district and would love to continue the work forward.
What are your top two priorities if elected? Increase CTE program offerings and to work through issues with grading, discipline and behavior. These areas have increased after the COVID-19 pandemic and require some thought around how to best support teachers, staff, and students as we work to re-group and continue learning together. I will also continue to advocate for adequate funding for Lake County Schools, so we can continue to work towards acceptable wages for all employees.
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Marie Haubert Aliberti
Age: 65
Occupation: Retired educator and former business owner
Education: Bachelors degree in Business Education from University of Central Florida, masters degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, National Board Certified Teacher
Community service affiliations: Kiwanis, Lake Eustis Chamber of Commerce, Eustis CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency), Bay Street Players Association Board Member
Why are you running? I was serving my term on the Eustis City Commission during COVID and experienced firsthand the disruption it caused in the operation of city government and the effect on our citizens. I observed several on-line school board meetings and saw the issues that impacted students, teachers and staff. As a retiree, I have the time and desire for the full-time commitment to serve on the Lake County School Board as the District 5 Representative.
What experience do you have that lends itself to this position? My educational experience includes over thirty years of high school business and cooperative education instruction. Teaching this program of instruction allowed me to interact with my local chamber of commerce and business managers and owners. I also have experience as a small business owner, which means that I was held accountable for the success or failure of the venture. My experience as a public servant on the Eustis City Commission was rewarding and gave me insights into the fiscal decisions and the accountability to the citizenry. The combination of my educational, public service and small business ownership are integral in helping set sound board policies for the success of all our students.
What are your top two priorities if elected? The first issue is school safety and while the physical facilities are sound, the safety protocols always need to be reviewed. The voters of Lake County will be asked this election to approve the continuation of the referendum for the school safety and student mental health needs. The next issue would be the teacher and staff pay scale. The pay scale has not been adequate in addressing the compression of salaries between the first year teacher and those veteran teachers. At this time, the school board and teacher’s union have tentative agreements that have addressed this issue and are to be voted on and ratified when teachers return for the 2022-2023 school year. There is still work to be done with the teacher pay scale and now to also address the support staff disparity in the pay schedule.
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Peter E. Tarby
Age: 66
Occupation: Real Estate Broker
Education: AA from Lake Sumter State College and trained at Real Estate Brokers Lic. and Mortgage Brokers Lic.
Community service affiliations: Member Realtor Association of Lake and Sumter Counties.
Why are you running? I have decided to run for school board because the issues that have been important to the families of Lake County for years seem to still be around — parental involvement, school security and the morale of our teachers. Lake County is still 64th out of 67 counties in student funding and for many years contracts for our teachers were not completed until many months into the school year. Bullying is another problem we face. We can do better and I believe it's time to allow others to take a look at these and other issues effecting our schools.
What experience do you have that lends itself to this position? My experience includes 16 years as a substitute teacher and varsity coach at Umatilla High School. I was the past mayor of Umatilla, a member of the Umatilla City Council for 9 years, and past president for the Florida League of Cities for Lake County. The League of Cities represents all 14 municipalities in issues of concern and lobbies in Tallahassee for the county. I represented District 5 on the School Impact Fee Committee. I have been an owner of my own real estate brokerage and worked for other firms for 37 years in Lake County.
What are your top two priorities if elected? Make sure the hundred of millions of dollars in the budget are being spent as wisely as possible. If we can save tax payers some money without affecting the system substantially, we should do that. I'd also like to figure out ways to get our parents more involved in the education of their children especially in the middle and high school years.
— Responses were edited for length and clarity.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Lake County School Board District 5: Three candidates vie for seat
