It's Ruben Colón vs. Fred Lowry in Deltona-area Volusia School Board district election

Volusia County School Board Chair Ruben Colón says he has delivered on his two biggest campaign promises from four years ago, including expanding academies at Deltona high schools and improved graduation rates.

So he's asking voters for a second term as the District 5 representative. He faces a serious challenge from the outgoing Volusia County councilman who has represented the same Deltona-centered district, Fred Lowry.

Lowry — an ordained minister who previously worked as a school principal — was one of the first 10 school board candidates statewide to be endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and had, through mid-July, a fundraising advantage, having collected more than $41,000, compared with Colón's $35,000.

Challenger: Fred Lowry, controversial county councilman, files to run for Volusia County School Board

Weighing in: Gov. Ron DeSantis starts school board endorsements, including Fred Lowry in Volusia

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Lowry collected maximum, $1,000 contributions from both Hyatt and Cici Brown, seven $1,000 max contributions from businesses and individuals listing the address for developer Mori Hosseini's company headquarters, ICI Homes, plus $1,000 from the Friends of Ron DeSantis political committee.

Lowry has not only DeSantis' stamp of approval, he has locked up support from other Republican figures, including House Speaker-Designate Paul Renner and Rep. Tom Leek.

Colón recently landed the endorsement of the Volusia United Educators' teachers union, which kicked in a max contribution.

The winner gets a four-year term on the School Board, earning $44,248.

Here's a look at what each candidate has said about Volusia County Schools at several public events, including a July 22 debate hosted by the Moms for Liberty group, which ultimately endorsed Lowry.

On each candidate's strengths

Colón, a physician liaison at AdventHealth, said he has a proven record, citing the recent opening of a new Deltona Middle School building as an example. "Deltona Middle was a dead project. Had no funding whatsoever. They had planned it, they had gotten the drawings for it and then they decided we were not going to take the bond out. … I had to convince other board members to borrow the (money)."

Colón said where Deltona High and Pine Ridge High had just three academies between them, the other eight Volusia high schools had 41. Colón said he pushed to add four more academies at the two Deltona schools during his term.

"What I bring to the table is passion," he said. "Let me tell you, Deltona’s kids need someone who will fight for them. Passive leadership has let our kids down."

Lowry emphasizes his eight years of experience on the County Council and four more as a Deltona city commissioner.

“Leaders in Volusia County have told me that I’m a good team player. I come prepared. I work well with others," Lowry said. "I’m a calming voice on the County Council. … I bring a person who’s not going to say irrational things like, 'We're all gonna die in six weeks,' or something of that nature.

Lowry drew calls to resign last year after giving a sermon in which he denied the COVID-19 pandemic and gave credence to a QAnon conspiracy theory. He was later hospitalized with the virus.

He said he worked for about 10 years as a physics and math teacher before serving six years as a school principal in the 1970s and 1980s, prior to becoming pastor of Deltona Lakes Baptist Church, which is now named Cross Walk Church.

On the work of a School Board member

Lowry said the role of the School Board is akin to that of the County Council.

"On the County Council we make policy. We steer the superintendent, in our case the manager. We set policy and it’s up to the manager to carry out that policy," Lowry said.

He said School Board members should be careful to keep a professional distance from the administrators and teachers they oversee.

"You can’t go down the line with staff members, principals, teachers and become their golfing buddy, their buddy-buddy, because you might have to make a hard decision in that area and if you’re very close to them, you’re going to be biased or you’re going to have a hard time being objective because it’s going to be a very, very difficult thing," he said. "And so while it’s important we keep our doors open, and my county door has always been open."

Colón has a different philosophy.

"I’m always in schools. I visit my teachers’ classrooms," Colón said.

It's important, he said, to have relationships with teachers and principals.

"We don’t need someone who says, ‘My door is open. Come.’ No. You gotta go, because it’s the only way you’re gonna know what’s going on," Colón said. "My passion is people. This is a people business. My phone rings all the time. My Facebook page … I get tagged on every parental issue that there is in the county. What do you want me to say, ‘That’s not my problem?’ No, it is my problem. I am your voice."

On the working and learning climate in Volusia County

Lowry said: “We really need to get the parents more involved. … A lot of parents out there are former teachers and former professionals in areas that can be supportive to our teachers and help them. The learning climate only works when you have discipline in your classroom. You have to work on that. … The atmosphere in the classroom starts with the teachers and starts with their spirit. If they feel like they’re being paid for properly, if they feel like the administration has their back and is supporting them, they feel like the parents are there to help them, the atmosphere in the classroom is going to be good."

Colón said: "The premise that parents are not involved is political talk, rhetoric, because parents are involved. … Parents have the ability to come to school …, meet the teacher, email the teacher, talk to the teacher, find out what the teacher is teaching. They have the ability to do that. They can come to open house. They can read the syllabus. They can reach out to that teacher at any point in time. … There are things we can continue to control and things we can’t control. We can’t control how many parents get involved. But what we can control is, exactly what he discussed, the classroom."

On the biggest issues facing Volusia County Schools

Colón said during the tenure of former Superintendent Scott Fritz, who was terminated in April, the district's culture had eroded.

“We had a superintendent who was not a good fit for our district and he had to go. Simply put. … We have to heal our people," Colón said. "It was easy for it to be hidden, because we were going through a pandemic. … It was very difficult to see the negative impact that was happening in our district during that time. But I will say that it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but it was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made, because it’s now allowing us to heal."

New Superintendent Carmen Balgobin — the former deputy superintendent who had served as interim superintendent while Fritz was away on medical leave for seven months in 2020-21 — has set the tone, Colón said.

"The theme for this year is leading with grace and respect. That’s all about people," Colón said. "And it’s now allowing us as a district to come together and do the work that we need to do."

Lowry raised the fact that Colón had led the charge when Fritz's predecessor, Tom Russell, was terminated in 2019.

“I think the important thing is to restore confidence in the leadership of the School Board," Lowry said. "While my opponent fired that superintendent, (the board) fired two superintendents in three years and he also hired that same superintendent that they fired shortly thereafter (Fritz)."

Lowry has also latched on to DeSantis' "parents' rights" policies, attacking Colón for a vote to enforce a mask mandate in schools that was lifted shortly thereafter.

"The parents need to be the No. 1 voice in education. I’m concerned about the woke foolishness that’s trying to come into our schools," he said. "We need to get back to teaching the basics, not politics and gender identity in our schools."

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Teachers' union-endorsed incumbent faces Ron DeSantis-backed hopeful