Second candidate files to run for Brevard school board in District 3
Even before the decision was made for her, Jennifer Jenkins had no plans to run for a second term on the Brevard Public Schools board in District 3.
Elected in 2020, she pushed for COVID mitigation efforts during the first half of her tenure and advocated for LGBTQ rights among students in Brevard. With the 2022 election, she became the sole Democrat on the board, and her voice often went ignored by other board members.
The option to run again was taken off the table entirely in late May 2023, when a redistricting resolution passed, and the new boundaries pushed her out of her own district and into District 4.
Since then, two candidates have filed to run for Jenkins' school board seat, with one of them filing the very next day after the resolution passed. John Thomas, a Republican, was previously zoned for District 5. But the new boundaries changed that.
Now, there's another declared candidate in the mix: Amber Yantz, Realtor and wife of state representative candidate Anthony Yantz from Palm Bay.
Neither Thomas nor Yantz has a background in K-12 education, but both have been involved with kids outside the classroom. They share a passion for students and teachers, and hope to make the community better.
Important issues: Student safety and more
On May 31, 2023, Thomas filed to run. Eight months later, Yantz filed to run against him.
For both candidates, improving early childhood education is a big focus, as well as supporting teachers and working to create an environment where students feel safe.
Thomas has a multi-faceted approach to these issue — he wants to address discipline through prevention, intervention and support, with the goal of creating a better learning environment and making teachers' jobs safer. Doing so will help create an environment where students feel safe, respected and engaged, he believes.
For Yantz, school safety is of immense importance. While recent board discussions have brought up the possibility of expanding Brevard's Guardian program, which allows civilians to be trained by the sheriff's office and armed in schools, this isn't the way to prevent violence and make students feel safe, she said.
Rather, she wants to see mental wellness prioritized for students and more social workers and guidance counselors given jobs in the district.
"I feel like if the children felt safe in school, if they felt like that was their safe space, I don't feel that gun threats would happen that often or even at all," she said.
Thomas also emphasized closing educational achievement gaps and "provide targeted support to students facing challenges." He said he hopes to work collaboratively with the district and community.
"Believe not only in my ability to bring real change to our schools, but also yours," he wrote on his website. "Together, let's champion educational excellence with a curriculum focused on science, technology, English, American civics and mathematics."
Yantz said she's also concerned with money being spent on lawsuits by the district, as well as transparency of the board and the example their actions set for the district.
"Leading by example is important to me, with the behavior that the school board displays to the public, the way they interact with the public," she said.
Candidates' prior experience
Thomas, a lifelong resident of Brevard County, comes from a background that includes serving as a narcotics detective in law enforcement; coaching youth for the Greater Melbourne Police Athletic League and Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy; and several administrative roles at Florida Tech, including associate vice president. He also served on Melbourne's city council.
Currently, he serves as the CEO of the Home Builders and Contractors Association of Florida's Space Coast.
Yantz has lived in Brevard for 10 years with her husband Anthony Yantz, who ran against Rep. Randy Fine for District 33 state house and lost in 2022. He's running again for the same seat this year.
Both husband and wife are members of the Space Coast Association of Realtors, where Amber Yantz serves on the Brevard's Children and Families in Need Committee. She's also involved in multiple committees in the school district, with all five of their children attending public schools. She represents two of their schools on a district parent leadership team, and serves on the School Advisory Council for all three schools.
Yantz is running unaffiliated with a party.
Jenkins: pushed out of district
Jenkins, who has sat in the District 3 seat since 2020 and is the sole Democrat on the board, was pushed out of her district in summer 2023 with the redistricting resolution.
At the time, she called out the move as an effort to push her out of her seat — a view she still holds.
"Republican officials coordinated an effort to redistrict school board seats to unseat me and to allow for their candidate running in District 3 to now live within the new lines," she said, referring to Thomas, who lived in District 5 prior to the map being redrawn. Thomas filed the day after the board voted to change the map.
At the time, he told FLORIDA TODAY that he saw the creation of the new boundaries as an "opportunity to actively engage sooner" than he would have been able to had he still been zoned for District 5.
"The situation our students, teachers and schools are facing is dire, and it is imperative that we take swift action to rectify it," he said.
Attempting to push Jenkins out of her seat was a "futile" effort, she said, as she has always intended to serve only one term. But she still finds the effort disturbing.
"It is deeply disheartening to see our education system continuously manipulated by those who swore to serve it," she said.
"I will support the candidate who filed with integrity and truly has our students and staff at the forefront."
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Second candidate jumps into Brevard school board race in Disrict 3
