Volusia County School Board hopefuls promise to listen to teachers
As the November election draws near, the remaining four candidates for the Volusia County School Board are appealing to teachers in their bids for a seat at the dais.
Asked how they’d support teachers if elected, Al Bouie, Jamie Haynes, Ruben Colon and Melody Johnson all emphasized how important it is to speak to teachers, to ask them what they need, and then to provide it.
These statements have been reiterated by each candidate in the months leading up to the election. They seek to soothe the raw and exposed nerve between the school district and its employees that has teachers feeling like they aren’t prioritized or respected in Volusia.
Things like the contract negotiations carrying on for the sixth straight month and year-after-year curriculum changes, coupled with more mundane problems like the outcry over limited access to printers, all contribute to this sentiment.
With the November election, it’s possible there could be two new board members next year. One new member is certain, as John Hill is not seeking re-election to his seat in District 1. Instead, Bouie or Haynes, both with decades of experience in the school district, will be representing DeBary, DeLand, Lake Helen, Orange City and Pierson for the next four years.
Incumbent Johnson is challenged by Colon, a clinical informatics specialist with Florida Hospital, to represent Deltona, Enterprise, Lake Harney and Osteen.
The new board will be responsible for a nearly $1 billion budget and making policies that impact the 63,000 students in Volusia County. They will also be responsible for the decision to review Superintendent Tom Russell’s contract in the next year, and improving grades at district elementary schools.
[READ MORE: Volusia School Board split: Some blame superintendent, some blame evaluation system]
When Linda Cuthbert won her seat representing southeast Volusia outright in the primary election, the race for the School Board narrowed in on West Volusia. Now, about 150,000 voters will determine the future of the school district.
The similarities
At a candidate forum Monday in Deltona, it became obvious that in almost every case — curriculum, safety, testing, extending the elementary school day — the four candidates share similar viewpoints.
After the release of school grades this summer that showed 72 percent of Volusia elementary schools earned a C or D, the district’s curriculum came under the spotlight.
[READ MORE: District looks to improve low grades at Volusia elementary schools]
Since the new testing structure came into effect in 2015, the school district implemented a module-based curriculum, developed by teachers, because textbooks weren’t available at the time that fit with the state standards. The district scrambled this summer but made only minor adjustments to meet teachers’ pleas for no more major curriculum changes.
The candidates for Volusia County School Board want to further adjust the curriculum, to make sure students are getting the strongest education possible. Colon decried the current modules as “homegrown.” Haynes echoed calls for teacher input and access to materials.
“Listen to teachers,” she said. “Develop a plan that allows them to have ownership in their classroom.”
Also this summer, school safety was a major topic of discussion as the district worked to meet new state mandates before school started. Although the conversation around any new measures has died down, each candidate restated that safety and security is a priority.
[READ MORE: Armed and ready -- but will Volusia and Flagler schools be safer?]
“The work the district has done in a short period of time is amazing,” Colon said.
He and Bouie also mentioned that they would like to see sheriff’s deputies on all campuses. As it stands now, middle and high schools have sworn officers, and elementary schools have district-employed armed guardians. Haynes and Johnson touted the importance of single points of entry at all schools.
All four candidates also emphasized the importance of gathering teacher input on everything from testing to curriculum, and following through to provide what they ask for.
“You have to make sure they have the proper resources, instructional materials, supplies and comfortable environment for interacting with their students,” Bouie said.
[READ MORE: Volusia school district, teachers union waiting for each other to compromise]
On top of listening to teachers, the candidates also said they think retaining teachers has to do with paying them more, and limiting testing requirements where possible.
Johnson also had one other idea:
“Stop the meetings,” she said. “They are meeting to death.”
The differences
Between Bouie and Haynes, the distinction lies in how they want to implement change in the district.
Bouie believes change will come by making adjustments to district leadership, while providing additional resources in the classrooms.
“We have to inject respect, appreciation, but also a decent salary with benefits so that our teachers feel that they are valued," Bouie said. “We also have to look at leadership. I think we have to have visionary and dynamic leadership in terms of the direction in which our school district is going.”
Haynes, on the other hand, wants to focus on the base of the educational hierarchy: the students.
“Any decision that’s made or comes before the School Board needs to be made for our students,” she said. “If we made the best decisions for students, we will be making the best decisions for teachers.”
With Ruben Colon and Melody Johnson, they're focused in completely different areas.
Johnson wants to change things at the state level that have local consequences — things like the district cost differential and testing requirements for teachers.
“Why are our local dollars leaving Volusia county? That’s a big question. We, as taxpayers, need to be aggravated,” she said, citing the $10 million this year that Volusia lost to the state’s funding formula. “That’s some teacher raises. That’s some programs we have to give up. That’s a big deal.”
Colon criticized this approach.
“While we’ve been worried about funding in Tallahassee, our house has not been in order,” he said. “The truth is that the state is not going to give us more money. We need to focus on the things we can change.”
For Colon, that means implementing more career academies, particularly on the west side of the county. He believes this will help boost graduation rates and student achievement.
AL BOUIE
Race: Volusia County School Board District 1
Age: 72
Residence: DeLand
Profession: Lifelong professional educator
Political experience: None
Top three priorities: School safety; teacher resources; increase school funding from state and local sources.
JAMIE HAYNES
Race: Volusia County School Board District 1
Age: 52
Residence: DeBary
Profession: Volusia County school district administrator
Political experience: None
Top three priorities: Ensure all students and staff are safe on our school campuses by partnering with law enforcement; fiscal and financial responsibility through oversight of all funding and making sure teachers have what they need to teach students; offer a variety of vocation and technical opportunities in high school.
RUBEN COLON
Race: Volusia County School Board District 5
Age: 41
Residence: Deltona
Profession: Clinical informatics specialist/health academy liaison
Political experience: None
Top three priorities: School safety; vocational training; increase graduation rate.
MELODY JOHNSON
Race: Volusia County School Board District 5
Age: 50
Profession: Physician assistant
Political Experience: School Board member since 2014
Top three priorities: District cost differential state funding formula: equal per student funding; “A” rated schools with increased graduation rates; vocational schools for ALL students who desire to begin their careers immediately after high school.