I am running for school board to protect and promote the promise of education.
I believe in that promise, I believe in our community, and I know that if we all believe in, engage in and invest in excellence and opportunity across our schools, we will make a brighter future in our county and our state. I am asking for the opportunity to work for that future
As the state constitution of Florida reads, “The education of children is a fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida.” I believe that to be true. And the hundreds of families, teachers, and leaders that I know across Pinellas County who engage in and invest in their schools every day believe it as well.
The education of our children—all our children—is a fundamental value I believe we all share.
When my own children came of age for school, I faced the quagmire that choosing a school has become. Parents deeply feel the anxiety of being sure they tour, research, and choose the best environment for their children—and then are faced with the need to win a lottery or pay a second mortgage for the “right school”.
It is not enough to have a handful of schools known as “high-quality”, functionally available to the very few. For a healthy, strong, thriving community, every school in Pinellas County must offer excellence and opportunity to each and every child. As parents and community members, it’s absolutely within our power to make it so. All it requires is our participation, engagement, ideas, and support.
With 128 schools, 15,000 employees, and 100,000 students, excellence and opportunity for every child—achieving the Pinellas County Schools mission to “educate and prepare each student for college, career and life”—may seem like a tall task. But I have seen excellence and opportunity work on a large scale. As a proud Navy veteran, I have seen it in our nation’s military. As a general contractor, I have seen it in construction. As a business leader, I have seen it in private corporations. And as a member of this community, I have seen it throughout Pinellas County on little league fields, in Scout troops, in places of worship, in nonprofits, and in all of the ways that you and our neighbors engage to make the world a better place. Thank you for that service.
I am passionate about our schools. About our future. And I believe passionately in both.
I am running for school board to continue to protect and promote the promise of education for all of our children, and to strive tirelessly for excellence and opportunity across each and every school in Pinellas County. Our children deserve nothing less.
I ask you to join me in this mission—with your energy, your support, and with your vote.