- November 22, 2024
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The ballroom of Michael’s on East was filled from wall to wall during the luncheon for Sarasota School Board districts 2 and 3 hosted by the Sarasota Tiger Bay Club on July 11.
In attendance with the club, which promotes political engagement and discourse but does not endorse specific candidates, were District 3 candidates Thomas Babicz and Tom Edwards, a current board member, and District 2 candidate Liz Barker.
Current school board chair and District 2 candidate Karen Rose, and District 3 candidate Gregory Wood were not in attendance.
During the event, candidates shared their stances on a range of topics.
Bentley's first question was, if candidates could wave a magic wand, what would they change about the school district?
Barker highlighted "meaningful relationships between families and schools," stating that currently, "that looks a lot like stacks of permission slips."
Babicz said he would ensure all teachers learn how to teach phonics, stating his No. 1 priority was for district graduates to be able to read.
Edwards highlighted programming to enhance third-grade reading scores and his desire to see a family engagement specialist at every school in a community with many families below the poverty line.
Bentley asked how the district should go about maintaining its long-held "A" rating.
Babicz said teachers were not paid "nearly" enough.
Edwards' also said his concern was financial issues, stating the district had exceeded 7.9% of its general fund, despite a policy not to exceed 7.5%.
Barker said she shared his concerns but wanted to look more at achievement gaps between different academic groups and other student demographics.
Bentley also asked what offerings candidates would eliminate if voters do not pass the property tax referendum in November, which is crucial for funding programs not limited to arts and STEM education.
The candidates avoided focusing on specific programming, with Babicz again highlighting the importance of teachers' salaries.
“More what I would say is how can we be more efficient?” Barker said. “How can we do more with less? And as educators, we've been doing that for a long time. Now, I will say to you, I have four kids in public schools. Not passing this referendum is not an option. That cannot happen.”
Edwards told the audience that he had worked “as hard as I possibly can” to increase pay to teachers and hands-on staff, calling them “completely underpaid."
He said all high-level executive staff did not necessarily require the same levels of salary bonuses as teachers.
“With the current administration in the White House, everybody is underpaid, because of the prices jumping 200%," Babicz said.
He said the district could look into combining multiple jobs, to which Barker replied she did not believe such part-time roles existed.
She said hands-on staff are "not able to live where they work, and that should be a consideration."
Conversations also touched on school choice.
Babicz was unequivocally in support, stating all taxpayers have a right to use the funds provided in the system toward a school meeting their expectations.
Barker called for more guardrails, stating there was no "apples to apples" comparison between schools accepting vouchers and homeschool families and public schools.
Edwards emphatically stated his support for school choice and charters, but said Barker had highlighted some areas where they were problematic.
He also called on the board to stand up to state legislation that has limited its discretion regarding charter applications.
“It has everything to do with why you're a school board member, and that you're there to protect public education, and you're there to do what's in the best interest of our students, and I don't get that from my fellow school board members,” Edwards said.
Discussions also involved culture war issues.
During the Q&A session, candidates responded to the idea of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
Barker called this "incredibly dangerous and another example of bringing radical political activism into our schools," stating the department ensures protections for vulnerable students.
Babicz called the department exactly what he has seen in communist countries, "pushing the agenda on everybody."
"We can do this without any extremities just by teaching the children," he said.
"I agree with Liz," Edwards said.
Babicz also diverged from the other two candidates by expressing support for the firing of Superintendent Brennan Asplen and stating he would sign a pledge by the conservative advocacy group Moms for Liberty also signed by School Board Chair Karen Rose.
Edwards said extremists on both sides, and the actions of the conservative-majority school board, on which he is the dissenting moderate, were distracting from the board’s business.
Babicz said, “I also agree that we supposed to work with everybody, and I would work with Democrats, with Republicans, with everybody.”
He also stated, "I absolutely support the LGBT movement, but not in school," stating "everyone has a right to happiness" but that activists were creating a "total circus" at school board meetings" and that "the school goal is not to change student's genders ... (it's) to teach children."
Barker said the majority of board members were promoting a political agenda while accusing concerned parents of political activism.
“I would love for the school board to be boring again, and I guarantee you, the day that they start functioning efficiently, and they show transparency and leadership, you won't have us there anymore," Barker said.
