An election in a non-presidential election year doesn’t spark a lot of interest. In Collier County only 21%-32% of registered voters head to the polls. But for parents, grandparents, and even residents without kids, the November 8 election is an important one. That’s because three of the five seats on the Collier County Public Schools school board are up for election this year, and the winners could be decided in the primary.
The new board will have a plethora of important issues to decide this coming school year. One of the most important will be selecting a new superintendent. Kamela Patton currently holds the job and will retire at the end of this school year after 12 years of service.
The new high school in North Naples is set to open in the fall of 2023, forcing the school board to choose the new zoning. The district also plans to rezone some elementary schools to move students from overcrowded schools to those that are underutilized.
Responsibilities
Many voters might not know exactly what school board members do and the issues they face. To learn more about the inner workings of the CCPS board, we spoke to school board member Stephanie Lucarelli, who is not up for reelection this year. Lucarelli said there are three main areas that school board members are responsible for:
• hiring and evaluating the superintendent
• controlling policy
• setting the budget
Given Patton’s long tenure, the school district does not have a lot of experience with the process of hiring a superintendent. Lucarelli says it’s important for board members to understand the direction the schools are going in and to find a leader who supports that vision. She also believes board members should spend time in the community to see what residents want in the next superintendent.
“Finding a new superintendent is going to be more challenging this year than other years because so many are leaving,” she explained. “We want to make sure we have the pick of the best of the best. We have to hire the perfect person to do what the community wants and needs.”
Rezoning is a hot issue that usually sparks controversy and leaves some parents angry about their child being moved to another school. Rezoning has not happened for many years, so there are significant issues for the board to discuss.
“Do we look at the boundary lines for the whole county or do we just look at the boundary lines for the schools we need to address?” Lucarelli questioned. “Do we look at it county-wide because it has not been done in a really long time? That is going to be a really big question. We need board members to be involved enough and be willing to listen and to be connected to the people. Obviously there are people that are going to be upset. It is a matter of keeping in mind that what the school board does is in the best interest of the kids.”
The school board also will be responsible for naming the new high school.
Money matters
A good school board is fiscally responsible, according to Lucarelli. Collier County has a good financial track record. The new high school is being paid for with cash. The school district will be debt free in 2026.
“That comes from good foresight,” she stated. “We need people who understand where we are and where we are going. You always need to tighten the purse strings, because you never know what will happen at the state level. It is important to make sure we are keeping everything in check.”
As voters research what the candidates plan to do if elected, Lucarelli said it is also important for voters to understand what board members can’t do.
“The day-to-day functions and operational stuff, the school board has no say in,” she stressed. “That’s why it is so important to hire a great CEO as the superintendent.”
While the school board doesn’t make the curriculum and policies, the members do weigh in on many controversial issues. Lucarelli says they could discuss what teachers can say and not say in the classroom. They discuss books for classrooms and media centers.
“The school board has control over any book or any teaching material that comes into the school – we approve or deny not just textbooks but media center books or any teaching materials,” she explained.
The board also oversees the code of conduct and things like dress codes. It approves new programs such as the entrepreneurship program that is expanding to elementary schools this year.
“It is like a board of directors and a CEO of an organization,” Lucarelli said as she described how the board and superintendent work together.
This year there are new state testing requirements that switch from one big test in the spring to tests that are administered three times a year. Since Collier County already conducts benchmark tests three times a year, a decision needs to be made on whether to do both the state and county tests.
“That is something that the school board will weigh in on,” Lucarelli said. “It is being able to understand the new requirements and how that will impact our students and what the school board needs to discuss with the superintendent on how we want things to go.”
What parents want
It’s not easy being a school board member. Collier is a large county with 46,000 students spread out in 62 schools. The needs of Immokalee and Everglades City schools are quite different from the needs of children in schools in Naples.
“Obviously it is important to have people who are engaged with our schools and have been in them and have seen the programs,” Lucarelli said. “We need people who have talked to students and teachers and have the pulse of the community on the needs of our students and schools.”
Parents and grandparents have their own ideas on what they are looking for in school board members. Rik Cryderman has three grandchildren who attend school in Collier County.
“The traits I value and that would influence my voting include: respecting and protecting parents’ involvement and influence in academic issues; asking parents for more than baking cookies for classroom parties; seeking parents’ input in critical curriculum selection; and making the effort to assure parents fully understand the trends and topics that have become focal in the schools today,” Cryderman said. “I would like to see a commitment to serve as a liaison with the home – listening, clarifying, advocating. We have been extraordinarily impressed with Collier County schools and, in particular, the understanding and affirming staff of Pelican Marsh Elementary. Candidates committed to continue the solid tradition of a partnership with parents for the best outcome for the students would seal my vote.”
Laura Born is the mother of six children in Collier County.
“I’m thinking the important traits would be making sure there’s equality – serving all students equally no matter what kind of level of education is needed,” Born said. “Education for children should be like when I was a kid. ‘Teach the children’ not teach the certain test requirements. I feel like proper education is lost nowadays.”
Lucarelli says a good school board leading a good school system affects more than your child’s education – it affects your property value.
“The first thing people ask a real estate agent, whether they have kids or not, is ‘How are the schools?’ Your property value is directly affected by how good our public schools are,” she explained.
Traditionally school board races are won in August.
“These elections are pretty much decided in the primary elections,” said Trish Robertson, public relations officer for Collier County Elections. “I have not seen the school board elections go all the way to the November election. They are decided in the primary.”
Some of the candidates have raised a huge amount of money, allowing them more access to advertising. For example, as of the beginning of July, one candidate in the District 5 race raised more than $72,500 compared with the other candidates, who raised between $3,000 and $11,200. That’s why Lucarelli hopes voters will research the candidates, look at their experience and ties to Collier County, and their abilities before heading to the polls.
“It is important for people to do their homework on the candidates,” Lucarelli stressed.
For information on the candidates, visit https://www.colliervotes.gov/candidates/candidate-committee-party-reports. or read our Neapolitan Family Voter’s Guide to the CCPS School Board Election.