Candidates for some
school board and county commission seats in Orange and Seminole counties share their views.
When Orange County School Board member Christine Moore announced plans to step down from her District 7 seat to run for the County Commission, it created an upcoming vacancy on the eight-member board.
District 7 covers the northwest part of the county including Apopka, Winter Garden, Ocoee and a portion of Orlando. Seven board members are elected from districts, serve four-year terms and earn an annual salary of $44,443. The School Board chairman, however, is elected countywide.
Of the four candidates on the ballot for the District 7 seat to finish the remaining two years of Moore’s term, three are educators who say they will bring their classroom knowledge to the board.
Who they are
Chan-Denise Budhoo, 34, who currently teaches language arts at Bridgewater Middle School in Winter Garden, started her teaching career in Orange County in 2006. She also has taught at Carver Middle, Lakeview Middle and Rosemont Elementary schools.
Melissa Mitchell Byrd, 43, is a former first-grade and reading teacher at Forest City Elementary School and former first- through fourthgrade teacher at Pace Brantley, a nonprofit school in Seminole County. She is currently a substitute teacher for Orange County schools.
Eric Schwalbach, 46, teaches math at East Ridge Middle School in south Lake County. He started his career in 1996 and has taught at Windermere, Lake Whitney and Thornbrook elementary schools, and at Lakeview Middle and Robinswood Middle.
Jeffrey Lynn Richardson did not respond to repeated requests to talk about his campaign.
Where they stand
Budhoo calls herself “passionate about education” and decided to run because she understands the frustrations of teachers about being overworked and underpaid.
“I will be a voice of reason and change in fighting on their behalf,” said Budhoo, of Apopka.
Byrd, also of Apopka, said classroom experiences prompted her to run.
“I grew increasingly frustrated with decisions being made on how the classrooms are being run,” she said. “As a parent with an education background, I knew we could do better.”
Schwalbach, of Winter Garden, also said sees his teaching background as a plus.
“After 22 years as an educator, I decided it was time to get the politicians out of education. I want to get back to common sense education that puts the needs of children before the needs of administration and politicians.”
How they differ
Budhoo said she will focus on school safety, student achievement and retaining highly qualified teachers. She also called herself “a firm believer and endorser” of the arts, technical programs and athletic programs.
“We need someone who is young and can bring in fresh ideas,” Budhoo said.
Byrd said the district often is overlooked when it comes to innovative programs and student disciplinary measures “are definitely too lax.”
If elected she said she will advocate for educators and implement a designated phone line for teachers “to be able to call me when they need to.”
Schwalbach said one of his key issues is school safety by creating events — such as mentoring programs — that help develop relationships with students who do not receive social and emotional support they need.
“We have to start thinking smarter” in regards to education, he said.