Brinkworth offers a strong, steady hand

District 3 includes many of Broward’s central coastal communities bordered by Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach on the north and Dania Beach Boulevard on the south. It includes Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park and Wilton Manors.

Two smart women are competing to serve on the Broward County School Board and help navigate the nation’s sixth-largest school system through the challenges facing public education, none more daunting than the pandemic.

Incumbent Heather Brinkworth, 52, and challenger Sarah Leonardi, 30, are seeking the District 3 seat in the Aug. 18 election. Under normal circumstances, a school board member has to deal with upset parents, frustrated teachers and recalcitrant bureaucrats. In this COVID-19 period, the job has gone from difficult to nearly impossible.

That’s why the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board is endorsing Brinkworth. A six-year school board veteran, she has proven herself to be a strong and steady leader who focuses on students, respects teachers, responds to residents and raises issues without raising hackles.

Brinkworth is a voice of moderation on a board that too often comes across as angry and frustrated — with one another, with recurring problems and with unanswered questions from the district’s administration.

Brinkworth is unafraid to push back when needed. When the district last fall refused to answer questions about a nobid $17 million contract for interactive classroom TVs — a matter revealed by the Sun Sentinel — Brinkworth threatened to take the matter to the State Attorney’s Office. At that point, Superintendent Robert Runcie agreed to order an outside audit. When Brinkworth later asked for an update, the response she got prompted her to contact the state attorney. When the audit was finally done, it revealed close ties between the tech company and the district’s chief information officer, including the purchase of a house at “well below market value.”

Brinkworth was born in Broward County, attended its public schools, worked as a teacher in the system, and now sends her two children to district schools. In an endorsement interview with the Sun Sentinel editorial board, she displayed an impressive grasp of the district’s strengths and weaknesses, the importance of getting more state financial support, and the role of a board member.

Leonardi is a serious challenger. She has been a public school teacher for eight years – two in Miami-Dade and six in Broward – and she has the backing of the Broward Teachers Union. She has

$50,000 in her campaign account; Brinkworth has about $25,000.

Leonardi is well-versed in the challenges the district faces – coronavirus, low teacher morale, an under-performing

$800 million bond for school facilities, and the performance of the superintendent.

During the Sun Sentinel interview, Leonardi made the School Board sound unreasonable for refusing to add more than a 2% raise atop a 7.5% “bonus” raise for teachers this year. The bonus comes from the additional property tax that local voters approved in 2018 to raise teacher pay.

Leonardi explained that that additional property tax only lasts four years and the bonus can’t be used to calculate a teacher’s retirement. “It’s misleading,” she said of the total 9.5% salary increase. The board “needs to listen to the teachers.”

Brinkworth said she agrees teachers aren’t paid enough and wishes the district could provide more. But given the considerable costs the district is sure to incur because of the coronavirus — and with state revenues decreasing — she said the financially responsible course was to hold the line at

2%.

Brinkworth showed strength of character in taking that unpopular position during her re-election bid. Voters should reward her courage.

Both candidates agree the pandemic will continue to be an educational and logistical nightmare. No matter what the district does, thousands of parents, students and district employees will be unhappy.

Brinkworth has an advantage over Leonardi on this issue simply by being a member of the board. She’s been involved in the minutia of district planning for weeks and understands the benefits and downsides of the options being discussed.

The district is surveying each parent. At some schools, the majority of parents may opt for online learning; at other schools, they may want their children back on campus. Others want a mix. Those surveys will yield a “framework” for how to move forward.

Whatever happens, the district’s staff is going to have to work diligently to keep students on track. “We used to talk about the summer slide,” Brinkworth said, referring to the academic decline most students experience during summer. “Now we’ve got the COVID slide.”

Some parents want their children back in school so that they can return to work. Many students did poorly with online learning. Many teachers did poorly, too, requiring parents to do double duty.

The district uses a computer system called CANVAS for online teaching. Few teachers had mastered it before the pandemic struck. “Delivering lessons through that platform was a challenge for teachers, students and parents,” Brinkworth said in her questionnaire.

Leonardi contends the district isn’t doing enough to prepare everyone for August.

The district faces many vexing issues. If classes need to be smaller, it will need more teachers. How do you maintain social distancing on school buses? What do you do if a COVID case is detected at a school?

Brinkworth said the district has 16 working groups addressing “the practical realities for reopening.” Both women agreed that everyone is going to have to be flexible.

Both candidates said the $800 million bond issue has failed to deliver on the promise. Leonardi said it was appalling that students are being taught in rooms infested with mold.

Brinkworth agreed such conditions were unacceptable, but challenged some of Leonardi’s examples. She noted, though, that the delays enabled her to get “significant additions” approved for Stranahan and Northeast high schools. Brinkworth is an effective advocate for older schools on the county’s east side.

The candidates also offered mixed reviews about Runcie. After some hesitation, Leonardi said that if she’d been on the board after the Parkland school shooting in 2018, she would have voted to retain him. She said the board should make him more accountable.

Brinkworth voted to retain Runcie in

2019 and said he’s increased “career technical programs and enrichment opportunities.” On the other hand, she said she’s disappointed that he’s failed to hire “high quality staff, reduce turnover, and create an effective succession plan.”

Board members are paid $41,233 a year. Last year the Legislature prohibited board members from earning more than starting teachers so board members’ pay was reduced from $44,749.

Brinkworth