All eyes on school board election

Runcie, shooting dominate race

The Parkland massacre has turned the usually quiet school board races into some of the most closely watched contests in Broward County.

The outcome could determine whether Superintendent Robert Runcie stays or goes.

Four candidates in three of the five races have strong ties to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, the site of the Feb. 14 shooting, and three of those candidates have been critical of Runcie and the district’s response to the tragedy that killed 17 and wounded 17 others.

Six of the nine current school board members generally support Runcie. One of those, Abby Freedman, chose not to seek re-election. Three others — Donna Korn, Laurie Rich Levinson and Ann Murray — face challengers who are more critical of the superintendent. Runcie’s two other supporters — Patti Good and Rosalind Osgood — are not up for election this year.

Critics say Runcie and the district made missteps in the aftermath of the shooting and failed to quickly improve school security. The slow progress and skyrocketing costs of renovations funded by the $800 million bond referendum are other major issues.

The elections for all School Board races, which are nonpartisan, will be Aug. 28. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will take place during the general election Nov. 6.

Countywide, Seat 8

The most heated race is between incumbent Korn, 46, and Ryan Petty, 48, whose daughter Alaina was killed at Stoneman Douglas. The third candidate is 19-year-old Elijah Manley.

Petty, who has raised or loaned himself about $58,000, accused Korn of being insensitive when she told a group of principals and school administrators Aug. 8 that 2016-17 was “an amazing year.”

Petty, a telecom executive,

said Korn’s comment reflects an overall lack of concern he’s seen from some school board members.

“They’re refusing to acknowledge what happened and make real changes,” he said. “They’re ready to move on.”

Korn, who works in commercial real estate and has raised or lent herself about $32,500, apologized for the gaffe and said she should have been more specific. She said she was trying to say that principals had an amazing year as far as student achievement, despite the tragedy that the district endured.

“I did not mean to give the impression that we don’t continue to mourn the horrible tragedy or that we’re brushing over what continues to be a great deal of sadness,” she said. “This is something we have to face and overcome.”

Korn and her supporters have made an issue of Petty’s tweets, made between 2008 and 2013, mostly in response to a Fox News TV show called “Red Eye.” He made comments that some say are disparaging to blacks, Jews, Muslims, gays and unions. Korn said those comments are insensitive and inconsistent with the moderate campaign Petty is running. Petty said the tweets were made a long time ago, taken out of context and that’s he’s “grown up” in recent years.

All three candidates have made school safety their top issue. Petty is a member of the state Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, which is investigating the Parkland tragedy.

“The district failed to imagine that an act as heinous as a school shooting was possible in Broward County and, prior to the shooting, enacted policies” which prevented the district from recognizing threats posed by students like school shooter Nikolas Cruz, Petty said. He hopes to implement lessons he learns on the commission to improve the district, including enhancing communication between school districts and law enforcement agencies regarding students who are a potential threat to school safety.

Manley said, “no candidate, school board member, nor parent wants to send children to unsafe schools. We have an obligation to the people of Broward County, to fulfill their requests to implement new school safety reforms.”

Manley has raised about $18,000, more than $8,000 of which came from a crowdsourcing campaign with donations from around the country, and more than $8,000 of which were loans to himself.

All three candidates have listed as a priority accountability or properly overseeing how dollars are spent. Another goal for Korn is to provide programs to ensure students are college- or career-ready and ensuring tax dollars are spent effectively. Petty would like to direct more district dollars into the classroom, while Manley wants to improve air quality and the physical condition of schools.

All three candidates voiced concerns that the 2014 bond hasn’t delivered improvements as quickly as was promised.

District 4

Three political newcomers are vying to replace departing Freedman in District 4, which includes Parkland, Coral Springs and Tamarac.

The candidates are Lori Alhadeff, 43, whose daughter Alyssa was killed at Stoneman Douglas; Tennille Decoste, 41, whose son’s best friend Joaquin Oliver died in the shooting; and Coral Springs parent Michael Kottler, 53.

“As a mother, I want to be able to provide programs focused on mental health to create a safe and secure environment for all of our children,” said Decoste, who works in human resources for the city of Miramar. She generally supports Runcie but said he and board members were not proactive enough to identify issues that may have contributed to the Stoneman Douglas tragedy.

Alhadeff, a former physical education teacher in New Jersey, plans to focus on school safety and holding Runcie accountable, whose performance she rates as “needs improvement.” She said she’s been disappointed with the problems implementing the $800 million bond, and with the district’s response to the Parkland tragedy.

She said the school district has been too slow to add security upgrades and to hold people accountable for what happened. As an example, she said security monitor Andrew Medina, “who didn’t do his job during the tragedy, continued working at the school until two Parkland parents brought it to Superintendent Runcie’s attention.”

“We need to focus on what actually matters, what is affecting our kids’ health, welfare and safety, and not on standardized test scores that can be arbitrary,” Alhadeff said.

Alhadeff and Decoste also support lobbying the Legislature for more funding, with Decoste saying more resources are needed for lowerincome schools. Both say teachers deserve more pay and the state puts too much of an emphasis on testing. They also pledge to be advocates for students with special needs.

Kottler’s primary reason for entering the race is frustration with how Runcie and the district responded to an incident where his son was injured on the basketball team at Coral Glades High. Kottler said they were slow to discipline the coach, and he felt Runcie and the School Board did nothing when he brought it to their attention at public meetings.

“I could do better. I could do a lot better” at investigating parents’ concerns, he said.

Alhadeff has contributions and loans of $97,000, while Decoste has $8,400 and Kottler has $6,800.

District 7

The race this year where the incumbent is overly critical of Runcie is District 7, which includes Coconut

The public hearing has been scheduled for 6:00 PM on September 12, 2018 in the Commission Chambers of City Hall, 100 North Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the purpose of receiving public comment on the proposed assessment. All affected property owners have a right to appear at the hearing and to file written objections with the City Commission within 20 days of this notice. For the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 2018, the Fire Assessed Cost to be assessed is estimated to be $40,016,852 (net assessment after property exemptions are deducted). The Fire Assessments to be assessed and apportioned among benefited parcels pursuant to the Cost Apportionment and Parcel Apportionment to generate the estimated Fire Assessed Cost for the Fiscal Year commencing October 1, 2018, are as follows: Copies of the Fire Assessment Ordinance (Ordinance No. C-99 49, as amended by Ordinance C-16-03), the Initial Assessment Resolution (Resolution No. 99-81), the Final Assessment Resolution (Resolution 99-100), the Preliminary Rate Resolution (Resolution 18-126) initiating the annual process of updating the Assessment Roll and imposing the Fire Assessments, and the preliminary Assessment Roll for the upcoming fiscal year are available for inspection at the City Clerk’s office, City Hall, located at 100 North Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The assessments will be collected on the ad valorem tax bill to be mailed in November 2018, as authorized by section 197.3632, Florida Statues. Failure to pay the assessments will cause a tax certificate to be issued against the property, which may result in a loss of title. If you have any questions, please contact the Fire Rescue Department at (954) 828-6800, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. NOTE: If a person decides to appeal any decision made by the City Commission with respect to any matter considered at the hearing, such person will need a record of the proceedings and may need to insure that a verbatim record is made, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation or an interpreter to participate in this proceeding should contact the City Clerk’s office at (954) 828-5002, at least two days prior to the date of the hearing. Creek, Deerfield Pompano Beach.

Nora Rupert, 54, who has given Runcie a rating of “needs improvement” for most of his evaluations, is being challenged by Mike Olbel, 33, who praises Runcie for student achievement issues but criticizes him for the way the $800 million bond has been handled. The third candidate is 57-year-old Hubert St. Clair, who received 23 percent of the vote in 2014 to Rupert’ s 77 percent.

Rupert, a former teacher, criticizes Runcie for the large number of delays in construction projects and facilities work, citing a one-year delay in playground projects as an example.

“This is unacceptable and indicative of a much larger problem — failure to plan adequately and the ability to bounce back with solutions and quickly counteract any delays with full transparency and ownership of the delays,” Rupert said.

Olbel, who heads a Pompano Beach community organization, said Runcie has been strong in the areas of innovation and academic achievement.

“However, the bond is his area where he needs to improve and responding to the needs of the teachers appropriately,” he said. “I believe the superintendent should be evaluated in the upcoming school year to determine his employment.”

Rupert said she’s been a tireless advocate for students, including those at risk. Olbel said “we need new fresh blood with a fresh perspective on the board.”

Both candidates list recruiting and retaining teachers and improving school safety as priorities.

St. Clair said in a questionnaire he is running “because I am not supporting the way Robert Runcie has been leading the organization. I am running to make sure all Broward County Schools are safe places for our children.”

He provided no specifics and declined an interview request.

Rupert has about $38,000 in contributions or loans, Olbel $37,000 and St. Clair Beach and

The two candidates running for District 6 have vastly different views on Runcie’s performance. Incumbent Laurie Rich Levinson, 55, who joined the board in 2010, says the district has improved during his tenure and he should continue to lead. Her opponent Richard Mendelson, 40, said he should be fired.

“Student achievement has never been greater since Superintendent Runcie became the leader of Broward County Public Schools,” Levinson said. She said efficiencies in areas such as health care, workers compensation, transportation and purchasing have produced savings that have been used to raise teacher salaries.

Mendelson, a former Stoneman teacher who is now a Keiser University professor, said Runcie and his staff have mismanaged the bond program. He also accuses Runcie of misrepresenting student discipline figures and other data.

Both candidates cite improving school safety and paying teachers more as top priorities. Levinson lists improving mental-health services as a third priority, while Mendelson wants to see more accountability from the superintendent.

Levinson has raised about $50,000; Mendelson $35,000.

The district includes Weston, Cooper City and Davie.

The most crowded race is District 1, where incumbent Ann Murray faces three challengers: Jim Silvernale, Veronica Newmeyer and Natalia Garceau. The district includes portions of the southeast part of the county, including Hollywood, Hallandale Beach and Dania Beach.

Her opponents say Murray, 75, who was first elected in 2008, has been on the School Board too long and is ineffective.

“Murray is not active or effective in District 1 and has missed a number of School Board meetings,” said Silvernale, 57, a union representative for the Federation of Public Employees.

Murray, a retired bus supervisor for the disagrees.

“I haven’t lost any steam. I’ve accomplished a lot of things,” she said, saying she helped bring a K-8 school to Hallandale Beach and a prestigious program associated with Cambridge University to South Broward High in Hollywood.

“My expertise and institutional knowledge far exceed those of my opponents and gives me common sense insight into the issues concerning District 1,” Murray said.

Silvernale said he has a lot of connections to the community, and many people have encouraged him to run.

“I was born and raised in Broward County and have served our community for over 30 years,” he said. “I have the skill set to bring leadership to the board; I can bridge the gap to get things done. I am a man of action.”

Although he represents district maintenance workers, he said he would be moved to another union job where he’d have no involvement in the district.

Newmyer, who is 49 and works as a cake decorator, isn’t convinced that’s enough.

“Will he be able to truly represent our district? How many discussions and votes will he have to abstain from because of his employment?” she asks.

She describes herself as a well-rounded candidate who has served on numerous school district committees and knows the issues well.

Garcea, 39, said she is the best candidate because she’s the only teacher in the race. She works at Lanier James Education Center, an alternative education school in Hallandale Beach.

“Not only am I concerned about what is happening in our schools as an educator, but as a parent who is worried sending her daughter off to school every day,” Garceau said. “If there’s something we don’t like, but we do nothing to change it, then it’s on us. If you don’t like it, do something about it or don’t complain.”

Silvernale has the largest campaign war chest at $40,000, followed by Murray at $26,000, Newmeyer at $4,000 and Garceau at $2,000. school district,