South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Ruth Carter-Lynch best fit for diverse Broward School Board District 5
A tsunami of candidates wants to replace Rosalind Osgood and/or Daniel Foganholi on the Broward County School Board.
Osgood served from 2012-2022, but left for the Florida Senate in a special election held earlier this year. Gov. Ron DeSantis replaced her with Foganholi, but he doesn’t live in the district, and is instead running for Coral Springs City Commission. That leaves an open seat for the seven candidates in a crowded field for this District 5 seat in central Broward.
Several of these names should be familiar to Broward voters as they have run for office before. Jimmy Witherspoon ran for a countywide seat against Debbie Hixon in 2020. Nathalie Lynch-Walsh previously ran in 2016. Jeff Holness also ran against Hixon.
Ruth Carter-Lynch ran for school board in 2004 and 2012, Lauderhill City Commission in 2008 and county Supervisor of Elections in 2020. The rigors of running for public office can make one a stronger candidate, and we believe Carter-Lynch’s time has finally arrived.
As expected from someone who has strived often for elected office, CarterLynch, 69, of Lauderhill, has involved herself in government and public schools through volunteerism, including serving on the Broward County Education Facilities Committee and as director of grassroots advocacy for the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools.
That last may give pause to supporters of traditional public schools who often see charters as an enemy, but if charters are here to stay (and they are), an organization that pushes for professionalism and standards within the industry is preferable to the sort of fly-by-night organizations that have occasionally cropped up in the district, ripping off taxpayers and offering students a poor education.
Of all the candidates in this race, CarterLynch faces two others who would make for capable board members. Holness received a Ph.D. in education from Nova Southeastern University and owns and runs a franchise of Kumon Math and Reading Center in Coral Springs, which offers afterschool tutoring.
Lynch-Walsh has been a constant presence in the school district for the past decade. A former adjunct professor with a Ph.D. in corporate and organizational management, she has served as chair of the district’s Facilities Task Force since 2011 and has been a member of its Audit Committee since 2015. She has been a forceful voice for accountability in the district.
However, the Broward County school district is the largest employer in Broward County, and it is currently governed by an all-white board that looks much less diverse than the county school system it oversees, which is the nation’s sixth largest. District 5 is the most diverse district of all seven (two other seats are county-wide), and it should be represented by someone who reflects the district’s demographics.
In addition, Carter-Lynch has a better grasp of Broward County’s views on the extreme changes to public education being force-fed by a one-size-fits-all mindset among politicians in Tallahassee.
“As an African American female, I have been ‘woke’ all my life. I am amazed at how this governor and his legislature are trying to take us backward,” Carter-Lynch told the Sun Sentinel editorial board. “Growing up in Mississippi, I have seen and endured enough oppressive policies. As my grandfather would say, ‘You can’t unscramble eggs.’ As a parent, I know my rights, and just want to be able to live in a fair and equitable society with justice for all.”
Amen.
Of the other three candidates, neither Clifford Coach nor Gloria Ann Lewis returned our questionnaires or participated in our interview. Antonio Burgess, a Broward School District coordinator of mentoring programs and former teacher, has direct experience in the system but lacks the well-roundedness that more experienced candidates bring to the table. We could say precisely the same of Witherspoon, who credits his success in life partly to the education he received in Broward schools.
This Broward district includes Lauderdale Lakes, Lauderhill, Sunrise and Plantation. All voters, regardless of party, living in District 5 are eligible to cast ballots. The election is Aug. 23. The winner will serve a four-year term at a salary of $47,189 a year.
For Broward County School Board District 5, the Sun Sentinel recommends Ruth Carter-Lynch.