A letter to District 4.

Dear Neighbors and Stakeholders of District 4,

I am writing to share my vision and commitment as your candidate for School Board District 4. With a career dedicated to Duval County’s public, private, and charter schools since 2001, I am deeply committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of our students, parents, and faculty.

I am writing to share my commitment to prioritizing teacher pay, teacher retention, and academic excellence within our district. As your candidate for School Board, I will partner with our schools, community organizations, legislators, faith-based groups, and our families to renew interest and investment in our public schools. Together, we can ensure a bright future for our students and educators.

Experience and Education

To better serve our community, I earned my Associate of Arts degree, a Bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Management, and a Master of Science in Management and Administration of Educational Programs. I am currently pursuing my Doctorate in Education in Organizational Leadership. Additionally, I hold EMT and First Responder certifications, ensuring I am well-equipped to address public safety solutions within our schools. I currently serve as a Dean of Students, which provides me with daily insight into the direct needs of our students.

My Key Priorities for District 4

• School Safety: I advocate for comprehensive safety, letting trained security professionals do their jobs so our teachers can focus on teaching, and supporting our educators.
• Student Support: I will protect free breakfast and lunch for our students, partner with families to improve attendance, and work with our City Council partners to improve swimming pool safety.
• Expanded Programming: I am committed to increasing after-school and summer programs for students with Emotional Behavioral Disabilities (EBD), reinstating individual 7th and 8th-grade sports teams, and creating new 6th-grade teams.
• Teacher and Staff Advocacy: I support increasing stipends for part-time athletic coaches and will advocate for our cafeteria and facilities employees. I will support a living wage for our teachers and staff.
• Mental Health: I will advocate for students with mental illness and work to increase educational training and suicide awareness in our schools.
• Infrastructure: I support renovating older schools to create better learning environments. We should be building schools, not closing them.

Transparency and Partnership

I am committed to holding monthly community meetings to provide voters with a “State of the Schools” update, ensuring you remain informed. I will also work closely with the two City Council members who serve School Board District 4, Councilman Reggie Gaffney and Councilwoman Jacoby Pittman, and partner with our faith-based and community organizations to build a transparent partnership for everyone.

I believe in being a consistent presence in every school across our district. By focusing strategically on the needs of every child, we can provide the best education possible for all students.

Lastly, you will never have to worry about Coach making backroom deals with any special interest groups. Coach will fight for what’s right, every day.

I look forward to earning your support.