Clay County School Board, District 4

Two candidates are seeking the votes for Clay County School Board, District 4. This is a nonpartisan office appearing on the August ballot will be selected by all voters in the district, regardless of party.

News4Jax sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.

Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically and are published exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.

Tina Bullock

Occupation: Retired Teacher and Principal and School Board Member

Age: 73

Your family: My husband and I moved to Keystone Hts because of the great schools and to raise our son!.

Education: Bachelor of Science Elementary Education Jacksonville University Masters Administration/Supervision UNF

Political experience: Current School Board Member, District 4

What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?

1. Managing future growth: With more than 10,000 new homes coming to our county over the next 5 years, we will need to build 5-7 new schools, including one high school. We must be fiscally conservative with out finances to ensure we can build these new schools and still maintain our existing infrastructure all with limited resources.
2. School Safety: I am proud of the work we have done to harden our schools. We have at least one school resource officer at every school who specializes in handling youth-related issues and works every day to build relationships with the students at their assigned school. We must continue to keep our schools safe as threats to our students and staff are constantly evolving.
3. Student Choice: I will continue to support expanding our Career and Technical Education Programs so that every student can tailor their education to their unique needs. Our district will also continue to provide alternative options such as home school support, charter schools, and virtual school options.

“Parental rights” has recently become a law in Florida and a political buzzword. What does that concept mean to you and how would it affect your decisions on the school board?

• Parents in Clay County have always had, and will continue to have, access to their student’s educational records, curriculums, and school personnel. We have parent involvement at every level of school district decision-making. I fully support allowing parents to have access to these resources. We will always follow state law and will continue to include parents as partners in their child’s education.

How would you balance new state laws and guidelines restricting how history, gender identity and civics can be taught in public school classrooms with the need to educate children in a complex 21st Century society?

• As a School Board we will continue to obey all state laws, as we have always done. The state is constantly changing curriculums for our schools and our staff are professionals ready to implement directives that will best serve our students.

Outline your ideas to address teacher shortages and morale.

• As a career educator and lifelong teacher I understand firsthand the unique challenges our educators face. I am proud of our work last year to increase teacher salaries but this is not enough. I will continue to work to improve benefits for our employees and we must work with our teachers to make changes that will help improve their overall working conditions. Throughout the year we recognize and honor our teachers (and support staff) and I will continue to support their work in whatever ways I can.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

• I am the only candidate in this race who has served as both a classroom teacher and a school-based administrator. I am proud of my work on our School Board and an also proud of the fact that I am a Certified School Board Member. I believe I am uniquely qualified to serve our community and am passionate about our public schools. Our School Board has worked tirelessly to provide the tools our dedicated teachers need to be successful in the classroom. Clay County is once again an A-rated school district ranked in the Top-10 districts in the state of Florida. Thanks to our fiscally conservative leadership, our fund balance is now over 5%, the highest it has been in decades.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

• After serving on our School Board, I would hope to be remembered for being a true advocate for our public schools. For my entire career, my focus has been on our students. I would hope people remember the fact that I am always accessible, approachable, and available. I have always served our county in an honest and fair manner. I am honored that Clay County’s citizens have put their trust in me to represent them on the Clay County School Board.

Campaign website: VoteTinaBullock.com

Campaign’s social media site(s): facebook.com/tina.bullock,3766 | Twitter @tina_bullock34

Michele Hanson

Party affiliation: Republican

Occupation: Retired Teacher (12/2021)

Age: 60

Your family: I am honored to be a military wife. My husband served on active duty (Army) for 24 years and proudly served as Chief Operational Officer for the Multinational Force and Observers (Egypt). We have three children who attended Clay COunty Schools with my oldest daughter becoming a Clay County teacher 15 years ago. We also have two grandchildren currently attending Clay schools.

Education: Masters degree in Special Education with a certificate in Educational Leadership. I currently hold 9 Subject area teaching certifications with the State of Florida.

Political experience: none

What do you see as the top three issues you’ll likely face while holding this office?

1. Retention of master teachers and teacher shortages.
2. Parent inclusion/voice in their child’s education and transparency of curriculum and programs used at school.
3. Student discipline issues and lack of consistent handling of disruptive behaviors.

News4Jax asked each candidate three additional questions to help voters determine which most agrees with their views:

“Parental rights” has recently become a law in Florida and a political buzzword. What does that concept mean to you and how would it affect your decisions on the school board?

• As a mom, grandmother, teacher, and parent advocate, I see the challenges parents are facing. As a veteran teacher “parental right” was not a political buzzword. I was always keenly aware of the importance of parents having a seat at the table in their child’s education. I understood that parent inclusion was the key to a child reaching their full potential. Because parents are our students first teachers, as a school board member, I would always reinforce parental rights in education, make sure there is transparency when developing policies and procedures, and protect parental choice such as opting in or out of programs.

How would you balance new state laws and guidelines restricting how history, gender identity and civics can be taught in public school classrooms with the need to educate children in a complex 21st Century society?

• To begin with, school board members must adhere to state law. The balance comes in with making sure that all stakeholders have a full understanding of how Clay County will implement the law. Knowledge is power; The more parents know coupled with complete transparency will result in open lines of communication and greater understanding of the law. Building bridges from school to home will improve the implementation of new programs and help with facing the unique challenges schools face today. Open lines of communication would include opt in and opt out procedures for concerned parents.

Outline your ideas to address teacher shortages and morale.

• Teacher shortages and declining number of master teachers should be a pressing concern to every citizen and political leaders everywhere. I left the classroom as a master teacher for the same reasons as nearly every other who quit teaching in the past year. To address teacher shortages, superintendents, school boards, and principals would have to first acknowledge the reasons educators are leaving in droves. This could be done through teacher surveys, holding teacher forums with school board members, and actively listening to teacher concerns. School boards need to update procedures and policies, improve working conditions, and invest in principals that will establish and maintain rules and expectations. To improve morale, teachers need to be respected and valued, have strong leadership that consistently supports teachers especially by addressing disruptive student behaviors, and receive adequate compensation to include affordable medical benefits.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

• I am uniquely qualified to serve the voters of Clay County because I spent the last 18 years of my life in the trenches of a classroom serving parents, teachers, and students. I believe it is vitally important that at least one board member have current experience in the classroom because the classroom has dramatically changed in the last few years. My background helps me understand the concerns of voters and as a school board member I would listen to voters and fight for solutions that better serve the educational community.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

• I hoped to be remembered as a compassionate school board member that was able to set aside politics to find creative resolutions that empowered our students, parents, and teachers. I want to be known as the school board member that was able to build working relationships to have “tough” conversation to solve unique challenges. Lastly, I want to be remembered as the one who challenged the status quo and went outside of the box to improve the lives of the entire educational community.

Campaign website: michelehanson4ccsb.com

Campaign’s social media site(s): facebook.com/michelehanson4ccsb