Four of seven seats on the Duval County School Board are up for election this year. These are nonpartisan races that will appear on the August primary ballot. In District 7, school board member Lori Hershey can’t seek re-election due to term limits. Melody Ann Bolduc and Sarah Ann Mannion are on the ballot for this open seat. This race will appear on the ballots of all voters in the district, regardless of party affiliation.
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.
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Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.
| NON-PARTISAN CANDIDATES |
Melody Bolduc
Occupation: Teacher of 24 years, Small Business Owner
Age: 46
Family: In December, I’ll celebrate 18 years of marriage to my best friend from high school, and we are proud parents to two beautiful, spirited, and brilliant teenage girls who attend Mandarin High.
Education: I attended Beauclerc Elementary and then attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School. I graduated high school with honors from Bishop Kenny, earning the Florida Merit Scholarship. I dreamed of becoming a teacher from childhood and chose the University of North Florida due to the known strength of their College of Education and graduated summa cum laude in 2000.
Political experience: ‘I ran for the same office in the same district in 2016.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
1. We need to get back to basics. Less than 37% of our students are reading, writing, and doing math on level.
2. Loss of public trust. We are bleeding students and teachers because we have lost public trust. As a parent, when we send our children to school, we want to know that they are safe, that they are learning, and that the moral lessons we are imparting to them at home aren’t being untaught at school. Many of our teachers feel unsafe and unsupported. We must review the code of conduct and consistently hold students accountable for distracting and disruptive behavior.
3. Fiscal Responsibility. We, the taxpayers, voted for 2 tax increases in recent years, including one that was supposed to improve our much neglected infrastructure, and now we’re looking at closing schools.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
I’m the only candidate with education experience, and I have been working for the last seven years with students have left the system due to unanswered bullying and harassment as well as many whose needs were not being met within the school system. I have depths of understanding of how policies affect students and teachers in the classroom. I am extremely motivated and passionate about seeing change for our students and families.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
1. Supporting our superintendent by creating policies and prioritizing funding that will empower teachers to meet individual needs of students.
2. Digging into the budget, reviewing contracts and our bidding process and help get spending under control. Being a good steward of tax payer dollars and not supporting tax increases when we are not spending responsibly.
3. Supporting policies that will make our schools safer for our students and teachers.
4. Supporting the addition of vocational and technical programs to give students a wide variety of career options after high school.
Campaign website: www.MelodyBolduc.com
Campaign social media: Facebook
Sarah Mannion
Occupation: Attorney
Age: 38
Family: Married to my husband, Charles, for 15 years, Mom to 3 children - 2 daughters, ages 19 and 8; 1 son, age 4. 1 Lab Mix - Junebug, age 4 (human years)
Education: B.A., Political Science - University of North Florida
J.D. - Florida Coastal School of Law
Political experience: This is the first public office I’ve run for.
What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?
1. Enrollment and student retention - DCPS schools are seeing decreased enrollment for a variety of reasons. As a school board, we must invest in innovative and creative ideas to retain current students and also attract new students to enroll in DCPS schools. We have to first identify which programs are working and performing well, then market and bolster those programs. We then need to identify if similiar programs would work well in other areas of the county and if so, implement those. If not, what needs are not being met and how can we met those needs.
2. Budgetary concerns for the district - We need enrollment to increase revenues but in the short term, we must find thoughtful and equitable ways to reduce the projected budget deficits. While it is clear that changes must be made to the current plan, we need to evaluate all available options before deciding to close schools. We also need to review our bidding processes and contracts to determine how costs can be reduced for the benefit of all students, staff and taxpayers.
3. Retaining and supporting teachers - We need to ensure that we are supporting our educators. They not only deserve increased salaries and benefits but more autonomy and respect for the incredibly hard work that they do every day. While we also need to focus on recruiting teachers, retaining our teachers are equally as important so that new teachers have mentors and the support systems they need to grow and excel in their profession.
How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?
As an attorney, my areas of practice include real estate and bankruptcy. I have helped many individuals and families in our city overcome crisis and difficulties. I understand complex financial structures and contracts. I have also served on, and lead, boards of nonprofits and understand the governance and policy-making functions of a board. Additionally, I am a product of DCPS schools from K-12 and attended 3 schools in District 7. I am a mother of 3 children - 1 of which is a graduate and another in elementary school. I have seen, both as a student, parent and engaged volunteer, the impact, opportunities and challenges that our schools face.
What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?
I would hope to be remembered for being an effective public servant, for putting the needs of students, teachers and staff above politics and for helping to grow our district. I would hope to be remembered for doing the right thing and working with others to provide the best outcomes possible for every student.
Campaign website: www.sarahforschoolboard7.com
Campaign social media: Facebook