A dozen applicants vying for open school board seat

The School Board of Manatee County will soon have an open seat, and at least a dozen residents are interested in the position.

Karen Carpenter, who is moving to Massachusetts to be closer to her family, will vacate her seat on Thursday. Gov. Rick Scott will be appointing a replacement to fill her position and serve the remainder of her term, which runs through 2018. There is not a statutory time frame for filling the seat, a spokesperson for the appointment office said, and vacant seats are filled at Scott’s discretion.

According to Kerri Wyland, a spokeswoman with Scott’s office, 12 people have applied for the appointment:

John Bacon

Who he is: A retired school administrator and a former superintendent for the Barre Supervisory Union School District in Barre City, Vermont, Bacon moved here for retirement in 2015.

Why he is applying: Bacon said he has 35 years of experience working with Title 1 schools, developing curriculum, managing finances and developing policy.

Quote: “I’m feeling as though I have all this knowledge and experience, and I’m not using it. It sounds as though Manatee School District is struggling, and I could help it out.”

Richard Conard

Who he is: He helped establish the emergency medical services program in the county, and the medical-dental building on the East Campus of Manatee Technical College is named for him.

Why he is applying: He says his experience in real estate and construction will help the board as it enters a phase of building three new schools.

Quote: He said the school board’s decision on teacher salaries — which increased teacher pay steps but withheld retroactive pay — appeared to be a “cram-down of their throats” by the administration. “It did not seem to be handled correctly,” Conard said.

Mary Foreman

Who she is: Foreman is one of the original members of the school district’s audit committee, a volunteer task force that keeps a close eye on the district’s finances, and she is a certified public accountant with her own firm.

Why she is applying: Foreman said she is concerned the district is headed toward another fiscal cliff, and that after years of closely observing the finances, she wants to help steer spending decisions.

Quote: “The reserve fund is being reduced every year. I just think we are getting too close and that concerns me. And they really do have to do something about the teacher compensation.”

Esperanza Gamboa

Who she is: Gamboa has worked as the coordinator of the farmworker career development program at Manatee Technical College for 19 years.

Why she is applying: Gamboa said she has developed close contacts with businesses through her years working in career development, and she believes those contacts, along with her knowledge of the community, will be vital in helping establish programs and partnerships to help students succeed.

Quote: “I know the challenges we have with education these days and preparing the workforce of the future. I’d like to work really closely with the families. We have to have a partnership with the families to help them help their children to achieve the best education and the goals.”

Corie Holmes

Who he is: A former sheriff’s deputy and current safety and training officer for the school district’s transportation department, Holmes has run unsuccessful campaigns for county commission three times, and in November 2016 he announced he will run in 2018 for the District 6 at-large seat in 2018, challenging incumbent Carol Whitmore.

Why he is applying: Holmes said being born and raised in Manatee County gives him a unique perspective on the issues here. He said if he was appointed it would not conflict with his planned 2018 campaign for commissioner.

Quote: “There’s a lot more to be done. Being on the inside and having the institutional knowledge that I have, I’m born and raised here, so I know a lot of the local political issues.”

Janet Kerley

Who she is: A former Manatee County teacher and principal, Kerley also was a reporter for nine years at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Why she is applying: Kerley said she is concerned by Manatee County’s teacher pay, the cybersecurity breach that led to the release of 7,700 employees’ personal information and the exodus of teachers and administrators from Manatee to Sarasota. She said her background as a reporter taught her to ask the right questions and form the big picture based on facts.

Quote: “As a principal I had to make a lot of hard decisions. You have to do that on the school board.”

Dana Moss

Who she is: A former police officer in Raleigh, N.C., Moss is now a criminal defense attorney married to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office homicide investigator.

Why she is applying: Moss said her years on the police force and now in criminal law have given her a firsthand look at how the violence and the opioid epidemic have impacted children, and she wants to bring that experience to the board.

Quote: “We only have limited tax dollars and we have competing interests. My goal is to stay involved, listen to all the sides and see if we can come up with the best solutions.”

Nancy Sanders

Who she is: Sanders is a former Sarasota County teacher and principal who worked in public, private and charter schools.

Why she is applying: Sanders said she did not plan to run for the seat when Carpenter’s term expires in 2018. She said during her time on the board she hopes to keep the board’s focus on children by emphasizing relations with the parents of students with special needs and expanding vocational training for students who do not plan to attend college.

Quote: “I believe one of the most important relationships in a school district is that between teacher and student. As a school board member, I will work every day to see that teachers as well as support staff have the resources necessary to meet all the needs of all our children.”

Jason Schiessl

Who he is: Schiessl teaches fine arts at Southeast High School.

Why he is applying: Schiessl said other candidates represent special interests, but that, as a teacher, he brings a genuine concern for the school system.

Quote: “I think there are a lot of people that maybe have some specific motives or some opinions that might not necessarily be the best to address what’s facing our district. I’m personally and professionally invested in what’s going on here.”

Misty Servia

Who she is: Servia, a certified planner, ran for the District 3 seat on the school board in 2016 and lost to Dave Miner.

Why she is applying: Servia said her desire to restore public trust in the school board remains strong. Although she lost to Miner last fall, she has been a regular presence at all board meetings, and she said she didn’t hesitate to submit her name once she learned of the opening.

Quote: “My interest has not waned at all since losing the election. There was not one ounce of indecision.”

Edward Viltz

Who he is: A former executive and Title 1 school consultant who lost in the 2016 election to current board member Gina Messenger, Viltz said he also established the first wireless internet lab for an African secondary school, in Livingston, Zambia.

Why he is applying: Viltz said slipping school grades and concerns over financial management motivated him to apply for the open seat.

Quote: “Fundamentally I think we need to focus on better utilization of tax payer dollars. I think we can find ways to be a lot more productive.”

Charles Tokarz

He also has applied but could not be reached for comment.

Those interested in applying for the appointment can learn about the process and apply at www.flgov.com/appointments/.

This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 4:13 PM with the headline "A dozen applicants vying for open school board seat."