Leon County school board, superintendent candidates debate equity in local forum

Candidates for Leon County Schools superintendent and board seats answered some critical questions about how the district can support Black students and families during a forum hosted by the Tallahassee branch of the NAACP.

Mutaqee Akbar, president of the NAACP Tallahassee branch, said constituents should make an informed vote from candidates they actually hear from, not just because they tout diversity in campaign ads.

He said the Black vote requires more than just a photo op; it needs a firm backing of action: "We're not just listening for tonight; we're listening for accountability."

The three superintendent candidates; incumbent Rocky Hanna and challengers Star Swain and Joe Burgess, were present at the forum, as well as current board member Rosanne Wood and candidate Jeremy Rogers.

Wood's challenger for the District 2 seat, Daniel Zeruto, and Rogers' opponent in District 4, incumbent Laurie Lawson Cox, were absent. The forum was attended by at least 50 community members at the Watson Temple Church of God in Christ on West Brevard Street.

Leon County Schools is a minority-majority district, meaning the majority of its students identify as minority races. At the latter end of each question was a request to relate the issue or concerns of voters back to Black students.

On equity for Title I schools

A majority of students at Title I schools are eligible for free or reduced lunch, signaling that most of them come from low-income backgrounds. These schools also receive federal money to help give a quality education to students teetering on the poverty line.

"A lot of our Title I schools have a high percentage of African American students and families, and so what tends to happen is we see that decrease of academic achievement in our African American communities because we're not giving them the same quality of education and instruction," Swain said. "I want to make sure we eliminate the disparities."

LCS schools showed modest gains in state assessment results this year, however some of the lowest scores were recorded at Title 1 schools like Sabal Palm Elementary, and Godby and Rickards high schools.

In an effort to provide equity to southside schools, the district will be spending over $180 million on capital improvements at Title I schools.

Over the next three years, those schools will have state of the art renovations, like a renovated gym at Nims Middle, a new classroom wing at Griffin Middle and a new performing arts center at Sabal Palm Elementary, to name a few.

More: 'Equity for our Southside schools': Leon County public schools start on improvements

"That was a promise I made in this community, I'm proud along with the school board to have delivered on that promise," Hanna said.

Another hot button issue on equity in public schools has been the state's universal voucher program which was recently expanded to include all income classes.

"They can cherry pick, they don't have to take kids with disabilities, they don't necessarily have to take kids of color, they get to make up their own rules and still receive public tax dollars," Hanna said of the private schools that accept state vouchers.

But closing the equity gap is more than just protesting vouchers and renovating old schools, Burgess said: It's about supporting students with a quality education.

"People leave if they don't think they're getting what they need with you," Burgess said. "We need to make sure we are giving our best effort, and educational quality when it comes to our families, especially those in African American communities so they know they can depend on their local public schools."

Rogers took the chance to make a jab at Cox in her absence while discussing the voucher program, which has received the backing of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is endorsing Cox.

"You can't hate the families for wanting the choice, but I can tell you what, my opponent and her buddy Ron DeSantis, they've got it out for public schools," Rogers said. "You know who's going to end up in the public schools? The marginalized and the poor. You know who's not here? My opponent to talk about these issues."

Rogers insinuated that Cox was in North Carolina on "vacation." She confirmed to the Tallahassee Democrat that she is in North Carolina working as a counselor for an all-girls summer camp. She did attend the Democrat's forum in collaboration with the League of Women Voters and WFSU last month.

How to foster economic development and career readiness in Black students

Wood said the most important thing to her is for students to graduate knowing what they want to do after high school: "I want to make sure every hand that I shake on that graduation stage, that they know what they're going to do."

Every high school, including Chiles High School where Burgess is principal, has at least three career and technical education programs.

"We are trying as hard as we can to get rid of this stigma that is associated with career technical jobs," Hanna said.

Hanna said offering CTE programs ensures that students who may not be able to afford college, or don't want to attend, can still have their foot in the door for a career somewhere.

"All kids don't have that destiny and they're not failures if they don't do that," Hanna said. "It's incumbent upon us to show kids all these other job opportunities that are out there."

Swain said the district can improve career readiness by partnering with local businesses and teaching financial literacy.

"We need to be sure that we're giving them the power to be entrepreneurs," said Swain, also a small business owner. "We're not just teaching them how to be an employee but how do I become the employer and change my community."

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3 .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County school board, superintendent candidates debate equity in local forum