The District 2 school board race explained, Vote Andersen and experience over Howland and Hubris

District 2

In District 2 we have former DCPS teacher and current mental health counselor Elizabeth Anderson going against Navy veteran and businessman Nick Howland. Before I continue you should know the corporate reform movement hardly ever supports teachers preferring to go with the businessmen to lead our schools a pattern you will see when we discuss the other two races.

In the Primary, Elizabeth Andersen raised 6,845 dollars while Howland took in 56,559 dollars or more than all the other candidates, 4, combined.

Andersen went on to spend $5,236.99 and received 4,823 votes for $1.09 a vote. Nick Howland spent $51,496 dollars or nearly ten times as much and received 6,678 votes for a cost of $7.72 per vote. I am told he spent 17 thousand on his commercial, where he touted that he was a conservative businessman which should have raised flags for many, as school board races are supposed to be nonpartisan because what is best for our children is supposed to transcend political ideology. Howland however has taken every opportunity he could to let people know he is a republican even having the republican party of Jacksonville canvas for him.

This however wasn’t Howland’s only questionable decision.  He also accepted a defacto endorsement from the Seaside Charter school when he accepted an invitation to the ribbon cutting ceremony where they proceeded to push his candidacy for the school board. Public schools and nonprofits are not supposed to engage in political activities but that did not stop the Seaside charter school and Nick Howland.

Howland then used misleading and false data to push his narrative that DCPS schools are not safe, claiming if we continued the way they were going then 1 in 11 of all students would be a victim. When the blog education matter pointed out what he was doing he changed his campaign web page but made no mention of the mistake he repeated for months.   

His campaign site on August 7^th.

His campaign site currently.

Notice the numbers are different? What you won't find is an oops, sorry got the years and numbers wrong.

Now you might be saying, well the sentiment is the same, but he only changed his page after a blog pointed out he had the numbers and year wrong. That means for months he went out saying something that was at best wrong. With no effort on his part to get things right.

Isn't getting things right important? Isn't using data correctly important? The Times Union reported that it’s a small percentage of kids that are constantly in trouble and getting in fights but that probably wouldn’t sell as well on the stump.

 http://www.jacksonville.com/news/20180313/same-small-group-of-duval-students-causes-most-discipline-woes-district-says

Now if Howland would have said our discipline has been bad, or one fight let alone several thousand is to many I would agree, though to be honest that's not a plan to fix things, but he is saying, if this trend continues, nearly 1 of every 11 students could be a victim every year.  He's saying that to scare people because he thinks scared people will vote for him.

Howland received the maximum contribution from 30 people or companies and the Times Union reported that he received money from several PACS and many of his donors are known to support charters and private school scholarships. 

Perhaps what is most remarkable is Nick Howland’s resume is nearly identical to the current school board member Scott Shine whose resume was nearly identical to his predecessors Fred “Fel” Lee.  All are wealthy business men who nibbled on the edges of public service having never been elected but having served on various boards and none having anything approaching relevant education experience. 

If Howland really cared about our schools he would drop out and let Andersen the professional educator and mental health counselor ascend to the board. It's hubris however that keeps him going as he says, I'll give that a try, a sentiment the last two representatives form district 2 had and we see how poorly that worked out. Our children deserve better and District 2 desperately needs experience over hubris.

Finally, the other candidates for the district 2 school board seat, Shannon Beckham, Casey Ayers and Sam Hall have all rallied behind Elizabeth Andersen and her uniquely qualified background, being both a former teacher and a current mental health counselor in an era when schools are finally starting to take mental health seriously.