We Interrupt School Board News for What's Happening in Mayberry
Something eeeeassssy we can all do - whether we're an Aunt Bee or a Gomer Pyle
Well golllyyyyyyy.
We are living in what will be called historic times. Trevor Noah, the comedian, asks us in his Netflix special “Joy in the Trenches”: “What role can you say you played?”
So many have attended protests, made campaign contributions and volunteered for their party by hitting the ground or making calls for our candidates.
There’s possibly an equal amount of people who want to be a part of the change, but they’re overwhelmed and paralyzed. That is understandable.
There is a way out of the wet cement by taking baby steps.
Find a candidate you want to support and go to their website.
You’ll get contact information and links to ways you can play a role in getting them elected.
If you even help get a petition signed or place a sign up in your yard, you’ve contributed.
There are different organizations you can join - including the League of Women Voters. The Sarasota County chapter makes contributing doable and (dare I say?) fun.
Beth Mayberry who is running for the Sarasota School Board (District 5), needs our help. While close to her goal of over 3,000 petitions that are required to be signed, more signatures are needed. Candidates in all races either get on the ballot by paying a hefty fee or gathering signatures.
This link will take you to a petition form. Print it out, fill it out and then mail it in to the address on the petition. You must be a resident of Sarasota County. These go straight to the Supervisor of Elections office and if you want to hear from the Mayberry team, you would have to contact them. This is simply to get her name on the ballot. You are not committing. However, this isn’t the time to procrastinate. Get on it immediately.
If you find this task easy, then print out some more and see if you can get your friends or co-workers to sign. You are officially out of the wet cement.
Why Mayberry for School Board
Every time I’ve heard her speak, I’m moved. When I read her posts on Facebook, I can relate. She is all of us, yet with the know-how to make a real difference in keeping public schools in Sarasota the best education one can get in Florida.
When I ask myself: “What role can I play during these historic times that we’re living in?” It begins with awareness. Once we can pinpoint what’s needed, we can be the drop of water in the bucket that puts out the fire.
This is from a speech Mayberry gave at a Democratic Women’s Club of Sarasota Meet the Candidate forum. She began by thanking the full house in attendance:
I have felt embraced and uplifted by everyone - and that is what I hope for our public schools and our children.
I’ve lived here since the Celery fields actually had celery growing in it and Fruitville road had fruit. Hard to believe that’s over 50 years.
I’ve done a lot of things. I was a certified financial planner, owned my own business and taught here in Sarasota for 14 years. I retired from teaching middle school a year ago. When I was young, I used to get teased about my name - back when Andy Griffith was on TV, and the town of Mayberry was showcased in black and white on our TV’s.
I do think I have something in common with old Andy and Aunt Bee- that’s small town values. Helping our neighbors, caring for sick members of the community, and wanting all our children to do well, be safe, and excel in life. Also, like Andy, I believe that it is our individual duty to take positive action and protect the things we love.
Public schools are under attack. Tallahassee and our School Board majority are trying to strangle the public schools by defunding them and enacting a form of corporate welfare by siphoning off taxpayer funding to private corporations and individuals - offering less opportunity for our working-class families. Sadly, I feel as if a large part of that Sarasota has been torn apart by the divisiveness we see in our politics.
How we change that is by taking back our institutions like our schools and reminding people in the community that the children are the future.
First, we need to make sure our schools are properly funded and that the money they get goes to the things that help our children excel.
Second, we need to make sure that every area in the school is safe, from bullying in the hallways to fights in the bathrooms. (and)
Third, we need to remind our community the excellence of our schools, by showcasing what our children are learning, the dedication of our staff, and the importance of including all of our children, every day.
Our school budget has been impacted by the changes made in Tallahassee. A program that was meant to allow low-income children who really needed specific programs, to attend private schools using public money, was drastically changed two years ago.
This program, called the Florida Empowerment Scholarship (also known as school vouchers) only allowed lower income families to use taxpayer money to pay for private schools or homeschooling for specific circumstances.
In 2023, Tallahassee eliminated the income cap for families to receive the vouchers. Today, families who don’t need the money can get those dollars, and use them for private education or home schooling, with virtually no accountability. The big corporations that run private schools are making big profits. This is how public education dollars are being siphoned off to private companies.
In addition, there is a company that does all the paperwork for these vouchers that taxpayers like yourselves, paid over $100 million to for “managing” the voucher program. They have potentially mismanaged about $2.8 billion.
Sarasota County alone had 246 students that came back to public schools after receiving the voucher money. It took more than 18 months for the district to recover the cost for those students - over $2 million dollars. Lastly, our County Commissioners allowed our new County Tax Collector Mike Moran, to assess an annual fee of about 2.5 million dollars this year, taking that money away from our public schools. That alone could have kept 25 teachers in the classroom.
We need to give our public schools the resources they need to do the job we expect them to do. That takes serious and responsible people on the school board and in Tallahassee who believe in public education. We can’t afford to lose good teachers or families to bad budget decisions.
As a Certified Financial Planner, I helped plan big purchases and investments for families. As a small business owner, I had to be realistic about how I spent my money, and when I saved it. I am the only one in my race with the financial understanding and experience to look at the budget and make sure we are not spending money on things that teachers, staff or students don’t need; And the only one running for District 5 that has any classroom experience or long-term public school experience for children.
Safety
Schools need to be safe in every location. Bathrooms are unmonitored areas which create numerous problems in our high schools and some of our middle schools. Not only are there kids there vaping substances like nicotine and pot, but there are also kids doing harder drugs, and selling vapes. . .
Children shouldn’t be afraid to go to the bathroom, and we should be leveraging any technology that impacts our ability to help our students who might be suffering from addiction - whether that is from nicotine, pot, or harder drugs. The DFY kids and (school board member) Tom Edwards have done tremendous work to get the Youth Vaping Task Force, as well as implementing other technology to help solve this problem - at least in North Port. But next time, the board majority needs to listen to our kids and parents more quickly.
We need to invite our amazing community in - instead of shutting them out. Soliciting our community, staff, students and parents for creative solutions may begin solving our school district’s problems and unless we see changes in Tallahassee, we will need all of those creative solutions. And we’ll need all the volunteers we can get, now that we have lost teachers and staff.
Inviting our community in, celebrating our school communities and showcasing our kids, builds connections, and real connections brings caring. Together, we can bring joy back to the school board meetings.
My experience as a CFP as well as my 14 years teaching here has given me expertise to know how to dissect the budget, and what teachers and staff need to help our kids excel in school. I am not driven by ego, I have no ambition to any other office, and I’m not a perennial political candidate like my opponent- I just love my community and the children growing up here. I want them to realize their dreams in an engaged, focused and sustainable way. Please vote for change on August 18th .
The first step is always the most difficult. These historic times are calling for all of us to use our voices and demonstrate our desire to preserve Democracy through action.
Everyone starts somewhere. Let us know what role you played.
Beth Mayberry’s website is here.
We have enjoyed getting to know candidates for the Sarasota school board in other districts, including Megan Tennimon. Displaying a clever sense of humor and a speedy feel for what is needed to create excitement for the public schools, her optimistic personality is exactly what this community needs. Her website is here.
Jimmy Glover was one of the first candidates to announce a run and he hasn’t stopped moving yet. In an upcoming interview, we’re going to get to know Glover. From his athletic glory days in public school to a spectacular career, where he has to demonstrate leadership, and on some days talk to as many as 1,000 people a day.
The father of four children - with one in the Sarasota public schools - Glover discusses the first time he laid eyes on his wife. He also jokes about the time he just missed partying with Prince. His compelling stories form an everlasting connection and an assurance that he’s the right man for the job at the right time. Glover’s website provides more information, but there is nothing better than talking to him in person.
Thank you for your powerful exclamation that "These historic times are calling for all of us to use our voices and demonstrate our desire to preserve Democracy through action.
As a political scientist who has spent 60 years toiling in the democracy fields, I couldn't have said it better myself. Three cheers to you, Bubbie.
Thanks for all you do, my friend. You are using your gifts for good. What else can anyone wish for?