August 22, 2022
On top of selecting sparkly new school supplies and backpacks this year, Collier County residents will be voting for three new school board members at the upcoming School Board Primary election taking place on August 23.
Eleven candidates are running for three seats to be filled in Districts 1, 3, and 5. Voters can opt for one candidate in each district that will serve a 4-year rotating term. If a candidate in their respective district attains more than 50% of the vote on Primary Day, a winner will be declared. If no candidate reaches the 50% threshold, a winner will be declared by a simple majority in the General Election on November 8th.
The scope of duties that a school board member performs is wide-ranging. From making decisions about curriculum, to creating and upholding board policies, to managing fiscal responsibilities. The way that these responsibilities are prioritized often determines the academic success and achievement of Collier students. The members of the school board have the ability to influence the quality of education and impact the lives of students within their county.
A candidate’s morals and stance on pressing issues can determine what changes are going to be made if they are elected to serve on the board. Candidates that have held other positions of leadership or have been involved in the community have their accomplishments to speak for them. Each candidate has also published their own websites to share their bios, individual platforms, and ideas. In an effort to help facilitate Collier County voters making informed decisions, The Wave has provided a link to each candidate’s campaign website.
The candidates running in the primary for the Collier County school board in District 1 are incumbent Jory Westbury, Kimberly Boobyer, and Jerry Rutherford. The seat in District 3 will be filled by one of the candidates running in the primary for the Collier County School Board, incumbent Jen Mitchell, Jana Greer, and Kelly Lichter. The final seat to be filled in District 5 will fall between incumbent Roy Terry III, Arthur Boyer, Jackie Keay, Timothy Moshier, and Ana Turino.
District 1 Candidates
The current Collier School Board Vice Chair, Jory Westberry, has her doctorate in education, has previously served as both a middle and elementary teacher, a vice principal, and was principal at Tommie Barfield Elementary before being elected to the board on August 28, 2018. She has extensive experience working alongside the school board and she compares her experience to her opponents who ‘have no classroom or long term school employment of record’. Her experience within education outweighs that of her competitors.
Westberry has stated where she stands on many pressing issues and topics. She has also acknowledged the urgency to hire a new superintendent after Kamela Patton’s exit. Westberry describes the demand for a superintendent capable of maintaining “the “A” status” and keeping “the fringe political influence out of our school system”. As someone who worked closely within the education system and later school administration, Westberry says her opponents are “closely tied to local organizations with extreme bias towards what they think should be in schools, not aligned with what educators and education experts think.”
Student safety is another main focus of Westberry’s and she states that in terms of school safety “Collier County far outpaces many other districts.” Collier Schools have made it a mandatory practice to regularly conduct safety drills and instruct students how to react in the event of a real threat. Westberry supports the increased security and protection that is enforced to ensure the safety of students in Collier County schools. The safety of students is first priority and electing a candidate that will act in the best interest of teachers and students is crucial.
Kimberly Boobyer is a high school graduate and a golf coach through Collier County’s First Tee Program. She also has been a volunteer with the special Olympics. She is running in an effort to change the amount of parental involvement in education and represent the school board in ways she deems fit. Boobyer is an advocate for Parental Rights in Education and she shares that she wants to ensure a parent’s fundamental rights “to determine the upbringing, education, medical and mental health of their child”.
Relevant topics of discussion and pressing issues facing the school board such as gun control in schools and the increased demand for school security are also things Boobyer has taken a stance on. Boobyer believes in the importance of school safety and specifically the Florida legislation that raises the legal age of gun ownership from 18 to 21. She shares that she doesn’t “believe that Florida gun control laws need to go any further”, nor does she “believe that schools should ever be labeled as a gun free zone.”
While the affordable housing crisis is also a pressing issue in Collier County, Boobyer maintains that it “is not the role of the government to provide housing.” Boobyer also points out the launching of Governor Ron Desaintis’s Hometown Heroes Housing Program that offers closing cost assistance and down payment for first-time home buyers like teachers, police officers, and nurses. She adds that “CCPS has available programs highlighted on their website for new employees as well as current employees to deal with affordable housing,”
Also a high school graduate, and the last candidate for the District 1 primary election, Jerry Rutherford’s professional background includes substitute teaching in Collier for three years and working as a painting contractor in Naples. Rutherford was previously a member and chairman of the Chiristian Coalition of Collier County. Rutherford aims to eliminate “poor educational practices.” According to Rutherford’s campaign website, “Leftists afflict others using illogical arguments with their own terms invading our schools system. When in fact, they are attacking gender and truth with their own cys-phobic ideology.”.
Rutherford has taken his stance on many issues he deems a priority to the school board and he shares what he plans to do if he is elected. When asked what his thoughts are on the limited LGBTQ discussions in schools and new legislation he shares that it is still being explored how they will ‘address these particular organizations’ and the ‘special interest LGBTQ groups which are targeting the students on campuses’.
Rather than subsidized housing or specially arranged housing, Rutherford believes that a more effective solution is a pay raise for teachers. “If the teachers are paid a livable wage, it is not necessary for elected officials to intervene on how/where they live as they can afford housing,“.
Districts 3 Candidates
Jen Mitchell is the current School Board Chair and is running for reelection against candidates Jana Greer and Kelly Lichter. Mitchell has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and has previously worked as a teacher within Collier. Mitchell currently works as a local realtor and she’s worked alongside and volunteered with Collier County extensively. Mitchell’s involvement with CCPS allowed her to be a part of the Champions for Learning Connect now Project and later the CCPS Strategic Plan.
Mitchell describes her qualifications for the position and discusses how her familiarity with both business and the school system would make her a better candidate. Mitchell shares that the quality of our schools is often “the first thing clients new to the area ask about, as it directly affects property values.” Property values are dictated by the School Board and a well-run school system means greater prices and property values. Those involved in the housing market or real estate are affected by the property values and prices making their vote crucial.
Jana Greer is a high school graduate and a Doula with a background in massage therapy. She has worked with the Collier County ESE students advisory board and she is a very active member in church. In her campaign Greer expresses the importance of conservative values and she shares that she is “a bold defender of freedom, opportunity, and American Exceptionalism” [sic]. Her goals as a member of the board include re-introducing “American values back in America’s classrooms.”
As a parent of students in Collier County, Greer is very involved in her children’s education and feels that other parents should be involved in their child’s education too. She feels that it is important to “keep the government out of classrooms, and give the power back to parents.” Greer plans to advance parent involvement in classrooms and provide avenues for parents to oversee their child’s education.
Greer asserts that CCPS curriculum needs to be realigned because “children are being taught Critical Race Theory and that gender is a made-up concept, yet the Bible is considered inappropriate.” The curriculum Greer envisions teaches students the Constitution and the principles of the Founding Fathers. Greer also stresses that the curriculum students are currently being taught teaches them “a revisionist history of America that’s twisted to fit a dangerous left-wing worldview.”
Kelly Lichter has a Bachelor’s degree in history from Baldwin Wallace College and a Masters degree in Social Media Education from Nova Southeastern University. Lichter is Mason Classical Academy’s current board president. She has previously taught U.S. History, Economics, and Government at the high school level, and has previously worked with special needs children. Lichter served on the Collier County School Board from 2014 to 2018 and she is running to “get back in the race and make some major changes.”
Lichter provides a detailed agenda for her plans if elected to the board in her campaign. She is taking the initiative to maintain fiscal responsibility and make wise financial decisions with the board’s ‘bloated’ budget of $ 1.3 billion dollars. Lichter proposes that the school board should “develop a five-year budget plan that includes a 5% shift each year from administrative expenses to teacher salaries and student-related expenses.” This plan would refocus the board’s expenses and limit the amount of money being used for goals apart from academic achievements in schools.
Lichter greatly values educators and students and she deems it necessary that the District works to “eliminate the unnecessary burdens and stressors placed on our educators”. Greer strives to rid teachers of unnecessary responsibilities and eliminate all causes of “teacher-burnout, low moral and high-turnover”. Attracting and retaining teachers is a current concern to the school board and Lichter aims to minimize this.
District 5 Candidates
Roy Terry is a member of the Collier school board in District 5 and he is seeking to serve his fourth term. Terry has a Master’s degree in Education and his past experience within Collier includes serving as a teacher, coach, athletic director, assistant principal, and principal. Moreover, Terry serves as the President of Greater Florida Consortium of School Boards, a member of the Collier County Education Foundation Board of Directors, President of the Rotary Club of Immokalee, and an active member of his church. Terry is re-running to “solidify and improve” the momentum of the board and continue making “very positive strides”.
Terry hopes to continue making accomplishments in the interest of teachers and students and he shares that if he is re-elected the district will stay on track to be debt-free by 2026. According to Terry, the cash payment for the construction of the new school will “save taxpayers approximately $41M in interest payments.” Terry also plans to continue overseeing the budget and holding “annual departmental budget meetings” where the board will “conduct a line-by-line review and justification of each budgeted item”.
Arthur Boyer holds a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership and he has worked as an educator for nearly two decades. Since moving to Immokalee from Port Au Prince, Haiti, Boyer has become the CEO of the education, leadership, and life coaching firm, Boyer Multidisciplinary Consulting. Boyer shares his vision in his campaign which is to “seek, serve and defend the success of our current and future students for the greater good of Collier County.”
Boyer takes a strong stance against opponent Tim Moshier on his campaign site stating that the Collier County School Board deserves better than “the Moshier Campaign’s antisemitism.” Boyer is a strong advocate for eliminating the school-to-prison system that he believes is destroying students in District 5. He aims to limit “antisemitic rhetoric” and “forms of discrimination” that he says contribute the number of physical violence incidents in schools. Moshier plans to do this by voting against all political agenda that would “jeopardize the safety and security” of schools, students, and teachers in Collier. Boyer states that there is no home for hate in Collier County and he strives for “more high school diplomas and fewer mugshots.”
Jackie Keay was born in the Bahamas and moved to Naples with her immigrant father. Keay graduated from Lely High School and enlisted in the Army. She has a Master’s degree in Psychology and taught at Mason Classical Academy for two years. She extensively volunteered with organizations including Habitat for Humanity and she has served on the board of Audubon Western Everglades. Keay has brought the affordable housing crisis and issues related to mental health to the attention of the School Board, the City Council, the Collier County Veterans Council, and the Board of County Commissioners
Keay is very passionate about the safety and security of Collier students and she aims to increase academic success by building a positive school climate and a safe space for students to share their concerns. She expresses that this can be achieved by ensuring that “all school staff and employees are trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid.” Keay believes that it is also imperative to have a “trained mental health professional” physically on site to handle mental health crises.
Timothy Moshier graduated from Northwood University in Midland Michigan before starting a truck detailing company and a building restoration company. Moshier has been in the trucking business for almost three decades and he serves on the Everglades City Code Compliance Board as well as the Ochopee Fire Control District Advisory Committee. Moshier is running because he believes that “children are our most precious asset”.
Moshier’s campaign website does not illustrate any platforms or ideas for CCPS; rather, it is essentially a biography. Moshier has been recently involved in controversy with his campaign manager’s antisemitic social media post that spurred backlash. The post itself promoted antisemantic views and ideas surrounding Jews. Moshier became involved when someone with access to his public Instagram account responded to a message stating that his campaign manager is “unbelievably racist and antisemetic” and that Moshier should reconsider her place in the campaign. Moshier’s account responded stating that “she is not wrong and we will not be reconsidering her position.” No further investigations have been conducted.
Ana Turino is an Education student at Nova Southeastern University and currently works through a nonprofit as a tutor for kids in the foster care system. Turino previously worked in education in Miami Dade County, and currently works in six of the seventeen schools in Collier County. Turino is active in church and Columbiette, an organization partnering with the Knights of Columbus to raise money for abused women and children.
Turino says she is the best candidate based upon her “experience in education and my insight to what is currently happening in our schools.” Turino promises that “she will be the voice and protector of parent rights” and vows to ensure parental involvement in schools within the district. Furthermore, she also ensures that students are protected from “inappropriate materials, media and CRT” that may be in curriculum or materials taught to students.
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Sophia Lowrie is a senior at Marco Island Academy and the Executive Editor for The Wave. She loves baking and cooking for friends and family and reading...
