August 22, 2022
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,“.
Your donation will help support not only the student Journalism and Yearbook clubs at Marco Island Academy, but as well as any new equipment, club improvements, and annual website hosting costs.
