What you need to know about who’s running for the Broward School Board elections
The Nov. 8 ballot in Broward County will include eight candidates for the School Board, but the elections could also affect the job of a ninth person: Superintendent Vickie Cartwright.
That’s because recently, the board unanimously reprimanded her on a plethora of issues and ordered her to improve in 90 days. The board’s decision came after some members openly called for her dismissal.
Depending on who wins the upcoming elections, Cartwright’s future could be safer or more at risk. The nine-member board supervises the district and its top executive. Cartwright, 52, first rose to the role as interim in July 2021; she became the official superintendent in February.
READ MORE: Broward School Board abstains from firing superintendent, gives her 90 days to improve
On Tuesday voters will fill four district spots — District 1, District 5, District 6 and District 8 at large — all races that advanced to runoff elections from the Aug. 23 primaries.
The change of guard will mean four members hand-picked by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, will leave the School Board of the most Democratic county in the state after only a few months helping lead it.
DeSantis appointed three of the four — Ryan Reiter, Manuel “Nandy” Serrano and Kevin Tynan — in August, too late for them to qualify for the November ballot. He appointed the fourth, Daniel Foganholi, in April. He chose not to run.
READ MORE: DeSantis appointees sworn into Broward School Board; new chair, vice chair named
The fifth DeSantis appointee who joined the board in August, Torey Alston, will stay there for two more years. He’s the current chair of the board. He replaced a member whose term ends in 2024.
But in District 8, DeSantis could get the chance to appoint someone else if Donna Korn, a former member and one of the candidates, prevails.
Here’s what you need to know about that race and the others:
District 1
The next District 1 representative could be Marie Murray Martin, a teacher, or Rodney “Rod” Velez, a real-estate property manager. In the primaries, Velez, 51, garnered about 41 percent of the votes and Murray Martin, 58, secured about 35 percent.
A local from Hollywood Hills, Murray Martin used to be a newspaper reporter and now teaches reading, film and journalism at Apollo Middle School.
She’s the daughter of Ann Murray, who chose not to seek reelection after 14 years representing District 1, which includes the cities of Hallandale Beach, Hollywood and Dania Beach. Murray Martin has two sons and one daughter, all over the age of 18.
As a former classroom teacher, she wants to advocate for safer schools, improve student learning and raise wages for all staff. As of Thursday, she has raised $23,600.
Velez grew up in Key West, but moved to Hollywood to graduate from high school and then stayed in the area. He’s a longtime employee of Continental Fidelity Corporation, a management and development company.
He’s running because his two sons attend Broward public schools, and he believes the district lacks communication and transparency.
He’s seeking to expand education on school safety through mental health programs and better relationships with law enforcement officers in schools. He also wants to fix the delayed construction plans in the district.
“I want to use my 20-plus-years’ experience in construction to bring a sorely needed expertise to the bond and capital programs,” he said.
As of Thursday, he has raised $33,600.
District 5
Ruth Carter-Lynch, 69, and Jeff Holness, 50, will compete in the District 5 race Tuesday. Holness qualified for the runoff with about 31 percent of the votes in the primary, Carter-Lynch, with about 24 percent.
A native of Jamaica who now lives in Sunrise, Holness owns the Kumon Math and Reading Center of Coral Springs-South. Before that, he taught at Broward County Public Schools for nearly two decades.
He’s married with two sons in Broward County Public Schools.
Carter-Lynch comes from Mississippi, but now lives in Lauderhill. She owns a consulting firm called R&R Business & Political Consulting.
She’s married with four daughters and 10 grandchildren.
Carter-Lynch based her campaign on three points: higher teacher pay, better mental health initiatives and more effective management of public funding. As of Thursday, she has raised about $58,500.
If he wins, Holness said he would upgrade teacher working conditions and compensation. He also wants to address school safety and mental health efforts.
“Although a lot has been done in Broward in response to the MSD tragedy to address school safety and security, it is an ongoing concern and we must continue to do everything we can to keep our students, teachers and staff safe,” he said, referring to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
He had raised about $38,600 as of Thursday.
District 6
Brenda Fam, an insurance lawyer, and Steven R. Julian, a former high school wrestling coach who’s pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health, advanced to the runoff from the primary.
Fam locked in about 40 percent of the votes, while Julian captured about 45 percent. As of Thursday, Fam has raised about $26,700, and Julian has raised roughly $96,000.
Fam, 61, hails from Pennsylvania and lives in Davie. She’s married with a daughter. As a board member, she said she would prioritize parental rights, student learning and district transparency.
She chose to get involved in public office because “one, parents are frustrated..... Parents concerns are being dismissed.... Two, academic achievement is dismal.”
She also felt inspired to serve after a recent grand jury investigation uncovered corruption, she said.
Julian, 33, was born and raised in Plantation. He works at JT Ventures, a venture capital firm. He aims to increase transparency in district finances, and boost students’ education and safety, he said.
“I am running to do all I can to make our public schools rank among the top in the nation,” he said. “I am invested in this community. Broward County is my home. My wife and I bought and live in my childhood home in South Plantation, where we plan to raise our family.”
District 8 at large
Donna Korn, the suspended incumbent in District 8, faced fierce opposition in the primaries from challenger Allen Zeman, with each garnering about 30 percent of the vote.
Korn, a former English teacher, had represented the entire county in the at-large seat since 2012, serving as board chair in 2014 and 2020. She’s also the managing director of commercial brokerage at Cushman & Wakefield.
She’s the mother of three children attending Broward County Public Schools.
Korn, 51, has said she’s running to continue her line of work at the board, which got derailed in August when Gov. DeSantis suspended her after a damning grand jury report recommended the move. If she wins, DeSantis could suspend her again.
Allen Zeman, 58, was born in Gainesville and grew up in Fort Lauderdale. He owns a consulting firm called Center for Human Capital Innovation.
He’s married and has seven children, three of them enrolled in Broward County Public Schools.
He launched his bid “because education matters” and “because being on this School Board is the best way to match my experience and capabilities with my desire to continue serving my community.”
If he wins, he vowed to improve school security and turn the Broward school district from a “B”-rated one into an “A”-rated one. He will also revolutionize the budget system, he said.
“Right now, the approved next year’s budget will be about a 99% carbon copy of this year’s budget, as if priorities never change,” he said. “The budget review also starts after the start of the school year, so the budget is approved 3 months after the school year starts and cannot affect the spending that has already happened.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 3:34 PM.
