Debbie Gunnoe believes the children of Santa Rosa County deserve the best education possible. She said she’s worked for several years to bring this about. She’s seeking Santa Rosa County School Board District 3’s chair. Gunnoe said she’s the only candidate with a track record of fighting for teachers and students to remove Florida State Standards, (Common Core), from Santa Rosa County’s plan.
“We need to bring parents back to school and be in control,” she said. Gunnoe said parents have told her their children no longer wanted to go to school anymore. They always feel sick, and they believe it’s because of the pressures placed on them.
“I’ve gone to Tallahassee and spoken to the Florida State Board of Education on the matter,” she said.
Gunnoe said she is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, 28 years and has lived in Navarre since 2003 when she was stationed at Hurlburt Field at the Special Operations School.
“I’m still serving my country by fighting for our children,” she said.
Currently, she is working with a Florida legislator to get a bill introduced to bring back local control as the state constitution provides, and doing so without holding funding hostage.
“The state received $700 million in ‘Race to the Top’ grant money. Santa Rosa County received nearly $2.2 million over the past 4 years for Common Core implementation,” she said.
Gunnoe said in receiving the money, the county agreed to implement Common Core with associated standardized testing, tie teacher’s performance to results of standardized testing, expand charter school program, and improve failing schools and data mining.
“It is my plan to get back to true local control. We aren’t living by the constitution because local school boards are being mandated educational programs. Once we have local control, I want to get back to the basics,” she said.
Gunnoe said when she’s elected she wants Santa Rosa County schools to have character and values again.
“I plan on visiting each school regularly, and keeping my door open for everyone,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Debbie Gunnoe seeks District 3 in SRC School Board