This last week, interview questions and requests were sent to all 25 candidates running for local office in Flagler County and Palm Coast. Janie Ruddy, one of the Flagler County School Board Candidates, has sent in her answers to our questions in one of the last interviews before early voting starts on August 10th. The primary is right around the corner, and some local races will be decided during this primary election. You can read our questions in bold, followed by Ms. Ruddy’s answers.
- You are running for Flagler County School board against Derek Barrs; why are you the more qualified candidate? I have been a 21-year resident of Flagler County, have worked in Flagler Schools for 13 years, have 3 children attend its schools, and a husband who is an Assistant Principal of Belle Terre Elementary. I have seen and been a part of numerous changes, some have worked, some not so much. I know our history, the challenges we have overcome, and where we need to go. In addition to my extensive experience in education, I earned a Master’s in Educational Technology and for the last 8 years, I have led professional learning teams that specialize in delivering training to teachers using
software tools. Currently, as Director of n2y, I lead a staff of over 30 and manage forecasts, budgets, and resource utilization to ensure healthy margins. I research and innovate new offerings working with sales teams, marketing, and subject matter experts to make those materials a reality. I have
helped schools across our nation implement effective Professional Development programs based on change leadership strategies. - Some of the schools in Flagler County have just gone up a rating this past year, what are your plans to keep that forward momentum going? I congratulate all schools for their improvements. I do wish to investigate and learn more about how this year’s data and scores were calculated since the assessment, which these scores were based upon, changed. In 2022-2023 the assessment changed from the FSA to the FAST test. Then in 2023-2024, the FAST assessment was changed to an adaptive format. Students answer a question and if their response is correct on that benchmark the student is stepped up to the next difficulty level. When a student’s response is incorrect, they are stepped down a difficulty level. Since much of the school score is based upon student growth, this data needs to be analyzed and then actions to build upon our areas of strength can be created. As a school board member, I plan to promote strategic collaboration, study instructional strategies, and open the ability of service providers to share what resources and policies are needed from district curriculum leadership offices and hold them accountable for fulfilling those needs. I believe this will put Flagler County Schools on the path to the A rating.
- Have you ever been involved in School boards, committees, or other areas of public education that give you an edge in the race for School Board?
- ● Middle Grades Math Teacher – 5 Years
● Middle Grades Science Teacher – 10 Years
● Academic Coach 3 Years supporting teachers in delivering research-based instructional
practices
● Masters of Educational Technology
● School Accreditation Committee
● School Improvement Plan Committees
● Math and Science Curriculum Pacing Guide Development Committee
● FCAT Science Assessment Evaluator
● Florida CPalms Lesson Plan Contributor
● Future Problem Solvers Coach
● Over 240 Hours of Professional Development related to Instructional Strategies
● Achieved National Board Certified Teacher status
● Senior Manager of Learning Services for Instructure, the world’s largest software solution
for classrooms across k12 and higher education. I helped to develop professional
development offerings to support teachers’ and professors’ usage of technology in the
classroom
● Director of Professional Learning Consultation for n2y, LLC a provider of software solutions
for special education teachers. - What are your plans for teacher retention in Flagler County? First, we need to establish some norms around how we air grievances via social media and escalations regarding disagreements with staff. No one is going to remain who is not treated with professional courtesy. Likewise, parents need to be able to have face-to-face access to staff. During back-to-school events after elementary school, many staff are missing opportunities to build trust with parents. The school no longer requires staff to have their rooms open to participating families. Parent-teacher conferences are not held. If we proactively work together and build trust we will assume positive intent when difficult situations arise. The recruitment and retention is not unique to Flagler. In my role as a Director of Professional Learning, this is happening almost nationwide. However, in Florida the number of experienced teachers leaving is alarming. This is due in part to the curriculum restrictions by the state as well as a lack of pay increases beyond years 1 and 2. A significant dip in the number of children who want to be teachers has occurred to the extent that USF almost closed its teacher preparation program this past year. To overcome this we can:
○ Ensure teachers receive a COLA equal to Social Security each year
○ Reduce medical premiums by bringing in several small counties under one plan
and negotiating as a consortium
○ Highlight our community support for teachers and staff by extending discounts
on mortgage rates, cars, offer additional property tax exemptions, and
encouraging businesses to offer discounts similar to veterans and cops.
○ Offer one time for teachers for teachers reaching a certain tenure when we
typically lose teachers. 5 years, 8 years, etc.
○ Create leadership programs that school administrators take to improve their
talent management skills as often school leadership courses do not involve such
studies as do businesses. - How do you plan to continue to provide adequate educational opportunities to students as the area continues to grow? As Flagler County continues to grow, our educational opportunities must evolve to meet the needs of our expanding community. We can achieve this by developing an interdisciplinary curriculum (connection of STEM, humanities, arts, and social sciences) creating well-rounded, critical thinkers who can tackle complex problems. Also increase hands-on learning experiences across all subjects, as real-world interactions are crucial given that students are spending more time on screens. To further align with modern workforce demands, I plan to expand programs offering practical skills and certifications, including apprenticeships and internships. Additionally, I aim to make Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) accessible to all students to ensure early educational opportunities as it is a main predictor of academic success. To create safe and supportive learning environments, I wish to evaluate and reduce administrative duties on counselors, enabling them to focus on delivering counseling services and offering remote counseling options for students requiring additional support. Our commitment to safety includes using perimeter security measures and Rapid Response Technology, monitored by the Sheriff’s Office, without compromising the teacher-student
relationship by arming teachers. In terms of technological integration, we will incorporate digital literacy from an early age, teaching students how to evaluate and ethically use digital information. Embracing AI, rather than blocking it, will allow students to use it creatively—whether generating artwork or engaging in debates—while critically assessing AI-generated answers. Media center specialists are uniquely trained to do this work and we need to bring them back to this meaningful work. We will also leverage technology to connect students with global mentors through web conferencing and modernize the pen pal concept to enhance global communication. Finally, fostering community and family engagement is a priority. By bringing together PTO representatives, business leaders, and community members for quarterly workshops, I will champion a school board that ensures community voices are actively integrated into our educational planning. Through these efforts, we will continue to provide high-quality educational opportunities that support the whole student’s development, preparing them for a successful future in a growing community. - Career programs, how do you plan to see those opportunities expand and market those opportunities to families and students? We can improve the representation of trade programs. Many of which we can support with maintenance and facilities staff we have on campus and others we can garner support with FTI using a similar model to Volusia County. We have HVAC Technicians, Electricians, Grounds Crews, and Auto Repair all of which could be provided a stipend to serve as subject matter experts providing hands-on instruction for pre-apprenticeship programs. Also, students wishing to pursue trade school can benefit from the Bright Future Program. We need to work with our guidance team members and develop a middle school intake process informing every parent and child about the paths available in high school and how to set themselves up for success in middle school. An exit session should also occur at the end of 8th grade to reassess the track the student has chosen to assist in high school course selections. The Bright Future Scholarship program should be a part of this discussion and make clear tuition for trade schools, as well as higher education tuition may be covered. Each student and parent should be informed about the following:
● Military service / ROTC
● Pre-apprenticeship programs with graduating with an industry certification in a
trade
● Dual Enrollment
● Advanced Placement Courses
● Advanced International Certificate of Education
● International Baccalaureate - What should voters know about you as they head to the polls this August in the Primary election? I ardently believe quality education for every child should be a constitutional right. Sadly it is not, public education is left up to the states. The Legislature of the past five years has used the classroom to divide our community and created bills that directly increased teacher shortages At the same time, homeschooling championed by our Governor has little to no oversight on curriculum or competency measures. Florida currently pays parents $8000 per child to home school, enroll in private school, or enroll in religious-based studies no matter the income level of the parents. Recently, that amount was finally disclosed to equal 10 million dollars for Flagler alone. This is just one example of the deliberate deterioration of our school system. I will be transparent, I will be direct, I will question, and I will lobby for the state to pay its fair share of costs when bills they enact create cost increases for the district. I am going to hold both faculty and parents accountable to fulfill the duties we have to our children and would ask that the community do the same to me as a school board member. Most of all I will champion preserving access to quality education for all students. Vote Janie Ruddy to ensure we have one school board member with K12 teaching experience who will ALWAYS put students first.
- You stated that homeschools get $8000 per child. Being that I homeschool, I do not receive that money because it requires you to sign up. It isn’t automatically given to every parent. You have to intentionally ask to receive that. Would you like to respond to that? Sure,
- In May 2023, Florida passed the HB1 Universal Voucher Program
- The new law essentially allows any K–12 student to take the state portion allotted for them — roughly $8,000 annually — without income caps
- Here you can view the predicted impact by county.
- Recently, Dr. Conklin discovered that 10 million dollars were not disclosed to the public or Flagler School board, the amount the district is long to private and homeschooled children.
This bill is only a year old and is new for all of us. Here is the link to the Family Empowerment Scholarship award by county. The fact that the Flagler County impact is $10 million indicates there are many families, who are receiving those funds. The full details regarding the application process can be found within the parent resource link I provided earlier.
Your second statement was about the “little to no oversight on curriculum and competency.”; as I am sure you know, there is a very large homeschool community in Flagler County, and many of them have moved here because of the limited oversight regarding homeschooling. Would you care to elaborate on your statement?
- The FLDOE site under the Parent FAQ details the following:
- “Current law does not prescribe a curriculum or course of study for home education programs.
The parent is not required to be a certified teacher. - Home Education parents may choose whichever curriculum or materials for their child’s
home education program. - There are no specific hourly attendance requirements or curriculum
requirements for students in a home education program. All instructional materials and supplies must be
provided by the parent.” - There are many different means a parent may use to provide “sequentially progressive instruction” such as: a. Use a curriculum, or none at all, and instruct the students themselves.
- The parent/guardian selects the method of evaluation from those provided in the Florida Statute and then files a copy of the evaluation annually in the superintendent’s office. The evaluation must consist of one of the following: a. A Florida-certified teacher chosen by the parent may evaluate the child’s progress based on the review of the portfolio and discussion with the student;
- Section 1002.41, F.S., defines a portfolio as “A log of educational activities which is made contemporaneously with the instruction and which designates by title any reading materials used and samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials used or developed by the student.”
- I have found no parameters or rubrics to evaluate such a portfolio.
- “Current law does not prescribe a curriculum or course of study for home education programs.
- Taxpayers are not aware that their funds may be used by any income-level family to send their child to private school. Additionally, taxpayers are not aware that parents can use any curriculum or none at all. I have not found a taxpayer who is aware that parents may be able to use a self-selected portfolio to represent their child’s learning for which I cannot find how one would determine competency.
- At the very least, taxpayers should be provided clear financial transparency and data on student success measures of home-schooled children if their money, which is now substantial, is being used.
Community members who have been in tune with school news are concerned about the reporting of these funds and the effectiveness of the programs they are funding. While homeschooling has been an option for some time, the recent expansion, funding increase, and additional flexibility under this new bill should provide outcomes reporting. I have not drawn any conclusion as to the success of homeschooled children, private school children, or children receiving religious private education. The parents, businesses, and students deserve the same transparency applied to homeschool programs as public school programs allowing for informed decisions. We ask this of any instructional program using taxpayer funds.I am always open to learning more from our homeschool community as I would be advocating for their rights to access resources under the law as much as I am advocating for any other child in Flagler.
- In May 2023, Florida passed the HB1 Universal Voucher Program
