- July 1, 2024
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School Board District 5 candidate Vincent Sullivan speaks with a voter during the Flagler Tiger Bay Club's Candidate Meet and Greet June 27 at the Palm Coast Community Center. Photo by Brent Woronoff
School Board District 5 candidate Lauren Ramirez (right) with a voter who attended the Flagler Tiger Bay Club's Candidate Meet and Greet on June 27. Photo by Brent Woronoff
School Board District 3 candidate Derek Barrs speaks to a voter. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Three Flagler County School Board candidates mingled with would-be voters at the Flagler Tiger Bay Club’s Candidate Meet and Greet on June 27 at the Palm Coast Community Center.
District 3 candidate Derek Barrs said the guardian program was one of the main topics he was asked about. District 5 candidate Vincent Sullivan said a lot of people asked him about how his partnership in the Chiumento Law firm would affect his decisions as a School Board member.
Lauren Ramirez, who is running against Sullivan in District 5, was the third School Board candidate in attendance. Ramirez is the owner of Salus Medical Training and the mother of four children who attend Flagler Schools.
Sullivan practices in the areas of real estate, foreclosures and consumer defense. He said, “A lot of parents just want to know that I’m not here to help developers.”
“I’m here to help kids,” he said.
A graduate of Matanzas High School, Sullivan has been a member of the Flagler County Education Foundation's Board of Directors since 2020.
An attendee who did not want to be identified said she is concerned about Sullivan because “Chiumento is involved with so many land deals.”
Sullivan said when he made the decision to run, Chiumento Law Managing Partner Michael Chiumento III said, “I’m going to be your biggest hurdle.”
“(Chiumento) said, ‘You have to do what you have to do,’” Sullivan said.
“There’s an appearance, and we understand that,” Sullivan said, adding, “This is my hometown. I’m not doing this for a cash grab.”
Ramirez said one of her focuses is helping Flagler Schools become an A district again. She said one of the factors that dropped the district to a B rating was its Exceptional Student Education scores.
Ramirez, who is a parent of an ESE student, said she would like to see all teachers, particularly ESE teachers, have more time in their day. One way to do that, she said, is to have vetted volunteers take on some recess and lunch duty shifts.
“Teachers love our students. They have a passion for teaching them, but they don’t have enough time in their day,” Ramirez said.
Barrs, who has 33 years of experience in law enforcement, is running against Janie Ruddy for the District 3 seat. Ruddy, a former Rymfire Elementary School Teacher of the Year, has 13 years of teaching experience and is currently the director of professional learning for a special education software and curriculum company.
Ruddy was in Ireland with her husband celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. She said in a text that they had booked the trip several months back. “I was very disappointed about missing the opportunity,” she wrote.
Marshaun Hyman, a Palm Coast management consultant, said one issue that’s important to him is solving the friction among board members.
“I think there’s a lot of division on the School Board,” he said. “I’m looking for people who are going to build bridges.”
Barrs is an associate vice president at HNTB, a transportation infrastructure company. He is a former Florida Highway Patrol chief and deputy sheriff in Madison County. Barrs said he is in favor of the guardian program as an augment to the School Resource Deputy program. Sullivan also said he supports the guardian program.
Barrs said the questions that he fielded the most asked about his background.
“He shared who he was as a person, and that resonated with me,” Hyman said of Barrs.
Patrick O’Grady, who is a neighbor of Barrs', said Barrs listens to all sides of an issue.
Barrs also said he supports parents’ rights and what’s best for their children,
Helen McWilliams said she had not finished her research for the District 3 candidates but said parents’ rights is important to her.
“Parents need to be involved in the schools,” she said.
Ramirez and Barrs won the straw poll for their districts at the Meet and Greet.
