Former SAIL High School Principal Rosanne Wood is gearing up to run for Leon County School Board. Wood is running for the District 2 seat—currently occupied by Dee Crumpler.
The 2016 field of local candidates is starting to take shape, and even though elections are more than a year away, the campaigns are beginning to gear up. The latest entrant to local politics is former SAIL High School Principal Rosanne Wood. She’s vying for the Leon County School Board District 2 seat—currently held by Dee Crumpler, who isn’t running for re-election.
“Well Lynn, I think I failed retirement," she said when asked about why she is running. Wood announced her plan on facebook.
Wood retired from SAIL high school in 2010 and since then, has become a vocal opponent of state policies she views as harmful to traditional public schools, such as the state’s new standardized tests, and teacher evaluation systems. In January, Wood debated Patricia Levesque, the head of Jeb Bush’s school choice advocacy group, the Foundation for Florida’s Future. The topic: Florida’s education policies and how they have affected students and teachers.
The state recently rolled back some of its testing and teacher evaluation requirements.
Wood’s bid to join the school board also comes as local education politics have been shaken by the ongoing FBI probe into the district’s school construction policies and allegations of political favors. Wood says she’s not running because of the drama, but because she’s concerned about state and district testing policies and the impact they have on students.
“I couldn’t quit thinking about it. I’ve been writing about what I think is right and wrong with our current policies. It’s one thing to complain," Wood said. "But if I complain I need to put my money where my mouth is, and if I’m on a board, especially one that deals with policy and budget, I can help set the priorities for kids in our classrooms.”
Wood plans to kick off her campaign July 15th at the 5th Avenue Tap Room. She is currently the only declared candidate in the race.
