Rosanne Wood has won her third term on the Leon County School Board, outdistancing Daniel Zeruto by 76 percent to 24 percent. Margie Menzel reports.
The District 2 race was the less contentious Leon school board race on the ballot this year. Wood and Zeruto agreed to keep their contest civil.
Wood was first elected in 2016 with 75 percent of the vote. In 2020, she ran unopposed. She was the principal of SAIL High School for 32 years and says the vote shows the community’s support for public schools.
“I love our public schools, and I don’t want anyone to have a doubt that they are sending their kid to the very best place they could to learn," she said. "And I feel like that’s my job, to help people understand what we’re offering in this school system and to improve it every single day, because there’s always room for improvement but I want the community behind us and I think this vote shows that they are.”
She said the vote shows the community wants public schools to succeed -- despite the barriers.
“One of the biggest ones is our ability to compensate teachers fairly and aides fairly," she said. "And we need more support from the Legislature. You know, quality doesn’t come cheap. And we are struggling to get qualified teachers or people who even want to go into the profession. So we have to make it the most attractive job because it is the most difficult job.”
Wood said she’d do everything she could to help increase pay for teachers and aides.
Zeruto is a PTO dad who’s been on the school advisory council and the district advisory council. He watched the returns at home with his family because it was a school night for his daughters. In a statement to WFSU, Zeruto said he’s proud about the issues he was able to highlight through his campaign.
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STATEMENT FROM DANIEL ZERUTO
First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the boldness to step up and advocate for the students, parents and teachers of Leon County, as well as my children, nieces, and nephews.
To all my supporters who covered us in prayer, walked, knocked on doors, signed petitions, shared information about our campaign, or waved signs—thank you from the bottom of my heart. God bless you for standing with me. Although the election results did not go as we had hoped, we have succeeded in making the board acknowledge the disparities and issues facing our students, teachers, and parents. These include behavior issues in classrooms, the need for more attention to our ESE students and their families, and the necessity for better communication between the district, teachers, administration, and parents.
To my wife, Laurie, thank you for being strong and supportive throughout this journey. Running for office is not easy and certainly not for the faint of heart. To my beautiful girls, Olivia and Sophia, I am so proud of the passion and willingness you show in everything you do to help Dad and Mom. We fight for you every day, and you are right there ready to assist.
A special thank you to Jack, who has been a guardian angel in this campaign. To my family and friends, thank you for believing in me and for all the support you have given. I love you all so much!
I encourage everyone in Leon County to adopt a school, join a PTO, or mentor a student. They need your involvement now if we are to change their future.
Blessings
Daniel Zeruto
