PERRY, Fla. – Taylor County has three School Board seats on the ballot this year, but only one race will actually be decided by voters: incumbent Bonnie Sue Agner is being challenged by Liddie Ann Davis for the District 1 seat.
Because the school board race is non-partisan and there are only two candidates, all registered voters in District 1 will be eligible to cast a ballot, and the race will be decided outright in the August 18 primary — there is no runoff to a November general election.
About Bonnie Sue Agner
Agner is seeking a third full term representing District 1. She was first elected in 2016, defeating challenger Kevin Kidd to serve the final two years of the term vacated by former School Board member Danny Glover Jr., who resigned to run — successfully — for school superintendent. She was re-elected to her first full term unopposed in 2018 and was unopposed again in 2022.
Agner says she brings a decade of board experience, a business background and deep ties to the district.
"My experience and love for our students and this community," she said, is what makes her the best candidate to represent District 1.
"I'm a certified board member, on the advocacy committee, have served on the strategic committee, as well as others over the years.”
She noted she has been teaching children in the community for more than 45 years in various settings and said her business background "gives me a good understanding of policy, budget and contracts."
Agner said the two greatest challenges facing the district are the need for district-wide pay increases backed by a consistent funding source and improved student attendance.
"We also need more communication with parents through FOCUS, and continue to monitor our academic progress in all areas and age groups," she said, adding that the board will "continue to cut where needed and dispose of unneeded expenses" while keeping schools in compliance with state safety mandates.
On recruiting and retaining teachers, Agner said the district needs to get its pay scale "on a comparable level with surrounding districts" and pointed to academic progress already underway.
She said the district has hired five international teachers to fill vacancies it couldn't fill with qualified local applicants and may hire three more this year.
"I have not received one complaint from anyone about these teachers, and our homegrown teachers love them," she said.
Agner also highlighted Taylor County High School's dual-enrollment program, which lets students graduate with both a diploma and an AA degree, and workforce training at Big Bend Technical College in fields including nursing, welding, electrical and instrumentation, and advanced manufacturing.
Agner also emphasized that decisions rest with the full board.
"A board makes decisions together. I am just one of five board members," she said. "Over the last 10 years serving as the District 1 school board member, I have learned what it takes to work together."
About Liddie Davis
Davis is making her first run for elected office after a 43-year career in the Taylor County school system.
She started at Perry Elementary School, where she worked with the Title I program as a parent liaison — including hand-delivering computers to students — and later stepped in with a temporary teaching certificate to cover an extended staff leave.
She went on to spend years at Big Bend Technical College, formerly known as Taylor Technical Institute, where she worked in the GED program, became certified to administer educational assessments and served 10 years as administrative assistant to the director, managing budgets, purchasing, payroll and the hiring process and helping develop new state-approved programs.
"I'm proud to say that all the programs I worked on consistently passed their rigorous six-year certification reviews with flying colors," she said.
Davis said she had long dreamed of serving on the school board, but was barred from running while employed by the district.
"Now, with that chapter complete, I'm absolutely thrilled to finally have this opportunity to serve our district as a school board member," she said.
She and her husband, Rocky Davis, have raised their family in District 1 for generations; their children, grandchildren and extended family remain rooted in the community, she said.
Davis said the single greatest challenge facing the district is student retention.
"Our schools exist for our students. They are our future. Yet we are seeing families choose to leave our public schools, and we need to understand why and address it head on," she said.
If elected, Davis said she would propose a retention committee to meet directly with students and parents considering leaving the district, to determine "if it is academics, discipline, safety or opportunity" driving the decision.
She also said the district should do more to promote existing opportunities, including Big Bend Technical College for students not on a four-year college path and dual enrollment for those who are.
"We produce better qualified graduates," she said, which in turn "helps bring new companies and employers to Taylor County who are looking for a trained workforce."
On teacher retention, Davis called for "higher, more competitive pay," achieved through the Superintendent, Finance, HR and district unions working together each budget cycle, pursuing grants to free up general funds for raises and comparing pay scales with surrounding counties.
But, she said pay is only part of the equation — teachers also need "strong administrative backing, help with bullying and classroom discipline,” as we’ll as recognition.
Non-instructional staff, who she said "lost their levels and are now all on the same, or close to, the same pay level," deserve the same support and called for zero tolerance on bullying district-wide.
Davis framed her candidacy around her institutional knowledge rather than politics.
"I bring 43 years of hands-on experience working inside the Taylor County school system — working directly with students, administrators, staff, school board members and parents in various schools across the district," she said. "I am running to keep our students here, support our staff and make our schools stronger for every family in Taylor County."
The rest of the ballot
District 1 is the only contested school board race in Taylor County this cycle. In District 2, incumbent Brenda Carlton was re-elected unopposed.
In District 4, longtime board member Danny Lundy chose not to seek re-election, clearing the way for David Alan Stephens to run unopposed for that seat.
Early voting for the primary runs Aug. 8 through Aug. 15, with primary Election Day on Tuesday, Aug. 18. District 1 voters will cast ballots at Precinct #12 (Perry Shrine Club) or Precinct #14 (Mt. Carmel Baptist Church), with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more local news about Taylor County, go to the Perry News Herald and TaCo Times.
This story was produced in partnership with nonpartisan news organizations and universities across the state working to provide information about the 2026 elections. Learn more about the Florida Elections Reporting Partnership at floridaelections.org.
