The Jefferson County School District, which serves about 700 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, has worked to improve student achievement while navigating the financial and staffing pressures common among small school systems. District 2's candidates all have educational backgrounds.
Competing for the seat are Jamia Bradley, Donnie Burdick and Miranda Gillyard Gilley.
Because three candidates are running for the nonpartisan seat, the contest will appear on the primary ballot. Depending on the results, the race could be decided in August or advance to the November General Election.
Candidates bring different experiences to school board race
Bradley is a 2000 graduate of Jefferson County High School and has spent more than a decade working in early childhood education as a Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten teacher and program director.
Burdick graduated from Jefferson County High School in 1981 and later served in the U.S. Navy before beginning a career in law enforcement. After returning to Jefferson County, he became involved with the school district as a substitute teacher, substitute coordinator and athletic safety coordinator.
Gilley is a 1996 graduate of Jefferson County High School who has worked in education for more than 15 years as a substitute teacher, paraprofessional and certified teacher. She also founded the nonprofit organization Horizon, which focuses on community support and family resources.
Biggest issue facing Jefferson County Schools?
A common campaign point in the race is how to continue improving student outcomes while creating opportunities that encourage students to stay in the district.
Bradley says the main issue the district is facing and a main point of her campaign is putting the students first. She says the barriers that are hindering the community as a whole will reflect from the children.
Burdick says keeping students in Jefferson County is one of the district’s biggest challenges, especially because rural districts can struggle to offer the same career opportunities as larger systems.
“If a young man wants to be a welder, we don’t offer that at our school. Let’s say a young lady wants to be a cosmetologist. We don’t offer that at our school,” he said in an interview with the Rural News Service.
He says expanding partnerships with colleges and vocational programs could give students more options while keeping them connected to the community.
Gillard believes the biggest problem that the district is facing is student achievement. She says initiatives like small groups or special training will help raise or keep the district’s “B” grade that it recently received from the state.
“I know Jefferson County can keep that B, they can stay steady; we have great educators and great administrators and keeping that “B” is finding strong teachers and keeping the teachers there,” she said.
“What I’ve learned through research is that when the whole community is involved, churches and pastors, we learn better and we strive better.”
Opportunities for students
The district currently offers programs such as career and technical education, dual enrollment and vocational courses, but candidates say expanding partnerships and creating more specialized pathways will be key to keeping students engaged and prepared after graduation.
Bradley says giving the children educational travel experiences to see different colleges outside of their surrounding areas will help with student success.
“I think a child will be successful if they’re able to travel. We don’t want to send our kids out on scholarships if they’ve never traveled before, the first thing they’ll want to do is go back home.” She says this gives the students an opportunity to explore and knowing they don’t have to choose only what’s around them.
Burdick says he would like to see more vocational studies, whether through dual enrollment or grant funding. He also mentioned the importance of common life skills.
“I think we need to start at the middle school level, have them start thinking about what craft they’re going to do,” he said. “Even at the elementary level, we can start preparing them for what life is… we need to get back to teaching how to do a checkbook. We need to get back to teaching how to wash your own clothes. We need to get back to the basic life skills to prepare them for their journey.”
Gillard also pointed to the importance of basic life skills. She said that not everyone is meant to go to college and that’s why technical training should be implemented even more. She explained that Jefferson County used to have a program where upper-class students could volunteer in a specialized area while gaining experience.
“Put a child in the real world, teach them how to do budgets, how to write checks, how to open up bank accounts, how to start saving and stuff like that,” she said.
Vision for Jefferson County
When asked about one change or accomplishment they’d hope Jefferson County Schools will be known for by the end of their term, all of the candidates mentioned moving that letter grade up to an "A".
Bradley says growth is just as important as grades. “We’re moving up the ladder with our grades, but we also want to make sure we’re moving up the ladder with growth,” she said. “We want to make sure our education level matches the data that is provided, and show that our kids can be successful here. A lot of our kids have moved away and are going outside of the district, so our main goal is to pull our kids back to Jefferson County and show that our school is headed in the right direction.”
Burdick mentioned graduation rates. “I would like to see our graduation rate get higher than it is,” he said. “I’d like to see our athletics get back to the glory days of Jefferson County, where we were winning district championships and state titles. I would like to see us move from a B, C, D, or F grade up to an A. I would like Jefferson County to become the school that people in this area want to come to.”
Gillard says Jefferson County Schools will reflect on the community. “I hope to be known for being a voice for the children, a voice for the students, and a champion for parents," she said. “We would come as one and be a partnership to show the community that Jefferson County is worth living here. Jefferson County is a great school and a great place, not just because I graduated [but] because we have great innovators, great scientists, great teachers. Jefferson County is a great place to have one school K through 12, and it’s just a great place to come here and live and learn from.”
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.
