Vance Pedrick said he never imagined running for the Franklin County School Board. But two years of working in education convinced him he could help improve the district.
“If you asked me a few years ago, I wouldn’t have run,” Pedrick said.
He is running for the Franklin County School Board District 2 seat, where he faces Wilburn Ray Messer. The winner will succeed long-time board member Pam Marshall, who is not seeking another term. In an interview with the Rural News Service, Pedrick, who stepped down as a Carrabelle city commissioner, said his experience in the classroom, instructing the Cadet Core program, has shown him the challenges facing students and educators.
His campaign is built around raising accountability and creating a clearer structure throughout the school system.
“We have a lot of policies, but not many procedures to back them up,” Pedrick said. He believes stronger procedures would help ensure students, teachers, and administrators are treated fairly while providing consistency across District 2. He said the classroom should remain the district’s top priority. When it comes to the most urgent issue facing Franklin County schools, Pedrick believes it’s improving instruction and giving teachers the support they need. Pedrick also wants district leaders to focus on student enrollment. He said the district should work to reconnect with families who have left the public school system, after Franklin County School lost around 70 students last year, primarily to home school.
“We need to reach out to those kids who have left the school system and understand why they left,” Pedrick said. Outside the classroom, Pedrick served more than 20 years in the U.S. Coast Guard. He cited that military experience as helping him prepare to lead in education. “Working with younger men and women through Coast Guard training has exposed me to shaping great leaders,” Pedrick said.
Ray Messer served 25 years in law enforcement and corrections within Franklin County, and recently retired. He’s coached youth in football, basketball and baseball, and mentored children in the county.
“People tell me they're concerned about student achievement, discipline, teacher retention, school safety, and making sure parents have a voice in their children's education. They're also concerned about how taxpayer dollars are spent. They want transparency, accountability, and a school board that listens to the community,” Messer said in a written statement to the Rural News Service.
“Franklin County faces many of the same challenges as other rural districts: improving academic performance, recruiting and retaining quality teachers, maintaining aging facilities, and doing more with limited funding. We must focus our resources on the classroom, support our teachers, seek grant opportunities whenever possible, and make decisions that are fiscally responsible while always putting students first.”
Franklin, as a small school district with three schools, faces many of the same challenges as others; declining enrollment, and increased competition brought about by the expansion of school choice.
“We can't control every policy coming from Tallahassee,” said Messer, “but we can control how well we serve our students. Our goal should be making Franklin County schools the first choice for local families by offering strong academics, safe schools, dedicated teachers, and opportunities for students to succeed. Before talking about school closures, we should explore every option to strengthen enrollment, improve programs, and use our resources wisely while protecting educational opportunities across our county.”
For more on this race and other local news, check out the Apalachicola Times, which serves all of Franklin County.
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.
Mikal Morris is a student journalist representing Florida A&M University’s School of Journalism & Graphic Communication in the Florida Elections Reporting Partnership. You can reach them at mikal1.morris@famu.edu.