Showing Up for Racial Justice SWFL e-mailed all candidates for Lee County School Board a questionnaire on issues relating to racial justice. (To see candidate responses from other races on the ballot in Southwest Florida, click here.)

Responses were received from:

Jeff McCullers (District 2 candidate)

Curt Sheard (District 7-At Large candidate)

The following candidates in this primary race did not respond:

Emory Cavin (District 2 candidate)

Charla Fox (District 2 candidate)

Melisa Giovannelli (District 2 candidate)

Brian DiGrazio (District 3 candidate)

Chris Patricca (District 3 candidate)

Jacqueline Perez (District 3 candidate)

Pete Bohatch (District 7-At Large candidate)

Lisandra Colon (District 7-At Large candidate)

Cathleen Morgan (District 7-At Large candidate)

Melissa Panneton (District 7-At Large candidate)

Below are the responses from the candidates who responded to our questionnaire.

1. Do you support the Movement for Black Lives?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

2. Are you committed to identifying and eliminating racial disparities within the jurisdiction or scope of the elected office for which you seek?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

MCCULLERS: I have worked for 35 years to identify and eliminate racial, ethnic, gender, and class disparities in schools and I will certainly continue to do so.

3. Investments in social services and community programs consistently have shown to reduce poverty and crime. Do you support reducing the budgets of law enforcement agencies and reallocating funds to social services and community programs?

McCullers: Decline to answer

Sheard: Decline to Answer

MCCULLERS: I believe we must work at right-sizing every public agency. I think we need to reallocate both funds and responsibilities to the right agencies and the right strategies for the outcomes we really desire. If a problem is best solvable by a social worker or a school principal or a health professional – such as truancy or homelessness or drug addiction – then that’s who should be funded and that’s who should assigned to work on the problem. We don’t want a society with millions of people in prison – instead we want a society in which everyone gets all the help, care, and opportunity the need for real success. We should reserve the use of law enforcement for more urgent threats to life and safety. Our law enforcement officers need to be funded, trained, and supported as peace officers who are highly skilled in communication, cultural sensitivity, and de-escalation. My vision for law enforcement is that it be restored to its rightful place in society: as trusted, respected, and reliable forces for good in our neighborhoods.

SHEARD: Not within the scope of the position that I’m seeking

4. Do you support efforts for increased accountability and public transparency for law enforcement officers who engage in improper policing, excessive and deadly use of force, and other instances of brutality against citizens?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

5. In instances of officer-involved shootings resulting in the death or injury of a civilian, do you support an independent agency unaffiliated with local law enforcement to investigate these instances, with the authority to bring charges against an officer if use of excessive force is determined?

McCullers: Decline to answer

Sheard: Yes

MCCULLERS: Perhaps, if such an independent agency had the expertise and resources to do the job well. I am certainly open to a conversation on this.

6. Do you support an end to qualified immunity for law enforcement officers?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

MCCULLERS: Everyone must be accountable for their actions. I am confident that we can work collaboratively to arrive at a better set of judicial concepts and legal frameworks so that our law enforcement officers can do their jobs well and safely, while also protecting our citizens against abuse and injustice.

7. Do you support efforts to remove armed law enforcement officers from schools, as well as armed teachers and staff, and instead hire more counselors and mental health professionals to serve students?

McCullers: Decline to answer

Sheard: Yes

MCCULLERS: I have known and worked side by side with school resource officers for decades, and I know that most of them do their jobs well and do them for the right reasons. I have seen acts of bravery and compassion by these officers, and I have seen them help bring justice to school situations. Even so, the situation is clearly broken and long since out of control. We inarguably have a racially-imbalanced school-to-prison pipeline and that is something we cannot allow to persist in a free and just America. I am eager for a national, state, and local conversation where we better articulate what role, if any, armed officers might have in a school building on a regular basis.

8. The cash bail system keeps more than 70% of people charged, but not convicted, for a crime in local jails for several weeks or months due to an inability to afford bail. This disproportionately affects people of color and poorer folks. Do you support efforts to eliminate or reform the cash bail system?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

9. Do you support increasing funding to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, as well as mental health services and court diversion programs that prioritize mental health and treatment for addiction over incarceration?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

10. Do you support efforts to address the rising cost of housing by working with federal, state and local agencies to build more affordable housing for renters and homeowners?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

11. Do you support a $15 minimum wage and labor policies including fair scheduling and paycheck fairness protections?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: No

SHEARD: There are too many variables in which need to be identified before I can proceed any further with this question. For example, are we asking for farm workers to make $15 /hr ?

12. Do you support efforts to provide relief for student loan debt and to make some public colleges and universities tuition-free?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

13. Do you support efforts to provide universal Pre-K education for all young children?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

14. Do you support the decriminalization of marijuana for recreational use?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

15. Do you support the removal of objects glorifying the Confederacy from public spaces?

McCullers: Yes

Sheard: Yes

16. Briefly list any proposals or policies you will pursue to promote racial justice in the community and ensure the voices of people of color are represented through the elected office you seek.

MCCULLERS: I believe that we should recruit teachers, principals, and education support employees in such a way as to help make our school faculties more representative of the students they serve. I believe we must use technology, better budgeting and staffing, and common sense to reduce teacher workload to allow more time for truly effective professional development for all teachers to reduce cultural, class, and linguistic barriers. Working better and working smarter in partnership with families and communities will help us close achievement gaps.

SHEARD:

A. Eliminate the prison to pipeline systems that effect our black and brown children.

B. Remove SRO's and replace with security officers

17. Communities of color represent an overwhelming majority of individuals whose jobs are considered essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Briefly describe your plans to protect essential workers and their families from the health and economic effects of the pandemic.

MCCULLERS: Most of the support here needs to come from state legislatures and the U.S. Congress to protect these workers and their employers. School districts are trying to set the best example possible in this regard, by protecting paychecks, keeping insurance coverage active, and providing alternative methods for employees to work from home. This is critically important, most especially for our employees who are in demographic groups hit much harder by job loss, eviction, and unmet health care needs. Schools must lead the way in showing how a community fights to protect all of its citizens from this great danger.

SHEARD:  Not within the scope of my position that I’m seeking

For more information about the candidates:

Jeff McCullers for School Board District 2

Curt Sheard for School Board District 7