In an unexpected twist of political fate, a school board candidate who lost his race in a county south of Jacksonville will now find himself serving in the very position he vied for. This remarkable turn of events comes after Republican Governor Ron DeSantis picked him to fill a vacant seat on the school board.
The Unexpected Appointment
Derek Barrs will be filling an open seat on the Flagler County School Board in Northeast Florida. This comes after a member resigned in September, leading to the Governor’s appointment. Ordinarily, such a vacancy would be filled through a ballot vote by the residents of the county. However, in this case, Governor DeSantis exercised his power to appoint a replacement.
Barrs, who is a consultant with infrastructure design firm HNTB and a retired Chief of the Florida Highway Patrol, campaigned with a focus on school safety and student achievement. Despite losing his race on August 20 by 290 votes to Janie Ruddy, a former teacher in the district, he received DeSantis’ endorsement.
DeSantis’ Influence on Education
Governor DeSantis has been a transformative figure in the realm of local education policies and politics in Florida. He has been instrumental in shaping the educational landscape by endorsing his preferred candidates and targeting incumbent members he wants voted out. In support of parental rights, he made controversial decisions like banning instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as restricting what Florida schools can teach about racism and U.S. history.
Barrs’ Stance and Future Plans
In an interview, Barrs dismissed the idea that he owed his political allegiance to DeSantis, emphasizing that he intends to focus on building relationships within the community and improving outcomes for all students. He said, “I don’t owe anybody anything, other than working for our students every day and making sure that they have the best quality education possible in our school district.”
Under state law, the Governor has the authority to appoint someone to fill a vacant state or county seat if there’s less than 28 months left in the term for that office. It’s also worth noting that this is not the first time a DeSantis-endorsed School Board candidate has lost their race and been placed into office anyway.
While this appointment has raised some eyebrows, it remains to be seen how Derek Barrs will perform in his new role and whether he will fulfill the promises he made during his campaign, in spite of losing the race. What’s certain though, is that the decisions made by him and his colleagues on the school board will have lasting effects on the students and education system of Flagler County, Florida.
