MEET THE CANDIDATES: Anne Douglas, Orange County School Board District 4

ANNE DOUGLAS
Age: 59
Residence: Orlando
Family: Married with three children
Education: Master’s degree
Profession: High school teacher
Qualifications: Educator, hospital and church volunteer, school beautification. 

You would be replacing Pam Gould, who has served on the Orange County School Board since 2012. Evaluate your predecessor’s work in the role. What was done well? What improvements will you make as her successor?

Pam Gould has benefited our school district in many ways, from increasing career and technical certifications and training by nearly 300% to improving career-transition opportunities for students with disabilities. 

As a School Board member, I would continue furthering those positive changes, and I would also advocate for policies to offer competitive salaries, benefits and bonuses to teachers, along with policies that provide professional development opportunities and mentorship programs.

Along with reducing administrative burden on faculty and staff, I would:

Enhance collaboration and communication: Strengthen ties between schools, parents and the community through surveys, town hall meetings and focus groups.

Create opportunities for students: Connect high school students with mentors and internships in their areas of interest.

Involve stakeholders: Work with all stakeholders to resolve conflicts and address concerns.

Advocate for essential services: Push for better infrastructure for students with disabilities; health care for uninsured children; support for homeless students and their families; and mental health resources for students, faculty and staff.

Promote environmental sustainability: Lead initiatives to make our schools a model of environmental responsibility.

Why are you running for Orange County School Board District 4?

Our educational system is in a fragile state. Teachers are leaving the school system in droves due to poor salary (we ranked 50th in the United States for teachers’ salaries), censorship and workload. By valuing teachers’ perspectives and embracing innovative ideas, we can strengthen our school district. With the right leadership, ideas and partnerships, all of our students can thrive. I’m running for Orange County School Board District 4, because our community deserves nothing less than a stellar system where students can thrive.

What are the key differences between you and your opponents?

Unlike my opponents, I have been a public school teacher for 25 years, and every single one of my children attended school in OCPS, and they’re successful because of it. It’s important to elect someone who not only has experience but knows the issues facing our district and communicates with students and parents on a daily basis.

What are the three most pressing issues facing West Orange and Southwest Orange schools today, and how will you address them?

The three most pressing issues are balanced funding, student well-being and equitable access to quality education. 

To address financial challenges from the school voucher system and state funding changes, I will advocate for fair funding, seek grants and community partnerships, and prioritize spending on essential programs. 

For student well-being, I will push for more resources for mental health services, implement preventive and early intervention programs, as well as promote a supportive environment with anti-bullying initiatives. 

To ensure equitable access to quality education, I will target interventions to close the achievement gap, support diverse student needs, and enhance career and technical education programs. My goal is to create a more balanced, supportive and high-quality educational environment for all students.

Last year, Florida expanded the school voucher system, enabling more parents to opt to send their children to private or charter schools. In theory, the move could take away both students and funding from OCPS. How should the district respond to this change to ensure future success?

The percentage of state-formula funding redirected from public to private education is projected to reach roughly 30%, and many school districts across the state, including our own, are grappling with this loss in funding. Unless this policy changes, as a School Board member, I will work with others to ensure these changes have no impact on student learning and choice programs within the school district. I will personally make sure we expand grant writing and fundraising to supplement any losses and advance budget optimization proposals.

In the past few years, public education has emerged to the forefront of the national political conversation. Evaluate how Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state has navigated through some of those challenges.

Our school system has become too politicized, shifting the focus of teachers, parents and administration away from students. It’s time to educate our teachers about how different measures taken by our state government impact them and alleviate fears of increased government censorship. Instead of focusing on laws with pretty names, our School Board needs to start actually bringing parents into the discussion and understand how we can best serve their students’ needs.

Discuss your view on how much access and input should a parent have in his or her child’s education at OCPS.

I believe parents should be involved in their children’s education. It is also crucial there is a joint relationship between parents and teachers for the betterment of the students’ quality education. The School Board must also highlight the expertise of our faculty members and give parents full confidence in their children’s teachers’ ability to fulfill their duties.

One of the polarizing issues in student athletics is whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete with other athletes in their identified gender. What is your opinion on this subject?

Eleven transgender students have competed in Florida high school sports over the span of a whole decade. This accounts for well under 0.00001% of high school athletes across the state. This is a distraction used to avoid talking about the failures of our education system that have left many parents disappointed. I will never use my position as a leader to bully children or their families — especially on non-issues.

Recently, Louisiana lawmakers enacted legislation that requires public schools to display a version of the Ten Commandments. What is your view on this?

As a woman of faith, it is not my place as a teacher to discuss my personal religious beliefs or social beliefs in the classroom. The classroom is a place where students from every walk of life learn valuable skills and accurate history. Louisiana’s law is unconstitutional.

It seems every year, OCPS and the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association enter a difficult, months-long negotiation process. What can OCPS do differently to make this process smoother?

OCPS must engage in productive conversations with CTA and start viewing them as a resource and partner instead of a burden.