BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Monitor Editor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— Clay County electors voted out two school board members known for their advocacy for teachers.
Tina Bullock is a former teacher and Lake Region principal. Over the past year, she has been outspoken in supporting a new school to replace Keystone Heights Elementary School. Earlier this year, she called out Superintendent David Broskie and his administration over what Bullock said were promises for a new elementary school before voters passed an additional sales tax for upgrading the county’s campuses and then backed away from that commitment after the additional surtax passed.
Recently, Bullock has supported Broskie’s plan to build a new cafeteria on the campus in addition to other building replacements.
Defeating Bullock was Michele Hanson, a Clay County resident since 2002 and a teacher for 18 years. She was the Florida Agricultural Teacher of the year in 2016 and has been a school-level teacher of the year three times.
During the campaign, Bullock ran her race alongside that of District 1 School Board Member Janice Kerekes. In most places around the county, the two candidates planted campaign signs just feet apart, and the candidates joined forces on some combined campaign literature.
Kerekes has a long history of community service in Clay, serving in the Rotary Club of Orange Park, the Clay County Educational Foundation, Fleming Island Project Graduation, and Clay County Habitat for Humanity.
Defeating Kerekes is Erin Skipper, the only Clay County candidate endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. During an appearance in Jacksonville Sunday, the governor repeated his endorsement of the Middleburg High School graduate and emergency department nurse.
Skipper made the DeSantis endorsement the centerpiece of her campaign along with the endorsements of other well-known Clay County conservatives: Gayward Hendry, Mike Cella, Jim Horne, and Scotty Taylor.
Charles Kirk placed third in the District 1 school board race.
District 5 incumbent Ashley Hutchings Gilhousen defended a challenge from Gerald Beasley in the other school board race.
In the District 4 county commission race, Crystal Lake resident Betsy Condon won over challenger Dale Carter.
In the race for county judge Group 1, Ray Forbess defeated Tonya Barge and Geraldine Hartin.
In the District 2 county commission race to replace termed-out chair Wayne Bolla, Alexandra Compere beat Rod Herring.
