BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Mary Bolla said goodbye to the Clay County School Board during the panel’s November 7 meeting in Fleming Island.
Bolla, a teacher at Argyle Elementary in 2016, recalled that she ran for the school board when Clay County had dropped to the 19th-ranked public school system in the state.
“As a teacher,” she said, “I’ll be honest, I was angry. I was coming home and talking to (husband Wayne Bolla) about everything that I didn’t like about the administration…”
Wayne had been a school board member and, in 2016, sat on the Clay County Board of County Commissioners.
“He coerced me into running for school board, and although I didn’t see myself as a politician, I entered the race,” she continued.
The teacher-turned-school-board member described the transition as going from serving 25 students to serving 35,000.
Bolla said that while she was on the board, art and music were restored to every elementary school, the district’s fund balance rose to five percent of revenues, and the district successfully navigated challenges and difficulties from Tallahassee lawmakers.
The outgoing school board member said she plans to spend her retirement with Wayne in their Wisconsin cabin and on their boat, The Queen Irene.
“To all of you who are truly passionate about our children and their futures,” she said before adjourning the meeting, “thank you. I appreciate you all.”
