Peter Schorsch
Pinellas County School Board Chair René Flowers picked up three endorsements Monday for her re-election campaign to the District 7 seat.
Flowers picked up nods from Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, St. Petersburg City Council Chair Lisa Wheeler-Bowman and Mt. Zion Primitive Baptist Church Pastor Dr. G. Gregg Murray.
“Students from all over the county are in need of a strong advocate who can adamantly and assertively address concerns related to education and propose solid solutions,” Welch said. “Solutions such as pairing students with mentors, assuring that there is a nurse in every school, recruiting early for the best and brightest teachers, and reducing the suspension rates by embracing Restorative Justice/Restorative Practices into the school system.
“For these reasons and many more, it is my honor to endorse Rene Flowers for the Pinellas County School Board District 7 seat — doing so assures our community that they will have a voice at the table.”
Wheeler-Bowman added she has found Flowers to be “a strong advocate for the community she represents, especially for the students of Pinellas County Schools.”
“As a grandparent of a student attending Melrose Elementary School, I can attest first hand to the forward movement of the district. The partnerships with the City of St. Petersburg for after school programs in the Campbell Park Community, increase in family support services, and the decrease in juvenile arrests are examples of the success of her tenure,” she said.
Murray said Flowers was “a tireless champion in her District 7, the city of St. Petersburg, and throughout Pinellas County.”
“Rene very deservedly presently serves our county as Chairwoman of the School Board. Some may not know this fact, but Rene has volunteered for over the past 13 years to speak to youth in the school system about health education and making positive choices. She has positively impacted our youth far beyond the expectations of a School Board member,” Murray said.
Flowers is running for her second full term on the school board.
She was first elected in 2012 to serve out the remainder of deceased School Board Member Lew Williams’ term.
She won that election with 77 percent of the vote over Glenton Gilzean, and in 2014 she took 96 percent of the vote against a write-in opponent.
School board elections are nonpartisan and will be on the Aug. 28 primary election ballot.
