Drew Dixon
The race for the District 3 Duval County School Board seat has a lot more riding on it than just the educational post for the next four years.
It has developed into a cultural clash that pits incumbent Cindy Pearson against upstart challenger Rebecca “Becky” Nathanson, who brings a conservative background to the race, which is technically nonpartisan.
It’s only one of four School Board seats up for grabs on the Aug. 20 Primary ballot in Jacksonville, with early voting already underway. But the race has seen candidates embroiled in a scrap that is not only drawing brutal battles in rhetoric, but in fundraising as well.
The two candidates combined have raised nearly $150,000 as of the first week of August, according to the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office. That’s the most combined campaign contributions in Duval County School Board history.
The 54-year-old Pearson is painting herself out to be a traditional School Board candidate who wants “local control,” “financial management” and “shared values,” among other elements of her platform.
Nathanson, 50, is a former leader of the Duval County Chapter Moms for Liberty who opposes “Critical Race Theory,” and “Critical Theory in General.” A Moms for Liberty Duval County Chapter summary said she’s opposed to the “School Board’s overreach.”
Critics of Moms for Liberty have characterized the group as seeking censorship of reading material at schools not only in Florida, but elsewhere in the U.S. Still, Nathanson encourages Moms for Liberty members “to act as ‘joyful warriors’ for children, while driving school district transparency and focusing on positive advocacy of parental rights.”
In addition to having about a $13,000 campaign fundraising advantage over Pearson, Nathanson has the endorsement of Gov. Ron DeSantis and campaign contributions from such political committees as Citizens For Building Florida’s Future, which says its purpose is to “promote and support principled conservative causes and candidates in the State of Florida.”
Pearson has seen contributions largely from individuals, but she’s also garnered financial support from labor unions and some businesses, including Gate Petroleum Co., a major corporation in North Florida and owned by the family of John Peyton, former Republican Mayor of Jacksonville from 2003 to 2011. Peyton himself is President of Gate Petroleum.
The DeSantis decision to formally come out and endorse Nathanson is yet another extension of the DeSantis plan to load local School Boards throughout the state with his hand-picked conservative candidates reflecting his more right-leaning philosophies and approaches to education.
While the District 3 School Board seat in Duval County geographically represents some historic urban neighborhoods south of the St. Johns River which runs through the city, it also stretches further south into the more suburban areas of San Jose and Mandarin.
3 comments
APGOP
August 16, 2024 at 8:41 am
Nathanson is clearly the best candidate but her campaign has been a disaster. No clear message and no one that really knows how to do anything but knock on doors, wave signs and make phone calls.
She would have benefitted from some experienced help.
the Truth
August 16, 2024 at 8:50 am
I will now Boycott Gate Gas stations, thanks for letting me know
Stop_Hate_Mail
August 16, 2024 at 9:35 am
we are getting 2-3 ugly mailers a day from Nathanson campaign despite asking to be removed from her list a month ago. She has spent $18K on this lying trash. Not the kind of person I want making decisions about how DCPS spends our tax $$, what books our children can read.