Okaloosa School Board District 1: White, Buckman share views on transparency, new schools, more

In a nonpartisan Okaloosa County School Board race that will be decided in the Aug. 23 primary election, incumbent Lamar White will face Jerry Buckman for the District 1 seat.

Both candidates were asked three questions by the Northwest Florida Daily News. Following are the responses from White, who is a former teacher, coach, principal and college professor and has served two four-year terms on the board, and Buckman, who is a substitute teacher and retired Air Force veteran.

Daily News: Do you believe the Okaloosa County School Board can do more to create an air of transparency and give the public confidence that board votes result in district action whose results are then being shared with the community? If you do so believe, what steps need to be taken?

Recap of candidate forum in July:School Board, County Commissioner contenders address affordable housing, sales tax at forum

School board races turn ugly:Okaloosa County School Board incumbents keep skipping debates. Details on the contentious race

White: I think that readers would appreciate a review of the steps that have been taken by the school board regarding transparency since I was elected in 2014. On Feb. 9, 2015, my successful motion for a low-cost solution to video and “broadcast” school board workshops and meetings via the internet allows citizens to freely view them live or at any time.

Additionally, two public comment opportunities were made “standing items” on every school board agenda/meeting. These meetings are where many district actions are reported and documented.

The school district maintains a robust social media presence that keeps citizens up to date regarding district actions, and the school district also publishes a newsletter that reports on district actions. The superintendent of the district publishes statements to the media and most recently publicly spoke about actions the district took regarding employee matters (available on social media). The school district also provides apps.

Buckman: The School Board can do much more to bolster transparency and public confidence. The School Board can begin by separating itself from the superintendent and begin holding him accountable for enforcement of board policies. Having four career educators on the board is not a diversified body, and they’ve adequately demonstrated a harmonious effort to limit transparency. They can level with the public that after four years promised investigations and audits were not done. They can let the public know how many misconduct and lawsuit cases have been done and are ongoing.

What really must happen, though, is the public must stand up and hold their elected leaders accountable. The public should attend meetings, formally address the board, demand a response and hold the board and superintendent accountable. The public needs to be much more engaged with the School Board. The future of our students and country depends on that.

DN: Has enough been done to ensure that the abuses of the Mary Beth Jackson-era are not still ongoing and will never occur in the future? If yes, what policies and procedures can you cite that have been implemented? If no, what more needs to be done?

White: This answer deserves more than the 150 words limit due to political misinformation.

As a school board member during this time five years ago, I am the author of two letters to the State Attorney regarding these matters and my opinion that the school board should have been informed of confirmed district investigations.

I made two successful motions that require the school district to inform the school board of investigations involving abuse and/or violations of civil rights (9/25/2017). My motions require notification of parents/guardians.

New school board policies were implemented regarding investigations, reporting and investigative procedures.

Employees identified in the sheriff’s report received administrative action from the school district.

Changes were made to our school board agenda that require personnel actions to be listed separately on the school board agenda so that each personnel action is voted upon. Further, we implemented the recommendations from two grand juries on this matter.

Buckman: The Mary Beth Jackson-era still continues. In 2017, the School Board unanimously passed a motion to audit previous abuse and other complaints for appropriate closure. That audit was never done. Additionally, in 2018, then-Chairman of the Board Dr. Lamar White asked the State Attorney for permission to conduct MBJ-related investigations and permission was granted.

In March 2022, Dr. White stated the district completed those investigations; however, public records revealed those investigations were never started. Because of those, I’ve lost trust and confidence that our elected leaders have the moral courage to protect our students. Both of those instances need to be examined and closed out properly. A project tracker needs to be created so accountability for completion of all projects can happen. All allowable information on every misconduct and lawsuit case should be made available to the public so that accountability and transparency is maintained.

DN: What are your thoughts on the need for new schools? Should the School Board look at providing more new schools or focus on a mix of upgrades to existing facilities as well as construction of new schools?

White: First, I would like for readers to know that these decisions are based upon enrollment, trends, internal and external facility expert review, and sophisticated financial analysis that includes debt projections with a myriad of other potential variables.

Our plan has been a mix: maintain, upgrade and renovate our existing schools and build new schools when supported by enrollment and financial feasibility studies.

While there has been some specious political rhetoric (not from me) to replace all existing schools with new schools, such an idea is not only wasteful, but projections show that such a colossal expenditure would saddle our citizens with a debt burden that is far more than just unrealistic. All superintendent recommendations concerning school renovation, upgrades and even a replacement recommendation must be supported by the data above.

Our superintendent has discussed plans for three new schools with the school board. These discussions are in the public record.

Buckman: Despite the massive growth in our wealthy county since the early '90s, our schools have been left behind. A plan to replace our aging, decrepit schools does not exist, and that is negligence by a series of elected leaders. The half-cent sales tax (a blessing) funds projects such as roofs, floors and other renovations. However, we cannot continue to ignore replacements. Consider your automobile with 200K miles on it that you keep pouring money into. At some point you need a new car. We’ve passed that point with our schools. Politicians know that asking for money is political suicide.

But when you put the kids first, they don’t deserve to learn in crumbling, moldy outdated buildings. We’ve let this go too far; a combination of new schools and upgrades must be considered. We must initiate a long-term school replacement study, determine payment options, and present all to the public.