Candidate: Gina Geiger

To the Citizens of Gilchrist County:

My name is Gina Geiger and I am a Republican candidate for Superintendent of Schools for Gilchrist County.  I am blessed to be married to Bart Geiger for 34 years and we have three daughters who all attended and graduated from the Gilchrist County School District. Now my sweet granddaughter, Ella is enrolled in PreK at Bell Elementary.  

I currently hold a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, a Master’s degree in Reading and Learning Disabilities, and a Specialist degree in Educational Leadership. I have approximately 30 years of experience in the field of education ranging from teaching kindergarten all the way up to the college level where I was an adjunct professor in the evenings for St. Leo University’s College of Education for eight years.  In addition to my teaching experience, I am currently a school administrator at a middle school and I have also served as a school administrator at the high school level. My experience in education goes beyond teaching in the classroom and being a school administrator. For seven years prior to becoming a school administrator, I worked for two different discretionary projects for the Florida Department of Education.  In one of those roles, I worked with 47 small and rural school districts related to the laws and services provided for students with disabilities.  I have also served on two committees at the State level. Having worked at the State level and collaborating with other school districts, only adds to my level of experience. 

I am currently serving in my eighth year as a school board member. My school board term is up for re-election this year and I have made the decision to run for Superintendent instead. Serving in the role as a school board member has offered insight into some of the day to day operations and decision making when it comes to actually managing a school district.  A school board member is mainly over policy and governance; however, the decision making on the day to day operations is made by the Superintendent.  I am running for Superintendent because I want to play a more active role in our school system.   

Serving on the board has afforded me many opportunities to attend trainings one of which was 96 hours of training in Leadership, Advocacy, and Knowledge earning the award of “Certified Board Member”.  I have visited the Capitol on multiple occasions advocating for our schools.  I am running for Superintendent because I know I can make more of a difference serving in that capacity and be more involved with our school system.   

My vision for our schools is to ensure a safe learning environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of background and circumstances.   I would also like to see more opportunities for vocational education for students that aren’t planning to attend college so they can learn a trade and be prepared for employment.  Furthermore, I am committed to building strong partnerships with parents, teachers, administrators, and our community stakeholders.  Communication and collaboration is key to our success. By working together, we can achieve more and create a brighter future for our children.  

What many people do not realize is that you cannot work in the same district where you are a school board member. This is why I work as an administrator in a different county, however, I am ready to be back “home” in Gilchrist County “full-time” so I can devote all my attention and efforts to serving our community.  

Serving in the role of Superintendent requires a lot of varied experiences in order to manage and run a school district.  I believe I have the experience necessary to serve in this capacity but it also requires an actively involved Superintendent for a school system to continue to run successfully. People that know me, know that I am a person of integrity and I am a hard worker. If I’m elected as the next Superintendent, I promise to foster transparency and be actively involved in all of our schools.