Candidate: Cheri Anne Brodeur

My name is Dr. Cheri Winton Brodeur and I am running for the Gilchrist County superintendent of schools position. I taught in Gilchrist county from the mid 80’s to the late 90’s.  I taught middle school and high school language arts, journalism, advanced placement courses and was both junior and senior sponsor for many years at Bell. I oversaw parades, fundraisers and proms.   I was instrumental in writing the grant with a small team of faculty for the Bell Health Academy including the design of the curriculum and the layout of the health academy building which is still producing students bound for medical related careers. I taught several years in the health academy.

  I left Bell in 1998 to go to the University of Florida and got my PhD there while working full time. I was coordinator of the Program Development and Evaluation Center within the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) which is the College of Agriculture at UF.  I was elected Chair of the faculty Senate which represents all faculty on the campus and also to the UF Board of Trustees which is the governing board For the University including Shands Medical Center. I was involved in the interviewing of the present president of UF.  I have met with countless politicians in Tallahassee promoting changes and or support for educational opportunities within Florida.  I also served on the advisory committee for the UF police department and worked with them in the area of safety and security of 52,000 students.  In 2015 I became emeritus to allow me time to care for aging parents. I still do some research in the area of ADHD and problem solving style.  My PhD is in Leadership specializing in organizational structure, conflict resolution and change strategy.  I am considered an expert in the area of team interaction and conflict.

Gilchrist county schools are an integral part of the communities and if elected I plan to continue the traditions that are so important. At the same time I want to be sure our students are prepared for a changing future.  I want to increase opportunities for students interested in vocational training. I would like to work toward a vocational track that has students ready upon graduation for apprenticeships and/or certification in a multitude of vocational careers. Not every student is interested in a college career nor should we expect that but we want to be sure they have opportunities to make a good living and hopefully to be able to remain in the community.

Regardless of whether a student is college or vocational bound we need to insure they get the courses they need to reach their potential. This includes courses in personal finances.  We need to get back to graduating well-rounded students. I never believed in teaching for the test.

In order to have student’s reach their potential we need the best teachers and school leadership. As A- schools I believe this is already true but we also need to work towards better pay. I would work towards this goal both locally and on the state level to obtain the necessary funding.

Athletics are important.  They teach students discipline and integrity.  I firmly support athletics as long as there is a balance with academics which I believe exists presently and I will do everything possible to foster the continued excellence of athletic programs.

Finally, I want to mention the need for security and safety of our children. In this day and age we need to be vigilant about the safety of our students. Not only must we pay attention to domestic and foreign terrorists but we must guard against drugs, addiction and mental health issues.  I never thought we would reach this point but we have and only a fool would not be prepared against all dangers. I already serve on the Gilchrist/Levy Sheriff’s coalition a group interested in reducing and or preventing the dangers of addiction and mental health issues from youth through adulthood.