Candidate: Kells Hetherington

Follow our campaign: www.kellshetherington.com

Watch our campaign cover the issues: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI4RrCZ7vqC-N_HwZ_BqzAQ?view_as=subscriber

I need your help in my race for School Board in Escambia County's 2nd District. We spend over a HALF BILLION DOLLARS every year on education in Escambia County, yet our schools continue to be some of the worst in the entire state of Florida. I am not a complainer --- I am a concerned citizen who knows we can do better.

Meet Kells:

· 39-years-old, married to Alison Hetherington, a homeschool teacher and longtime ovarian cancer advocate.

· Owns a home on Gulf Beach Highway in District 2

· Successful financial analyst who builds predicative mathematical models to build investment strategies. Trading successfully for 20 years.

· Former Deputy Editor for Fox News Host Tucker Carlson's online news site, The Daily Caller

· Former General Manager in Alaska for National Public Radio

· Former print journalist for Voice of America, the nation's radio broadcast, promoting democracy around the world.

· Lifelong member of the Congregational Church

· Avid sailor and racer, local youth sailing volunteer

What's at stake

Escambia County Schools hold the infamous distinction of being ranked among the "Top 10 Worst in the State." Over the last 30 years, the District schools' performance has declined, but over the last decade that rate of deterioration has accelerated.

In the 2nd District, where I'm running, the majority of students cannot read or write at grade level and 30% are dropping out before graduation. That's over 500 high school students dropping out each year in the county, with little chance of finding gainful employment in the local economy. There are several schools in my district where it is actually unusual for a student to pass state proficiency examinations. The Escambia County School District employs some of the most highly compensated administrators and some of the lowest paid teachers in the entire state. A juxtaposition that I will do my best to see inverted.

An entrenched group has run our schools into the ground

Historically, the Escambia County five-member school board has been controlled by a small faction of like-minded individuals most of whom have had careers leading the failing schools. They are retired educators who work to sustain a well-oiled bureaucratic machine that squelches innovative thinking from the outside world. With a massive operating budget of more than 600 million dollars, we desperately need school board members who have business and finance expertise. I have professional expertise in finance that is not currently represented on the board and could dramatically change the way we do business. As a former journalist, I have the energy and enthusiasm to ask the tough questions. Now, more than ever, we need to be asking the tough questions. 

A renewed energy

Throughout these fourteen weeks on the campaign trail, my wife and I have spoken to more than 4,000 people in every single precinct from Perdido Key to Navy Point to Myrtle Grove, Brownsville, Warrington the Tanyard, Innerarity Point  and everywhere in between and my enthusiasm to connect with you the voters is unrelenting. We have taken this campaign to every street in the district, a practice rivaled only by congressional or senatorial level campaigns. In the final days of this campaign, I will be out there: sweating in the heat, dripping in the rain and dodging the occasional dog canvassing my district. If we don't meet before election day on August 28, I hope that I can count on your support.

What I Will Do

-Cut failed programs: We waste millions of dollars every year on outside consultants who say they will turn around our schools, yet fail and still collect big checks from the district. The district paid millions to Turnaround Solutions Inc. to turn around Warrington Middle School, yet the school still ranks as a D. 

-Cut insider deals:  Insider deals are rampant in the school district and recently a judge has twice ruled that the district has violated Florida law by improperly awarding multi million dollar vendor contracts. One of my opponents recently accepted over $5,000 in campaign contributions from five construction companies who have had multi million dollar contracts with the school district. Vendors should not be allowed to buy into the school board.  Read the article here: https://ricksblog.biz/how-new-company-with-no-financial-history-got-a-1-9-million-school-district-contract/

- Reintroduce education in skilled trades: I will bring back real trade skill programs like plumbing contracting and welding to our career academies. Many of our career academies focus on digital areas like video game design that give our students no chance of getting jobs in our local economy. Our students need to graduate job ready.

- Crackdown on out-of-control violent behavior that disrupts our educational programs: The endless sea of second chances will come to a screeching halt if I am elected. Violent students do not belong in our schools. Teachers have been pressured by administrators to downgrade or not to report violents students. Parents will need to take responsbility to find an alternate situation if their student is violent in the classroom.

- Direct a portion of our savings to raise salaries: Our average teacher salaries are far below those offered in neighboring counties. Our hard working bus drivers, maintenance professionals and cafeteria staff also make far below state averages. When we cut the millions wasted on outside consultants, we can raise these salaries. 

- Expand our Gifted programs which Malcolm Thomas started cutting several years ago. An overwhelming number of parents were against the Superintendent's decision to cut these programs and I am behind them in reinvigorating and expanding the PATS program.

- Cut the red tape facing homeschool families: There are hundreds of homeschool families in the county and the number is growing. Our Office of School Choice can more effectively work with this student population.

I’m Kells Hetherington and I need your support on August 28th.

Sincerely yours,

Kells Hetherington