Who is running for superintendent of Lee County schools? What we know
Two candidates have thrown their hats in the ring for an historic election in Lee County: the first one since 1974 in which a superintendent of schools will be elected.
In 2022, voters approved a referendum by more than 60% in Lee County, making the position elected. Thirty-eight school districts in Florida have an elected superintendent. Florida is one of only two states in the nation that still allows elected superintendents.
As a result, the school board no longer has the power to hire or fire a superintendent. Now, the only requirement is that candidates live in Lee County.
As only one candidate from each of the major parties has qualified, there will not be a primary. This race will go straight to the November general election.
Candidates do not need any prior experience, education or qualifications to run the school district, oversee the more than $2.6 billion budget and take home a salary of more than $250,000.
Here's what we know about the two candidates who qualified to run for superintendent.
More: Mail and early voting for Lee County 2024 primary election: Here's what you need to know
The candidates for superintendent for the Lee County School District
Victor Arias (D), 63
Arias, who grew up in the Dominican Republic, cited experience as an attorney for the superintendent of schools in St. Lucie County. According to St. Lucie Public Schools, Arias was employed by the school district from July 1, 1993 to June 30,1999.
Arias said he was motivated to run for superintendent of Lee County schools after seeing a "tremendous need for leadership" in the school system. According to his LinkedIn, Arias has been a personal injury attorney based out of Cape Coral since 1992.
Why are you running for office?
"I am originally from the Dominican Republic. I speak Spanish. Where I was born they still don’t have electricity and running water. The majority of the population of students (in Lee) are Hispanic. Also my mother, my parents, did not have access to an education. My mother cleaned rooms, houses. I believe that just because of those basic experiences, I will be an inspiration to the students, parents and teachers."
What experience do you have in education, or running a major organization?
"I have been on many boards, including the United Way of Lee County. I’m on the board of directors of the Suncoast Credit Union, which has $18 billion in assets. I’ve served on budget committees and will continue to do so.
“I am your choice for Lee County superintendent.”
As of Thursday, $0 had been contributed to Arias's campaign, and he had spent $0.
Denise Carlin (R), 57
Carlin worked for the School District of Lee County from 1991 until her retirement in July 2023, according to her LinkedIn. She served as a teacher, assistant principal and principal until she moved into central office in 2012, when she became the executive director of human resources. She moved on to several other positions within the district, including executive director of elementary schools, before becoming the chief of staff in 2021. She served in that position for one year, and then became the chief communications and government relations officer.
Just under $175,000 has been contributed to Carlin's campaign so far. Most of her funding –– roughtly $100,000 –– was raised in the form of small donations (less than $1,000 per donor) in the last quarter of 2023. Conservative PACs "Friends of Amira Fox" (state attorney), "Friends of Carmine Marceno" (Lee County Sheriff) and "Friends of Kevin Ruane" (Lee County commissioner) all contributed $1,000 to her campaign as did several bank presidents, construction companies and at least one FGCU board trustee.
As of Thursday, Carlin had spent just under $50,000 on her campaign.
"The school district has been run by appointed bureaucrats creating an environment of conflict between the conservative values of our community and those of the institutional bureaucracy," Carlin's campaign website reads. "We’ve also experienced instability and turnover, evident by four Superintendents in the past eight years."
That, she says, is a major reason as to why she is running for office.
Why are you running for office?
"I've lived in Lee County for 55 years. I love this community. I'm a 32-year-educator and really care about kids. I've devoted my whole life to serving kids and families. I care deeply about our district and I want us to do better.
"Right now, we have some of the lowest-achieving numbers for students we've ever had, and that's disturbing to me. We have a teacher retention and recruitment issue as well; all year we've been down well over 200 teachers and that impacts student achievement. We need to get back to our core issue: educating children. We've gotten away from that.
"We need someone in this position with experience and I do have that experience. I know what our issues are, I know our strengths, our pain points. A lot of people say they can hit the ground running, but I actually can. I know where we need to go to work and I'm committed to getting that work done."
Former News-Press education reporter Nikki Ross contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Superintendent of Lee County schools candidates in Election 2024
