School board officials sworn in

Washington to chair School Board

Ashley Hunter
ECB Publishing, Inc.

In addition to the re-swearing in of the three reelected Jefferson County School Board officials, the school board was required to elect a new chairperson during their Tuesday, November 20 Reorganizational Meeting.
In the past, the school board has chosen new chairpersons through a rotating method: the person sitting on the chairperson’s left would assume the seat of the chair, and the former chairperson would move to the seat at the end of the school board’s desk.
However, Superintendent Arbulu brought up Florida Statute 1001.371, that declares that the school board must elect a chairperson, rather than simply assume that the chair rotates.
“In November of each year, the district school board shall organize by electing a chair...it may elect a vice chair, and the district school superintendent shall act ex officio as the secretary,” reads the Florida Statute.
Next on the rotation would have been Board Member Shirley Washington (District 3), and the school board chose to keep that rotation in mind as they nominated and elected, unanimously, Board Member Washington as the 2018-2019 School Board Chairperson.
Board Member Bill Brumfield (District 4) was chosen as the board’s Vice-Chairman.
As the former chairperson Sandra Saunders stood to pass the gavel into Washington’s hands, she spoke briefly on her own enjoyment of having held the gavel and led the school board for the last year, as well as her confidence that Washington would lead well in the upcoming year.
“You know what purpose this serves and I know you’ve done this before so I don’t have any problem explaining it,” said Saunders. “I know you will use it wisely and all that we do will be for the good of the education system in this district of Jefferson County - the same thing we’ve been trying to do for a good many years.”
After the School Board had shifted, and Washington took her place in the seat of Chairperson, she had praise of her own.
“This board has had a lot of snares under your leadership and under your guidance - you have kept this board together and we were able to conquer some of the seemingly impossible. We had some hard times; you were a good leader, you were a good chairman,” said Washington to Saunders.
Washington thanked the board members for their hard work in letting the community know that Jefferson County does have a good school board, but added that the goodness of the board came from the leadership that was offered by the chairperson.
“I appreciate everything you (Saunders) did; you had some hard hits, but you stood up to every one like a champ - I’m very proud of you,” Washington added.
For the next year, Chairperson Washington will lead the meetings and assume
In addition to the election of chair, the school district elected to keep Board Member Bill Brumfield on the Transportation Disadvantage Coordinating Board, Board Member Charles Boland the board member and business leader on the Property Evaluation Board; Board Member Gladys Roann-Watson on the Jefferson Education Foundation; Board Member Sandra Saunders as the board member on the Legislative Committee; and Board Member Shirley Washington as School Board Liason.