Three school board seats, offering two candidates each, are on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot.

Two of the races are district specific. One is at-large, meaning every voter countywide may cast a ballot in that race

Running in District 1 are Sam Fisher and Kathy Fanny. Running in District 4 are Dan “Doc” Severson and incumbent Debbie Jordan. Jada Langford-Fleming and Denise Nystrom are running for the District 6 seat, which is at-large.

Cape Coral voters can cast in either the District 1, or District 4 race, depending on where they reside, as well as in the District 6, at-large race.

A fourth race, District 5, was decided in the August primary. Challenger Armor Persons beat incumbent Gwynetta Gittens by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. Persons had 8,232 votes, or 55.09 percent, while Gittens received 6,712 votes, or 44.91 percent.

Lee County School Board races are non-partisan.

District 1

The District 1 seat is between the two candidates who survived the Aug. 23 primary. Sam Fisher was the top vote getter in the four-way race. He received 43.82 percent, or 12,169 votes. Kathy Fanny, received 24.83 percent, or 6,896 votes.

“I learned that our community is looking for a change of direction on the Lee County School Board. They want professionals with conservative principles that will put our kids first, empower our parents, secure our schools and implement a fiscally responsible budget,” Fisher, who has been endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, said about the Primary Election.

Now, with the General Election in the near future, he said he will use the same strategy, taking the message directly to the voters, whether it be at their doorstep, on the soccer fields, or through media.

“Over the course of the past several months, I have knocked on thousands of doors, personally meeting voters to listen to their concerns and share my platform,” Fisher said. “My top priority is winning this election, so I can get to work on behalf of our students, teachers and taxpayers.”

Fanny said what she took away from the Primary Election was a very low turnout.

“Voters are not sufficiently engaged at this stage of the mid-term election,” she said “We need well-informed voters to elect qualified candidates.”

Some of her measures include phone banking, emailing, postcarding, texting registered voters, as well as volunteers delivering written materials in the way of door hangers and brochures to voters in her district.

“I continue to have speaking engagements that connect me with community groups,” Fanny said.

With the General Election nearing, Fanny will continue to be visible and accessible to voters, as she speaks several times a week at campaign events, community groups and organizations. To become more familiar with operations and current issues facing the school board, she also meets with the board chair, Jordan, as a way to make herself ready to work day one.

Dedicated is one word that Fanny uses to describe herself, as she has given herself to her educator career, as well as a mother and wife to her family. She has been married to her husband Lew for 49 years and they have raised two children.

“I am a Cape Coral resident, wife, mother, grandmother, volunteer youth director at my church, and educator who wants to serve our community to create a positive atmosphere in schools, so people want to be there and thrive,” Fanny said.

Fisher, an attorney, describes himself as a husband, father, small business owner and conservative who is focused on putting kids first, empowering parents, supporting teachers and bringing professional leadership to the school board.

“As a father of three kids in Lee County schools, I am excited to help bring positive change to our schools,” he said.

As a lifelong educator with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, Fanny believes that sets her apart.

“My opponent has no experience in the classroom, nor does he have the degrees in education,” Fanny said. “He has a full-time career as a lawyer and business owner. I am prepared to devote full-time and attention to the school board.”

In addition to working in the public-school system for 38 years, she has served on advisory boards for school boards, as well as working with such groups as students, teachers, parents, unions and administrators.

She wants to tackle educational proficiency, as in District 1, approximately 40 percent of kindergarten through third grade students are below grade level in literacy and math.

“I have the background to address this issue. Our students deserve quality education,” Fanny said. “My former occupation as an educator has prepared me to start working immediately. I already know how the educational system works, how to meet state, federal, and local mandates to ensure our system receives all the resources it’s entitled to.”

She said politics have no place on the board, or in schools.

“It is about doing the best for our students. Teachers need to be supported and paid a living wage to keep current teachers and entice new professionals,” Fanny said.

Fisher said what sets him apart is having the support and endorsement of Gov. DeSantis. He said he shares the conservative perspective on improving the public education system by supporting teachers, empowering parents and fiscal management of tax dollars.

As a small business owner and attorney, he knows what it takes to manage a budget, work with staff, vendors and members of the community. With his background, he understands how the Constitution, laws, policy and procedures work and how to present a logical argument with rational solutions.

“As an individual who is deeply involved in the community, I have an understanding of what changes they want made to our school system,” Fisher said.

District 4

The results from the four-way Primary Election kept Dan “Doc” Severson and incumbent Debbie Jordan in the race for the General Election. Severson received 33.11 percent, or 6,472 votes, while Jordan received 30.70 percent, or 6,001 votes.

For Jordan, the primary provided some insight on what the people want and how few knew an election was taking place.

“The community wants to know who you are and not just a person who shows up during an election cycle,” Jordan said.

Severson said he believes his message resonated with the voters.

“I learned that principals matter. Our campaign motto was ‘Conservative Leadership for a Conservative Community.’ That message resonated strongly with voters propelling our campaign to a victory in the Primary Election,” he said.

Moving towards the General Election Jordan will carry on her motto, “never give up,” while continuing what she says she has always done — be engaged and not only because there is an election.

“I have been a part of this community for most of my life and I am vested. I have raised my children here who are products of the Lee County School District, as well as my grandchildren now. As a small business owner, I have given back to our community, families, and children in my district and county. I have the experience to continue moving the district forward with the team we have put in place. I understand the needs of our community and continue to work to support those needs,” Jordan said.

Severson will also continue along the same path, delivering his conservative message of empowering parents, student achievement, fiscal responsibility, and expanding educational opportunities directly to voters across the district.

“I will continue to bring my message directly to the doorsteps of voters across District 4. We will also utilize direct mail, radio and meet the candidate events to help spread our message,” he said.

Jordan describes herself as a person who believes in family and one who always shows up and gets the work done, one person who “is not going to go away.” In addition, she said she is a collaborator who understands that you need to bring people along to make a difference.

There are four areas she wants to continue to tackle. They include expanding career and technical education for middle school students, maintaining the commitment to sound financial management using the half cent sales tax to build schools needed, retention and recruitment of personnel and increasing family engagement because when children strive families are engaged.

Her occupation in the hospitality industry and owning her own business has helped her the last four years on the board because it allows her to understand how to work alongside those with whom have different views, she said. This helps her stay focused on why she is on the board, understanding budgets and being able to get needed answers and facts to make a decision.

“I am proud to be part of my community, which I have served for many years in different capacities. I have been vested in our school district for over 40 years and have seen the changes over the years. My grandchildren and yours have endless opportunities for their futures and I am looking forward to being a part of that,” Jordan said.

Severson described himself as a public servant with extensive executive experience, who wants to serve his community in a position that can best benefit his community as a whole.

“Visionary, intentional and committed” are some of the traits he cited.

In addition to his conservative principles, Severson said his executive experience and educational background sets him apart.

“I have a bachelor’s degree in physics with minors in math and computer science,” he said. “I have been in executive leadership positions in the military and state legislature, as well as working as a substitute teacher. From systems oversight as a Navy Commander and state education budgets in the legislature to being in the classrooms, these leadership positions equip me to be a productive member on the Lee County School Board. I have first-hand experience in the classroom of seeing the challenges for teachers, administrators and parents. These will help guide my decision process.”

He said he would empower parents to make the best choices for their children, improve teacher retention, employ better budget management and transparency and equip children with a classical education that emphasizes critical thinking skills, so they are equally prepared to enter college, or the workforce.

“We have a conservative community that deserves conservative leadership. The school board is one of the most important elected positions in our community because it impacts business, parents, teachers and our most precious resource, our children,” Severson said. “There are no do overs for our kids. We must give our parents and children the best opportunity for success we can by providing opportunities they can readily access. I have been blessed and my goal is to be a blessing to my community.”

District 6

The candidates who moved forward in the three-way primary in District 6 are Jada Langford-Fleming, who received 38.97 percent, or 44,985 votes, and Denise Nystrom, who received 35.92 percent, or 41,464 votes.

Langford-Fleming deemed her August Primary campaign successful, as she received the highest vote count among the candidates seeking the seat.

“My biggest takeaway was the overwhelming desire for a change of direction on the Lee County School Board. Our conservative message resonated with voters across Lee County. I look forward to continuing to share that message with voters during the General Election,” she said.

With the General Election on the horizon, Langford-Fleming said their strategy is knocking on doors and talking to voters about their concerns. She said she will also share her platform and vision, which will continue to be the cornerstone of the strategy throughout the duration of the campaign.

As Nystrom campaigned during the Primary Election she found it important to personally reach as many people as she could.

“I am a believer that it is about building positive relationships, making connections with people, listening to the concerns of others, and having others get to know me and my passion for children and education,” she said. “Based on the results of the Primary Election, I believe that the voters view me as someone that can effectively be their next school board member. Moving into the General Election, I still believe it is about connecting with as many people as I possibly can, but in a more targeted approach using statistical data that shows me where I need to spend more time reaching out to community members.”

Honest, driven, compassionate and integrity are the main qualities Langford-Fleming uses to describe herself.

“The voters in Lee County can trust that I will always stay true to my word. I have worked hard in my campaign for over a year now and will continue to work hard for the children and families of this community,” she said. “I am a teacher at heart. I will always put the needs of our children first.”

Langford-Fleming believes what sets her apart is that she has been an active member of the community her entire life.

“Not only was I born and raised right here in Southwest Florida, I am also raising my own family here,” she said. “As a former teacher in Lee County schools, and a parent, I have firsthand experience with the shortcomings of the district and am ready to begin working on day one to start making a positive difference for our children.”

Langford-Fleming said with 20 years in the classroom, coupled with her private sector business experience, it will provide her with the skills and understanding to make the right decision.

Nystrom describes herself as a person of integrity.

“I am honest, diligent, highly organized and highly effective,” she said.

Nystrom said her background includes more than 20 years in education. She was a special education teacher for 14 years, three years as a special education administrator and eight years as an assistant superintendent of human resources who ran school districts for a living.

“I have the qualifications necessary to be highly effective,” she said. “I understand the role of a school board member because in my capacity as an assistant superintendent, I reported directly to the board of education members.”

When Nystrom came to Southwest Florida seven years ago, it was to retire. That changed after her concerns grew about the school district and she began attending board meetings a year and a half ago.

“I will work tirelessly for the children, their parents, and the community members in Lee County just as I have for my three adult children, my eight grandchildren, the children that I taught, their parents, and the communities I served,” Nystrom said. “As a special educator and administrator, I have a vast knowledge of the uniqueness of all children, how to assess effective programs and curriculum, and an in-depth knowledge of state statutes, board policy, and labor law. I have managed multimillion-dollar budgets and was a chief negotiator for twelve separate collective bargaining units. I was the chairperson of the district-wide Safety Committee, and I oversaw transportation.”

For Langford-Fleming the top priority moving forward is to win the confidence of the community and assure them that she is the best person for the job come Nov. 8. She said she will put children back at the forefront of the board’s priorities while empowering parents and bringing conservative principals to the school board.

“I am also committed to protecting our children from the radical ideas that have crept into our educational system, empowering parents, so they can make the best decisions for their children, providing fiscally conservative management of your tax dollars and bringing classical learning back to our classrooms,” Langford-Fleming said. “The community means everything to me and my family and I want to continue to do my part to make it a better place. My No. 1 goal is to provide the very best education for our children possible, so they are prepared to be successful when they head off to college or into our workforce.”

Key issues Nystrom sees include low student achievement scores, high retention rates and the necessity for post graduation transition to higher education, vocational training, the military, or a job with upward mobility.

“There is a need for a line-item transparent budget, a need to renovate or build new schools, and a need to make sure that our special education and second language learners are receiving the programs and services that make them successful. And very importantly, accomplishing the mission of opening up the lines of communication with the parents with the full understanding that parents are the primary decision-makers for their children,” Nystrom said.