I am JonPaul H. Berkley, candidate for School Board in the Bacon/Saxe District. My wife, Tiffany, and I reside in Randolph and together we have two children, Gavin and Alyssa. My children are what motivated me to seek election to the Charlotte County School Board. Our children, the future of Charlotte County, deserve the best education we can provide.

We have great teachers and other employees, who truly seek to give our children a first class education, but we are losing many of them due to poor decision making of our leaders. Our school system has been on the decline for several years and our current leadership has just accepted this, without a clear plan to recover.

After spending thousands of county dollars, J.M.J. was closed and sold at a loss, which resulted in the county having to buy mobile units in which to educate our children.

This fumbled mess was done without a clear vision, which utilized tax dollars efficiently. Furthermore, at a time when money is tight for all of us, including the county, our School Board elected to raise salaries for certain positions $23 thousand dollars per year.

I will work to implement a plan to hire qualified employees that reside in Charlotte County. Schools function better and our children are better educated when our teachers have a stake in the process. I will fight to get insurance provided for our bus drivers and part time employees. I will work to schedule two town hall meetings a year for parents, teachers, and county residents to voice their opinion.

We can do better for our children, and we will do better; our children are counting on us. Our current board has lost direction by not keeping what’s best for our children and the taxpayers of our county at the heart of every decision. If I am elected as your School Board representative, I will have open dialogue at with parents, staff, and our county’s taxpayers. Everyone should have their voice heard.

As your next School Board representative, I understand that I work for you, and I am accountable to you. I would greatly appreciate your vote on Nov. 3. It is time to take back our county. If you have any questions, always feel free to call me (434) 547-2026.

I look forward to hearing from you and serving as your voice of reason on the Charlotte County School Board. We need change and it starts with your vote to elect me as your new School Board Representative for the Bacon/Saxe area.