The two candidates vying for the District 2 seat on the Okaloosa County School Board presented their visions for the future of local education at a candidate forum Thursday, addressing issues ranging from infrastructure funding to vocational training.

• Parker Destin and David Schmidt are competing for the seat currently held by Marti Gardner, who is not seeking re-election. 

The forum, hosted by the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors, provided an opportunity for the candidates to differentiate themselves on key education issues facing the district.

Destin, a seventh-generation Floridian and product of Okaloosa schools (Fort Walton Beach High School), emphasized his business acumen as an asset for managing the district’s substantial budget. As the owner and operator of hospitality and restaurant businesses in Northwest Florida, Destin argued that his experience in the private sector would be valuable on the school board.

• “It’s a $550 million annual budget. That’s a half a billion with a B,” Destin said. “It makes sense to send business people up there. I’m the candidate that offers that.”

Schmidt, currently serving his second term on the Fort Walton Beach City Council, highlighted his decade of experience as the principal at the Okaloosa Academy, a dropout prevention school. He also emphasized his perspective as a parent of five children in the school system.

“I think it’s time to elect a parent,” Schmidt said, noting that if elected, he would be the only school board member with children currently in the district. “I’m also a graduate of Fort Walton Beach High School and have been finishing up my second term on the city of Fort Walton Beach Council.”

Infrastructure and Funding

Both candidates identified infrastructure as a critical challenge facing the district. Destin pointed out that while Okaloosa County schools are academically in the top 10% statewide, they rank last in infrastructure.

“We haven’t built a high school in over 50 years,” Destin said. “We need to change that.”

The candidates expressed support for the district’s half-cent sales tax for school infrastructure. Destin praised the current management of these funds, noting that 56% of the revenue comes from tourism rather than local residents.

• “It’s a fantastic gift with a bow on it,” Destin said. “I think we need to probably renew it in the future.”

Schmidt, while supportive of the tax, called for more comprehensive planning in its implementation. He advocated for a “school board approved master facilities plan” that would involve input from economic development experts, military representatives, staff, residents, families, and chambers of commerce.

“I would strongly recommend a school board approved facilities master plan before I get behind strongly supporting the sales tax referendum,” Schmidt said.

Teacher Retention and Pay

Both candidates identified teacher retention as a significant challenge for the district. Schmidt emphasized the need for policies to support teachers beyond pay increases, such as addressing student behavioral issues and providing more administrative support.

• “The reason why the retention rate is low from year one to eight is… pay is one thing, but a lot of it too is just needing more support as well as impacting the behaviors from our students,” Schmidt said.

Destin stressed the importance of addressing salary compression, where experienced teachers may be earning similar salaries to new hires due to recent increases in starting pay. He suggested working with state officials and looking for efficiencies in the budget to address this issue.

“We’re going to need to look at everything that we can cut from an efficiency standpoint within the budget, everything from litigation costs to things that really are superfluous, so that we can dump it into teacher pay,” Destin said. “But again, it’s not just pay. What you need is support.”

School Choice and Vouchers

The candidates expressed support for the state’s expanded school voucher program, though with some differing perspectives.

Destin said he was “in full support” of the expanded voucher program, viewing choice as appropriate. However, he cautioned against reducing funding for public schools, which he noted are responsible for educating 90% of students statewide.

Schmidt framed school choice as a positive force for competition in education. “It’s a beautiful thing when our community has an opportunity to have a choice,” he said. “That’s going to encourage every institution, every school, every high school… making sure your facilities, making sure your programs, making sure your curriculum instruction is competitive.”

Vocational Education

Both candidates emphasized the importance of vocational and technical education, though with slightly different approaches.

Destin argued for earlier identification of students for trade programs, citing the high demand and pay for skilled trades. 

• “I think we need to identify them early, get them sent over into trade programs and vocational programs as soon as we can,” he said. “There is a future in the trades, as there always should have been. But we went awry somewhere where we said the only way that anybody can make a living or be somebody is to go through four years worth of school.”

Schmidt highlighted his experience expanding vocational opportunities at his current school and set an ambitious goal for the district. 

“We have 4 percent of students going to technical colleges after we graduate from high school. We have to shift that needle,” Schmidt said. He expressed a vision of making Okaloosa “the number one school district in the country in career readiness.”

School Resource Officers

Both candidates expressed strong support for the school resource officer program. Destin called for its expansion, particularly in larger high schools. 

“I’d like to see the program expanded on some of our larger campuses and high schools in particular, because you want to make sure that if something, God forbid, bad was to happen, you’ve got more than one person prepared to respond to something,” he said.

Schmidt emphasized the importance of maintaining a clear division between the roles of administrators and resource officers in handling disciplinary issues. 

• “I like to make it very clear that our administration, our teachers, our staff handles the behavior. Our resource officers are there to continue to monitor the perimeter of the campuses and continue to build those relationships for the big issues,” Schmidt said.

Commitment to the Role

In a surprising announcement, Schmidt revealed that he has submitted resignations from both his principal position and city council seat to focus full-time on the school board role if elected.

• “We feel convicted that God has called me to do this,” Schmidt said, referring to both himself and wife, Shannon. “This is nothing to take lightly and I want to give it my full time responsibility.”

Destin, while not planning to leave his business roles, emphasized that his successful management teams allow him the flexibility to serve on the school board. 

“I have great help and I’m proud of them and I can’t say good enough things about them because they allow me the opportunity to serve the public now,” Destin said.

Looking Ahead

The candidates also addressed the upcoming vacancy on the school board due to Dr. Diane Kelley’s departure to become principal of Destin High School. Both expected the position to be filled by a gubernatorial appointment rather than a special election.

As the forum concluded, both candidates emphasized the importance of voter engagement in the upcoming election. They urged attendees to spread information about the race and encourage participation.

• The election for the Okaloosa County School Board District 2 seat will be held on August 20, with early voting beginning on August 10.