YOUR VIEW: Rumor Claiming District 2 School Board Candidate Courtney Lewis Dropping Out of Race is Unfounded

David Neuman: Issues facing our schools are of major concern to American families

Over the weekend, a false rumor spread that front runner Courtney Lewis was dropping out of the District 2 School Board race. The rumor is unfounded, much like the many others that have emerged from a handful of known agitators who have aligned themselves with Courtney’s competition. It remains to be seen how this will affect the race as mail ballots began arriving Friday.

Two years ago, desperate political players used a similar dastardly tactic in an attempt to ensure that then Congressional candidate Byron Donalds would not win his heated primary election. The morning of the election a mass text went out claiming Byron had dropped out of the race.

His team successfully scrambled to correct the record and Bryon emerged victorious. Ironically, the tactic is now being employed in Brevard against a school board candidate the Congressman has endorsed.

Shawn Frost, Congressman Donalds campaign manager in 2020, had the following to share: “Elections are meant to be a contest of ideas and character of candidates. Stunts like those Congressman Donalds had to overcome, and Ms. Lewis is facing are despicable attempts to deny voters the opportunity to support the candidate that will best serve the community. Perpetrators of these frauds must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Issues facing our schools are of major concern to American families and have already proven pivotal to several political contests around the country. Despite entrenched opposition to the change Courtney represents, she has outraised and outperformed the competition.

This could be, in part, because she remains laser-focused on issues. Issues like the fact Brevard Public Schools is losing teachers at an alarming rate as well as reading and math scores continuing to slip. She has also vowed that her campaign will refrain from negative campaign tactics to restore civility.

“We can do so much better for Brevard,” said Lewis. “There is no reason that an elementary school in my district should have only 6% of third graders reading proficiently. I knew the School District couldn’t meet my son’s needs but it is obvious that it is not meeting the needs of many students. I will use the skills I developed fighting for my son to advocate for every child.”

There are four candidates in the race with only one supported by the Brevard Democrats. The other candidates include a retired Ohio transplant who has lived in Brevard for a year, the establishment pick who is a 20-year teacher, and businesswoman Courtney Lewis, who was the only candidate for months, but since drawing competition, the race has been plagued with drama.

Feedback from voters in the area indicates a desire for change. Community members seem unhappy with what is taking place in schools. Many residents express concern that, for generations, school boards have been comprised of educators without any real improvement in outcomes. Brevard Public Schools, in fact, recently dropped from an A to a B district. A consistent complaint centers around the fact that spending and taxes continue to rise without no noticeable academic gains.

As the owner of Kelsey’s Pizzeria in Merritt Island as well as Jack and Harry’s next door, Courtney brings a business and budgeting background to the school board. A central pillar of her platform has been better managing taxpayer resources in addition to improving opportunities through vocational programs.

She has garnered the support of numerous Brevard leaders like Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Steve Crisafulli, and Mike Haridopolos.
If no candidate in the race gets a majority, the top two vote getters will move on to the November ballot. The District 2 race is the only School Board race in the county with the potential to continue past the August 23rd primary.

– David Neuman, Treasurer Florida Federation of Young Republicans

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