3 challenge Boynton in School Board District 4

Clockwise from upper left are School Board candidates Chase Basinger, Angie Boynton, Diane Schrier and Jamie Bevan.

Published: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 5:30 p.m.

Three political newcomers say it’s time for a change on the Marion County School Board in District 4, a seat that’s been held by local businesswoman Angie Boynton since 2010.


About the job


These four candidates will be on the Aug. 26 primary ballot. If a candidate does not receive 50 percent plus one vote, then the top two will face off in the Nov. 4 general election.

About the candidates

Chase Basinger

Age: 32
Residence: Ocala
Experience: Music director at Central Baptist Church for eight years; previously Coyne Textile Services; taught one year at Forest Grove Christian Academy.
Education: Bachelor's degree in music and master's degree in education from Bob Jones University.
Family: Married to Mary for nine years; four children.

Jamie Bevan

Age: 42
Residence: Silver Springs Shores
Experience: Fourth-grade teacher at Ward-Highlands Elementary School; 17 years teaching; teacher's assistant.
Education: Bachelor's degree in education from St. Leo University in 1998; certifications in elementary education and early childhood education; and an English for Speakers of Other Languages endorsement.
Family: Married to Jerry for 21 years; two children.

Angie Boynton

Age: 55
Residence: Ocala
Experience: Four years on School Board, currently vice chairwoman; serves on the Florida School Board Association's legislative finance and multicultural diversity committees; member of state and national Federation of Republican Women; owns Tax Group & Associates.
Education: Attended University of Florida for three years; 1976 Forest High School graduate.
Family: One daughter.

Diane Schrier

Age: 66
Residence: Ocala
Experience: Language arts teacher at Fort King Middle; teacher for 10 years; previously chairwoman of the Commission for Alcohol and Drug Abuse in Connecticut; also has worked as a financial controller at CitiBank, assistant to the chairman of a commercial real estate firm, actress. Once ran a talent agency
Education: Master's degree in business administration — finance and international business — from New York University; bachelor's degree in psychology from Syracuse University; certifications in English, social studies and MicroSoft systems; and earned an ESOL endorsement.
Family: Widowed after 31 years; two daughters and a stepson.

Boynton’s opponents are church music director Chase Basinger and school teachers Jamie Bevan and Diane Schrier.

Though her opponents haven’t questioned the incumbent’s abilities, Boynton did respond to Star-Banner questions about her bizarre behavior at a February board meeting.

That was when Boynton issued a rambling statement claiming she had broken secret codes after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and that her life and the life of her adult daughter has been in danger off and on ever since.

She spoke into the camera to a man named Ahmed about the possible kidnapping of her adult daughter.

Last week, Boynton maintained she did not have a mental breakdown. She said she was in fact in discussions with Ahmed, and her daughter is now safe. She is thankful that chapter of her life seems to be over.

“The other board members and the superintendent of schools (George Tomyn) were very supportive,” Boynton said.

Meanwhile, Bevan, a Ward-Highlands fourth-grade teacher, answered questions about a disciplinary action taken against her by the district in December 2008.

Bevan was suspended for five days for allowing students taking a practice writing test to stop and resume the following day. This is against policy and deemed as cheating because the children could think about the writing prompt overnight.

Bevan appealed to the School Board in 2009 and was exonerated. Documents show the board ruled Bevan should not have been suspended at all.

The Star-Banner interviewed each of the candidates separately for 30 minutes. The candidates were not given the questions before the interview; thus, their answers were off the cuff.

Chase Basinger

Basinger said he joined the race because of his love of children, his concern of how district finances are spent and his desire to bring the board together.

“I desire to be a voice of the people, a people that are asking for change,” he said. “I want to be a leader that collaborates and leads with accomplishments. I want to have a ‘let’s get it done’ mentality.”

Basinger’s top three priorities: re-establishing confidence with the business community and parents, schools taking a more active approach to engage parents, and trying to get parents to partner with schools.

“The board must change, begin understanding the depth and scope of the problems, and start taking action to turn around schools,” Basinger noted.

Basinger said “the district needs to stop threatening the taxpayer with teacher layoffs to get more funding.” He also said the district must ensure it is “living within its means.”

Basinger also wants to issue phone calls, emails and other avenues to reach out to the parents to get them more involved.

Basinger also believes that much effort needs to be taken to ensure parents that their child’s teacher is approachable.

Basinger wants the district to work with the county’s business leaders to help solve financial problems and help entice parents to be more accountable.

Jamie Bevan

Bevan said last October she decided to enter the District 4 race because she had seen firsthand the quality of the school system declining.

“I thought it was a good time to make a difference,” she said. “I feel like the board needs my classroom experience.”

Bevan’s top three priorities: school safety, the curriculum and staff development.

Bevan said too many children are victimized — criminally and socially — and she wants to bring in the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, which provides child abuse and bullying prevention education to students.

“And it would be free to the school district,” she said. “I want us to teach (up to date) student safety, not ‘stranger danger.’ ”

Bevan believes the curriculum needs to better fall in line with eBooks, which the state will mandate in the near future, and the movement to online testing.

On the staff development front, Bevan said current required classes are not useful.

“We get little or no quality training,” she noted. “We need to bring in highly-effective teachers, retired teachers and others to share their best practices they used in the classroom.”

Bevan pointed to poor curriculum as one reason why Marion County lost ground on the state average in 12 of 16 testing categories on this year’s FCAT. She believes the curriculum needs to be more analytical, with more focus on critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Angie Boynton

The four-year board veteran says that, as a businesswoman, she does not bring a conflict of interest to the school board.

That conflict, Boynton said, is the fact two of her opponents are teachers and belong to the Marion Education Association — the teachers’ union.

While Boynton does not have a college degree, the 1976 Forest High School graduate did attend the University of Florida for three years.

Boynton says her business experience is valuable on the board. She is the owner of Tax Group & Associates.

Boynton’s top three priorities: finding new revenue streams for the district, making sure the district meets class size amendment mandates, and taking efforts to boost student test scores and, subsequently, school grades.

Boynton said she will continue her quest to get her advertising policy passed by the board. She drafted a policy that would give naming rights for a period of time to school campus buildings and other facilities.

“That will help us generate more funds to help enhance schools,” she noted.

Boynton said the district needs to better prepare students by upgrading books, equipment and reading curriculum.

“Our children must meet the challenges,” she noted. “We need to introduce our children to new reading concepts.”

Diane Schrier

Schrier touts her vast business and education experience as the reasons why she is the best candidate in District 4.

Schrier, a 10-year veteran who is currently a language arts teacher at Fort King Middle, has had a varied work life in business, acting and directing plays and talent shows.

Ten years ago she became a teacher, earning certifications in English, social studies and Microsoft systems.

As a teacher, Schrier said she soon learned the district needed better schools and curriculum.

“I know how to get things accomplished,” she said. “In order to change, we need to have a more global perspective.”

Schrier’s top three priorities: improving the curriculum, finding ways to keep children out of trouble, and improving the graduation rate, which is the percentage of students who graduate high school on time in four years. Marion County’s rate is 76.8 percent.

Schrier said she also believes that as the state moves to the new Florida Standards Assessment, the district must achieve a smooth transition “so it does not stress out the students and the teachers.”

Schrier said the schools and the community need to also focus on children, too many of whom are getting arrested.

Schrier said her experience with kids proves she can handle the pressure.

“If you can handle 162 kids in a talent show, you can manage anything while on the school board,” she quipped.



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