I am retired from a long business career including IBM and the YMCA and have served on numerous boards involving children. I have a degree in Business Education and Administration from the University of Georgia. I have a daughter who is a teacher at Sarasota High and a granddaughter at Pine View and a grandson at Sarasota Middle School. I have served for the last two years as chair of the school board and have led the district through the recession with numerous cuts to staff and the budget. My campaign issues revolve around the four pillars of:  student achievement, student success, financial accountability and community involvement.

#1 Campaign Issue

Increase our student options for career and technical education in the North Port/Venice area.  We will break ground soon on a new technical school in North Port which will put in place missing educational infrastructure in the area of the county experiencing the most growth. The location of the new school will stimulate business and economic development in an area of the county with a younger population.

#2 Campaign Issue

Reaching our most challenged at-risk students early. New state-mandated standards for testing and graduation criteria will cause struggling students to fall further behind, including failure to   graduate. The lower 25 percent of our current students fall into this category. The school district will need to strengthen relationships with the courts, law enforcement and social workers and others to assist and work with these students and their families. They must stay in school.  We need to provide a quality education for all our students and only by improving the at-risk students will we achieve the "best in the state."

#3 Campaign Issue

Communication. Every four years we have a dialogue about the need for the continued 1-mill referendum which was approved this year. Every four years isn't enough--or even adequate.  We must provide meaningful measures of the performance, accomplishments and struggles to our parents and the community on a regular basis. Community awareness can be accomplished through more positive media, engaging the community and our students on a regular basis. We must choose a new superintendent in three years. I am equipped to make that choice from candidates inside and outside our district.

Jane Goodwin is a candidate for Sarasota County School Board District 5