Forget fangate. A Sarasota School Board race has turned even more fractious regarding ways in which candidates solicit support and on what outside groups are backing their messages. And while each candidate claims a desire for the race to focus on policy issues, the conversation turns toward politics as often as curriculum. 

School Board candidate Ken Marsh on Thursday called for a debate between himself and appointed incumbent School Board Member Bridget Ziegler. While doing so, he also decried Ziegler relying on a "complicated network of third-party political groups to attack him and his supporters."

"It looks like she is avoiding the real, substantive issues having to do with schools and students, and turning it into issues related to my supporters and having that campaign of hers essentially be funded and carried out by a series of outside groups," he said.

Ziegler said she is focused on her job as a School Board member and interfacing with parents about their own desires for the schools. "My focus is solely on the education of students," she said. She also said the candidate forums she has participated in with Marsh, while sometimes making challenges for candidates to speak at length, do allow for constituents to voice their own concerns on education.

Dr. Rich Swier, a supporter of Ziegler, on his blog said Marsh's supporters have violated district guidelines and possibly state law by sending out emails in support of Marsh from district accounts using district equipment. Conversely, Marsh said Ziegler has improperly been using district email since June for political communications to district employees, which he said violated state campaign finance laws. "Everybody I've talked to is shocked and surprised somebody would use their School Board position to solicit political donations from their own employees," he said.

Ziegler said she has not done any campaigning with her public email address, and campaign solicitations come only from her campaign. In fact, she said she has not been sending anything to district addresses, but noted anyone can sign up for campaign newsletters to go to a district email address. "No government emails should be used, period," she said. If any emails are being sent to district addresses, she said her communications team has been told to remove those addresses. 

Marsh said the attacks on his supporters have been inappropriate, and also said much of the effort was intended to intimidate sitting School Board members from expression. Of note, Marsh was endorsed by School Board Member Shirley Brown before Ziegler was appointed to serve on the School Board.

Another bombastic issue being discussed is the support Ziegler received from outside groups. Florida Federation for Children sent out a mailer promoting Ziegler. The electioneering communication organization's website promotes policies allowing greater school choice, including support of a 2001 state program, Step Up For Students Tax Credit Scholarship Program to give scholarships to send students to private schools. The Florida Education Association in August filed a lawsuit alleging the program in unconstitutional. "These groups are talking about the privatization of public schools," Marsh said. "I would contend there is nothing out there showing a private school education is superior to a public school education."

Ziegler said she did meet with supporters of the Step Up program before the lawsuit was filed, all in an attempt to understand the desires of parents. "I did talk with them about the cause and its impact for their children," she said. "I am in support of restricted vouchers."

The runoff for the Sarasota School Board is scheduled for Nov. 4. All voters in Sarasota County can vote in the contest.