Hall kicks off campaign for Duval County School Board

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Retired scientist Sam Hall formally kicked off his campaign for the District 2 seat on the Duval County School Board on Saturday, June 9, sharing his vision for the public schools with supporters at a backyard barbecue in Jacksonville Beach.

In addition to local residents, parents, and supporters, numerous current and former elected officials attended the event, including Jacksonville Beach Mayor Charlie Latham, Atlantic Beach Mayor Ellen Glasser, former Atlantic Beach Mayor Mike Borno and former Neptune Beach Mayor Harriet Pruette.

“I’m on the Neighborhood Accountability Board with Sam and I respect Sam very much — I can’t say enough good things about him,” said Pruette, who introduced Hall at the event. “Sam’s heart is in the right place — in our community.”

Hall told attendees that serving on the school board would be a natural extension of his nearly 25 years as a community education advocate working to not only protect children and teachers but also to enhance and expand the school board budget to better equip educators to teach the students in District 2. Hall, a native of rural Alabama, comes from two generations of educators, whom he cites as a major reason for running for school board.

Hall said his experience serving on numerous community boards, including chairman of the nonprofit educational agency, The Bridge of Northeast Florida, offered him an opportunity to witness the success of both involving parents and collaborating with other social service agencies to improve student achievement, which is his key priority if elected.

Hall said, if elected he would apply his extensive budgetary experience to the school budget while also prioritizing student safety. Hall’s other priorities are training and retaining excellent teachers and administrators, educating the whole child through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) and working to increase community involvement in schools.

“I have no ambitions to run for higher office (than school board),” said Hall, who is also a member of the Rotary Club of Ponte Vedra Beach. “I just want to help children and make sure they get a good education. This is my way of showing my appreciation and gratitude for having a good public education myself.”

For more information on Hall’s campaign, visit www.samhallforschoolboard.com and his Facebook page, @SamHallforDist2.