Levrini campaigns in Ponte Vedra Beach, emphasizes background in educational psychology

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St. Johns County residents gathered Monday, Aug. 6 to meet Dr. Abigail Levrini and learn more about what she hopes to accomplish if elected the District 4 St. Johns County School Board member.

Outlining her platform at the event, which was held at Ponte Vedra Plastic Surgery in Ponte Vedra Beach, Levrini highlighted her experience as a licensed psychologist who specializes in the field of educational psychology.

“There are many small and inexpensive changes that we could implement today to improve the educational experience for students in St. Johns County,” Levrini contended. “My expertise in cognitive science and psychology can elevate our school board to a new level necessary in our rapidly changing community.”

Levrini, the owner of Psych Ed Connections in Nocatee, questioned the school district’s current approach to education, holding that too much emphasis is being placed on standardized testing.

“Why do we continue to place our kids in gifted programs based on IQ alone?” she asked. “Why do our schools continue to pound facts and figures? … In terms of education, we will see big differences in gains by shifting towards individuals and away from averages. Around the country, digital technology and psychology are working together to do just this, and in St. Johns County, frankly, our students are being left behind.”

Levrini further contended that district leadership has become complacent in St. Johns County’s status as the top-ranked school district in the state, and that not enough is being done to improve upon the status quo.

“The board as a whole — not our current representative, but the board as a whole — have been the board for a quite a while,” she said. “I think they’ve become quite complacent, and I think we need to shake things up a bit and come in with some new ideas and new opinions.”

Others at the event expressed frustration with current leadership as well. John Lazzarra, for example, voiced concern over what he perceived to be a lack of diversity of opinion among the current board members.

“A healthy and effective board has to be diverse,” Lazzarra asserted. “If you’ve got five people with exactly the same opinion on the board, you don’t really need a board.”

Other areas Levrini said she hoped to improve upon included school safety and the overcrowding in schools throughout the county.

The primary election will be held Tuesday, Aug. 28, during which voters will have the choice to vote for Levrini, Denver Cook or current District 4 School Board Member Kelly Barrera. Unless one of the candidates receives a majority of the vote in the primary to win the seat, the top two candidates will then face off again in the general election on Nov. 6.

Expressing the desire to win the election sooner rather than later, Lauren Kersting, the events coordinator for Levrini’s campaign, stressed the importance of getting out the vote for the primary.

“If you’ve already decided you’re behind Abby … we need your vote for the primary,” Kersting said. “You can early vote, vote by mail, show up on Aug. 28, but you can’t wait until November, because we want to go ahead and take this home.”