Students got to hear from incumbents and challengers, Republican and Democratic, who are running in targeted races up and down the ballot -- all of whom stressed the importance of getting engaged in this election cycle and all of whom had virtual (and some in person) volunteer opportunities during this pandemic.
Students learned more about the candidates and why they decided to run for office, more about their policy platforms, and more about field organizing during the pandemic. We were recording this session in Teams - and will share when we can.
In the meantime -- please check out the candidate videos here:
https://flipgrid.com/15f9489e
I hope our students left the Fair with a greater appreciation for the importance of state and local government.
For example, our Pinellas County School Board is responsible for more than 104,000 students (at 140 schools and centers) and a budget of $1.6 Billion. Perhaps now, more than ever, voters are aware of the significance of the decisions that are made at the local level. The School Board races are countywide -- so here in Pinellas that's about a million people, close to 700K voters! -- bigger than a Congressional District.
The Pinellas County Budget is more than $2.4 Billion. Students also had the opportunity to meet candidates for the Commission and learn more about their ideas regarding disaster preparedness, public safety, support for small businesses.
Our state legislators are working on a Florida budget of more than $92 Billion -- with impact on education, health care, public safety, transportation, the environment, infrastructure, and more. Again, students were able to hear from both incumbents and challengers -- in the majority and from those in the minority.
Now -- our students are considering all of their internship placement opportunities. Applications are due on Thursday. Stay tuned!
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