Cassandra Gonyer

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Cassandra Gonyer

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

John Glenn High School

Bachelor's

Florida Institute of Technology, 2008

Personal

Birthplace

Medina, Ohio

Religion

Christian

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign website

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Cassandra Gonyer ran for election to the Volusia County Schools school board to represent District 2 in Florida. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Gonyer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Cassandra Gonyer was born in Medina, Ohio. She earned a high school diploma from John Glenn High School and a bachelor's degree from the Florida Institute of Technology in 2008. Her career experience includes working as an educator. She has been associated with the Brevard Federation of Teachers.

Elections

2024

See also: Volusia County Schools, Florida, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Volusia County Schools school board District 2

Krista Goodrich defeated Cassandra Gonyer in the general election for Volusia County Schools school board District 2 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Krista Goodrich (Nonpartisan)	58.6	25,522
		Cassandra Gonyer (Nonpartisan)	41.4	18,055

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,577
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Volusia County Schools school board District 2

Krista Goodrich and Cassandra Gonyer defeated Angela Kopnicky in the primary for Volusia County Schools school board District 2 on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Krista Goodrich (Nonpartisan)	45.9	6,591
✔		Cassandra Gonyer (Nonpartisan)	30.0	4,315
	Submit photo	Angela Kopnicky (Nonpartisan)	24.1	3,460

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 14,366
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

To view Gonyer's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Gonyer in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Cassandra Gonyer completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gonyer's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a current high school science teacher for Brevard Virtual School and have been teaching for 16 years. I live in Daytona Beach with my husband and three daughters that attend a Volusia County public elementary school. Being both a teacher and a parent gives me a unique perspective into the two spheres charged with educating out youth! I am a strong advocate for my community and rezoning students to their neighborhood schools, such as the Midtown neighborhood that my family lives and goes to school in now. I am an active member of my locals and county PTA units and a mentoring group for young ladies. Students have been and will continue to be my passion!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I want to build connections between teachers and parents, schools and families, to promote student success in and out of the classroom. As both a teacher and a parent, I now what it takes to create practical relationships between these stakeholders.
• I will ensure every school has access to highly effective educators, programs, and resources to meet the needs of every student. My family chose to move into and attend school in the same historically Black neighborhood as the Bethune-Cookman University. We're excited that a new elementary school is being built here and want to hold the district accountable to taking care of the students that will attend it.
• I want to recruit and retain high-quality employees in every department, from teachers and support professionals to transportation. Trust has been broken between the school board and teachers union. I want to rebuild this relationship and care for current employees while actively pursuing new staff in departments that have direct and face- time with out students.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Every student should have access to high-quality educators, programs, and resources, no matter the zip code of its building. Teachers and support staff should be respected and supported in their classrooms. And parents should have entry points to partner with their child's teachers and school-wide community.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The AND Campaign's book, "Compassion and Conviction," is a helpful guide to faithfully engage the political spectrum from a Christian background.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

From being a collegiate athlete, I am very competitive! I want "my team" to be the best. I also value honesty and fairness.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The School Board sets the vision for the district and directs the Superintendent to fulfill that vision. The Board also sets a budget to implement this vision.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

In high school, I worked at my town's grocery store for two summers as a cashier.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

My kids like to play the "Catchy Song" from The LEGO Movie 2 as it literally says, "this song is stuck inside my head"!

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

A school board member works with the Board to set the vision for the district and directs the Superintendent to fulfill that vision. The Board also sets a budget to implement this vision.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Good teaching starts by getting to know each student as an individual and meeting them where they are at. From there, teaching stretches students to go beyond what knowledge and skills they currently have to grow towards mastery. This can be measured by keeping a portfolio of growth or progress monitoring on assessments. I do not support high stakes testing, but having an assessment to compare students pre- and post-learning is helpful. For teachers, we must build a culture of respect and trust for the profession so that more teachers will feel free to expanding and try new approaches.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

School counselors are a vital part of the school campus for meeting student needs! Ideally, all schools would have access to a certified mental health specialist, too. Employee health care plans should include access to mental health therapists and counselors.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Run For Something

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Students should be able to attend their neighborhood school, rather than being bused all over the district. I would love to see these schools become community resource centers for their whole family.

Primary grades should have less than 20 students in them for more for access to more individualized instruction. Middle and High Schools should have less than 25 for similar reasons.

Students should be able to see teachers and staff that look like them to help students feel more comfortable. And classrooms should be equipped with books, resources, and programs to promote every student's success.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

Many of our local schools have Parent Teacher Association (PTA) chapters and the county has a council over them, (VCCPTA). I am a member of both and plan to continue in order to promote connections between parents, teachers, and schools. I am also a member of the District Advisory Council, which seeks parent input from schools, and I will continue to attend these meetings.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

Teacher and support professionals number 1 request is more money! I'd like to see how raises could be possible in our district budget and, if not, how can we creatively generate or look for outside sources of money. For example, the Brevard County school district that I teach for brought a millage increase request to voters, which was approved, for staff raises.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency is key to building to trust between all stakeholders. Elected officials should be held accountable by their constituents.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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