Denise Nystrom

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

Denise Nystrom

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

City University of New York, Baruch College, 1986

Graduate

College of New Rochelle, 1993

Other

Brooklyn College, 2005

Personal

Birthplace

Corry, Pa.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Education administrator

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal Facebook

Denise Nystrom ran for election to the School District of Lee County school board to represent District 6 in Florida. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Nystrom completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Denise Nystrom was born in Corry, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor's degree from the City University of New York, Baruch College in 1986, she earned a graduate degree from the College of New Rochelle in 1993, and additional education from Brooklyn College in 2005. Her career experience includes working as an education administrator and small business owner

Elections

2022

See also: School District of Lee County, Florida, elections (2022)

General election

General election for School District of Lee County school board District 6

Jada Langford-Fleming defeated Denise Nystrom in the general election for School District of Lee County school board District 6 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jada Langford-Fleming (Nonpartisan)	51.5	111,480
		Denise Nystrom (Nonpartisan)	48.5	104,857

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 216,337
= 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 School District of Lee County school board District 6

Jada Langford-Fleming and Denise Nystrom defeated Tia Collin in the primary for School District of Lee County school board District 6 on August 23, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jada Langford-Fleming (Nonpartisan)	38.9	48,178
✔		Denise Nystrom (Nonpartisan)	35.7	44,145
	Submit photo	Tia Collin (Nonpartisan)	25.4	31,414

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 123,737
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Joseph Gambino (Nonpartisan)
• Dave Semreen (Nonpartisan)

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Denise Nystrom completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Nystrom'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.

Denise Nystrom is:

A Loving Mother of Three Adult Children and Eight Grandchildren

A Lifelong Advocate for Children, the Parents, and The Community

A 14-Year Special Education Teacher, A 3-Year Special Education Administrator, and An 8-Year Assistant Superintendent of Schools

I think we can all agree that experience matters. That is why when Denise retired to SW Florida over seven years ago and realized that things were very wrong with the Lee County Schools, she came out of retirement. Denise has been strategically holding the School Board accountable ever since.

Denise began attending all of the School Board Meetings and gained an understanding of the issues.

During Denise’s career, she ran school districts for a living. She oversaw the Human Resource Department, managed a multi-million-dollar budget, was a Chief Negotiator for twelve separate collective bargaining units, was the Chair of the Safety Committee, and oversaw transportation. Denise understands State statutes, board policy, and labor law.

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?

• Improve Student Achievement and Post High School Transition to Higher Education or Vocational Schools
• Eliminate Wasteful Spending Bringing Transparency and Accountability to Taxpayers
• Parents as the Decision Makers for Their Children and Open Lines of Communication Between Home and School

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am a lifelong advocate for education and policies that reflect a road to student achievement.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to Governor Ron DeSantis. I think that Governor DeSantis' courage to stand up to adversity and do what is right for the residents of Florida has shown him to be an outstanding leader. These are difficult times that we are living in, but he abiding by the Constitution of the United States of America.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Be on the school board for altruistic reasons, namely the children. Leave your personal agendas at the door. Listen honestly and openly to all of your constituents. Do not go along to get along if your decisions are not in the best inters of children. Follow the law.

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

Highly efficient

Organized
Honest
Knowledgeable
Team builder

Fair

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want people to say, Denise made promises during her campaign, and she worked tirelessly to accomplish goals that helped my children and our community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The fist historical event that I remember is the desegregation of schools. I was five years old.

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

At age 16, I worked for Woolworth, a five and dime. I know this dates me. I worked there for my 11th and 12th grades of high schools.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Sarah's Key. It is about a Jewish family who was living in Paris when the Nazis infiltrated. When the Nazis knocked at the door of this Jewish family, the little brother hid in a closet that looked like a wall and his sister Sarah locked the door with a key. The mother, father, and sister get taken away never to return. Sarah is separated from her family and her only mission becomes to get back to their house to get to her brother. Eventually, she does make her way back only to find another family living in her house and her deceased brother in the closet.

This is one of my favorite books because although I sobbed, we must remember that people go through atrocities that are not of their doing. These types of atrocities are so wrong. We must remember them, so we never let them happen again. Also, many people do not know that France was occupied as well, and many Jewish people who lived there faced the Holocaust as well.

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

American Patriot by Lee Greenwood

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

My relationship with my mother who was not there for me and being on my own since I was 17 years old.

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

The primary role of a school board member is to implement education law through board policies, to implement the district's strategic plan, and to support the superintendent if the superintendent is accomplishing the district's mission.

Who are your constituents?

My constituents are the all of the residents in the community.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

One must understand the diverse and unique needs of the students, faculty, staff, and community by engaging them in honest and open dialogue. Problems and concerns must be addressed head on with full transparency. The programs and services must be diverse enough to meet the needs of all.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I would establish collaborative relationship with city councils, commissioners, the police and sheriff's departments, mental health outreach facilities, family organizations, and any organization that benefits the children, their families, and the community at large.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

It is important to diversify. It is also important to hire the best candidate for position. Both can be accomplished by expanding searches beyond the Florida borders.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

Specifically in Lee County, the rate of pay and the health benefits. They are poor. The best professional development should be sought.

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

As a 14-year teacher, a 3-year special education administrator, and an 8-year assistant superintendent of high performing schools with low drop out rates, I have a tremendous amount of experience with what great teaching looks like. It can be measured through the correct observation process.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

There is definitely a need for technical training and apprenticeships. With student achievement being so low, rigor needs to be brought into all curriculum which a focus on critical thinking skills. Our ELL and ESE programs need to be evaluated for efficiency. Are these children receiving the services they need in order to achieve?

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

Because Lee County is a boom area, I believe that the funds are there to ensure that the schools are properly funded. What we need is a full forensic audit to make sure that all students have access to the same facilities. We should not have children learning in portables for twenty five years while new buildings are being built elsewhere.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

I was the Chair of the Safety Committee when I was an assistant superintendent. Nothing is more important than safety for the children and the staff. Learning cannot occur if one does not feel safe. Safety is a broad topic, so all aspects of safety must be looked at.

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

When students are being educated, their cognitive, social, and emotional growth must be taken into account. You are educating the whole child. Adults struggle also with mental health issues. Districts often work in collaboration with mental health facilities for parents and children. Good health benefits should include mental health treatment.

What role do you imagine technology playing in (and outside) the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?

For good or for bad, technology is here to stay. If we are to empower students through technology, teachers need access to factual primary source documents. Staff needs training on the most up to date technology, and all students need to take technology classes.

What are your views on how to address schooling during pandemic times?

If Florida has shown us anything, it has shown us that we did not need to close schools or businesses. The correct precautions must be put into place, but we must base those precautions on the correct scientific data.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

Open the schools again to the parents and community members. Help PTAs to be an active, integral art of student and school life. Hold Town Halls. Hold cultural events and invite the community. It is all about relationship building and valuing the uniqueness of people.

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