Justin Sharpless
2022 - Present
2026
2
Justin Sharpless is a member of the Polk County Public Schools school board in Florida, representing District 6. He assumed office on November 22, 2022. His current term ends on November 17, 2026.
Sharpless won election to the Polk County Public Schools school board to represent District 6 in Florida outright in the primary on August 23, 2022, after the general election was canceled.
Sharpless completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Justin Sharpless was born in Bartow, Florida. He earned a high school diploma from Lake Wales High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida in 2007, and a graduate degree from the University of Missouri in 2014. His career experience includes working as a professor.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Polk County Public Schools, Florida, elections (2022)
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Polk County Public Schools school board District 6
Justin Sharpless won election outright against Sara Jones in the primary for Polk County Public Schools school board District 6 on August 23, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Justin Sharpless (Nonpartisan)  | 51.4 | 51,334 |
| Sara Jones (Nonpartisan) | 48.6 | 48,579 | ||
| Total votes: 99,913 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
To view Sharpless' endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Justin Sharpless completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sharpless' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Improve student achievement in core academic areas: We need to graduate students prepared and competitive for postsecondary opportunities, whether that is at a college, trade school or the military. Postsecondary opportunities require mastery of reading and math, as well as critical thinking, problem-solving, customer service, and collaboration skills required for success. I will work with Superintendent Heid and school board members to improve readiness pathways for postsecondary opportunities and to improve Polk school and student achievement, as Polk currently ranks 53rd out of 67 Florida districts.
- School Safety: Polk County Public Schools has either a School Resource Officer or Guardian at every school site. We have the best Sheriff in the country in Sheriff Grady Judd. I would rely on Sheriff Judd and municipal police chiefs like Lakeland's Ruben Garcia to improve school safety.
- Access to High-quality educational options for Polk’s families: I believe parents have the right to choose the best educational option for their children, and a student’s access to educational options should not be defined by their zip code. I also think our district offers incredible opportunities and programs of choice to students across the county. However, Polk County still has too many students on waiting lists for magnet, charter and other special programs, indicating we are not meeting present demand for alternative options. No family should be denied access to the high-quality education they seek.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 27, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lynn Wilson |
Polk County Public Schools school board District 6 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
