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Amber Harmony Shepherd
Amber Harmony Shepherd
was
a candidate for the District 1 seat on the Clay County School Board in Florida. She
lost to
Kenny Leigh and Janice Kerekes in the general election on August 26, 2014.
Biography
Shepherd earned an associate degree in business from St. Johns River Community College. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in biblical counseling from Trinity Theological College and Seminary. Shepherd has worked as the director of career services at Fortis College since 2010. She and her husband have two children.[1]
Elections
2014
The August 26, 2014, general election in Clay County featured three seats up for election. Only the District 3 race was decided in the general election. Challenger Betsy Condon defeated incumbent Tina Bullock to win the seat.
The general election determined if candidates for each seat could garner a majority of the vote total. Because no candidate received 50 percent plus one of the general election votes in Districts 1 and 5, the top two vote recipients advanced to the runoff election on November 4, 2014.
Janice Kerekes faced a challenge from Kenny Leigh and Amber Harmony Shepherd in District 1. Kerekes and Leigh advanced to the runoff election. Sandra Dunnavant, Ashley Gilhousen and Brian Graham ran to replace Lisa Graham, who did not file for re-election in District 5. Gilhousen and Dunnavant advanced to the runoff election to fill the open seat.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Janice Kerekes Incumbent |
42.1% | 9,449 | |
| Nonpartisan | Kenny Leigh |
36.6% | 8,223 | |
| Nonpartisan | Amber Harmony Shepherd | 21.3% | 4,783 | |
| Total Votes | 22,455 | |||
| Source: Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "2014 Primary Election Official Results," accessed December 23, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Shepherd reported $20,760.09 in contributions and loans and $7,293.40 in expenditures to the Clay County Supervisor of Elections, as of July 23, 2014.[2]
Endorsements
Shepherd received the following endorsements in this election:[3]
- Clay County Fire and Rescue
- Bill Gay, President of WW Gay Mechanical Contractors
- Robert Johns, Director of Admissions of Fortis College
- Wyman Dickey, Campus President of Fortis College
- Jimmy Weeks, Tax Collector of Clay County
Campaign themes
2014
Shepherd's campaign website listed the following themes for the 2014 race:
| “ |
Where do you stand on the issue of an appointed superintendent? I believe that as citizens, we must work to retain the right to elect all of our government leaders. By the process of election, the elected official remains accountable to the citizens. Should we allow the board to appoint that official, the official would become nothing more than a board puppet seeking to satisfy the board who approves the continuation of the position. Where do you stand on the issue of school budget? I am committed to reviewing the budget and developing ideas that will reduce the costs for the Clay County School Board. This year has been noted by Dr. Copeland as being the most financially challenging year that the school board will face. Having held previous professional positions in accounting, I understand the long term impact that financial decisions will have on any business and the Clay County School Board is no different. A critical balance is required in order to maintain standards of learning for our students while keeping costs down. I have already had the opportunity, in my current position, to develop an affiliation agreement with my current employer and the Clay County School Board, to provide the schools with America Reads Federal Work Study college students who are able to provide tutoring to students at no cost to the school board. This will allow those teachers to have additional free time to focus on the many other tasks that are on their plates. I have also done much research in the realm of fundraising and have found a local fundraising company that will provide the schools with 80% of the funds earned, allowing the schools to earn much more than they earn with current fundraising companies. I believe there are many things we can accomplish in strengthening our budget if we are willing to dig in and be creative. Where do you stand on the issue of employee pensions? I believe that the pension amount should be an appropriate amount that is financially sustainable to the community and be limited to one pension per person. I would love to be able to pay every single person what they are worth, but the reality is that this is not truly possible. I have had to teach the graduates from my college that they must recognize that pay does not determine their personal value. Many times, positions with employers must be a labor of love and teaching is truly no exception. Teachers work many long hours, often giving of their own personal resources in order to help their students reach their full potential. That being said, it is my belief that teachers that have committed years to teaching and have reached countless lives should be compensated in a pension program. Should a person return to work with the School Board, as with many great companies such as Boeing and Lockheed & Martin, the pension should be discontinued while the individual is an active employee. Upon reaching retirement again, only one pension should be given. It is not viable for our community, for individuals to earn multiple pensions. Pensions must be fair and equitable to the employee, the school board, and the taxpaying citizens. Where do you stand on the issue of American history? Factual American history is vital to the success of the future of our country. If we forget the past, we are doomed to repeat it. The only way for our children to know our freedoms and inalienable rights is to teach them American history with a strong focus on the founding documents – The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. I also believe that it is absolutely necessary for our children to learn to read and write in cursive so that they can read the original documents for themselves. Our children must learn to be independent thinkers – able to make their OWN decisions and formulate their OWN opinions. It is our job, to provide them with the tools that are necessary for them to be able to accomplish this. Where do you stand on the issue of charter schools? I would love for our local parents to have multiple options available for their children so that they may find what works best for their child. One size does not fit all. As individuals, we all have different methods of learning that work best for each one of us. Though the public school system seeks to reach the broadest range, and I commend the efforts of school leadership, there are those who need a different method to THRIVE and flourish. The goal of education, after all, is to prepare EVERY child to become viable, self-sustaining, and productive members of society. We must be willing to consider and allow the alternatives, as long as they meet the state requirements. Where do you stand on the issue of school prayer? I believe that every United States citizen, including children, has the inalienable right to the free exercise of their religion and this includes prayer. I believe the government shall not dictate which religion a citizen is to practice. This means that school leadership may not FORCE a child to participate, but according to our constitution are certainly able to participate, suggest, and even lead prayer. School prayer has been an item of much controversy, although I’m really not sure why. Amendment One to The Constitution of the United States clearly states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. If Congress shall make no law, then neither should a school board. This amendment was written to protect the right of every citizen to be FREE to practice the religion of their choice. Where do you stand on the issue of school books? The local school board should have the responsibility of reviewing the text books before they are given to the children to study. School books should teach factual, updated, and unbiased information. I would like to see more local control and a broader selection of publishing companies from which the local school boards can choose. Where do you stand on the issue of Common Core and Next Generation? I am strongly opposed to common core for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I believe that a federal education system is unconstitutional and is to be left up to the individual states to develop the education system for their state. The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Since education is not mentioned in the Constitution, it is one of those powers reserved to the states. Of course, the United States Supreme Court can declare that something not mentioned in the Constitution is so closely related to something that is mentioned in the Constitution that the unmentioned power is a fundamental interest, which rises to constitutional protection. So far, the Supreme Court has not declared that education is a fundamental interest. Thus, states have plenary, or absolute, power in the area of education. Second, I am concerned about the data that will be collected and held in a national database. Right now, it is minimal information but by allowing this, we are opening the door to more and more invasions of our privacy by the Federal Government. I believe that this data collection is an invasion of privacy. Third, when we viewed the presentation at the Clay County School Board meeting, the final slide stated that their expectations of Common Core is not based on research but rather is a hypothesis of what they can expect to see for the future of our children. I fail to understand how we should invest MILLIONS of tax paying dollars to convert to a system that is unproven. Where do you stand on the issue of government unions? Unions have their place but many policies need to be reformed. The initial cause that led to the formation of government unions – the protection of citizens from being overworked and underpaid is a valiant cause, however, what many unions have distorted into today causes me concern. Unions have their place, if operated in a nonpartisan manner. Where do you stand on the issue of sexual orientation? I personally believe in the sanctity of marriage between one woman and one man. I teach my children that they should love their neighbor, regardless of their neighbors’ beliefs. These are the values that I teach to my children along with the idea that every life is valuable. I do not agree with the public teaching of “alternate lifestyles” as being acceptable. Those are discussions of moral value that parents should have with their children. Where do you stand on the issue of sports and arts in school? I am committed to doing what I can to maintain sports and arts without sacrificing the quality of the education for our students. Sports and Arts are vital to developing a well-rounded educated individual. Sports and arts teach children important life skills. Sports: team building, conflict resolution, and leadership; Arts: creativity, independence, and innovation. All of these skills are necessary to the future of our country. |
” |
| —Amber Harmony Shepherd's campaign website, (2014) | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Amber + Shepherd + Clay + County + Schools + Florida"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Amber Harmony Shepherd Campaign, "Qualifications," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Clay County Supervisor of Elections, "Active Candidates and Committees," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Amber Harmony Shepherd Campaign, "Endorsements," accessed July 23, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Amber Harmony Shepherd Campaign, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 23, 2014
| 2014 Clay County District Schools Elections | |
| Clay County, Florida | |
| Election date: | August 26, 2014 |
| Candidates: | District 1: • Janice Kerekes • Kenny Leigh • Amber Harmony Shepherd District 3: • Tina Bullock • Betsy Condon |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
