A Florida school board candidate has lost his race. DeSantis appointed him to the board anyway

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida school board candidate who lost his race in a county south of Jacksonville will get a seat on the board anyway, after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis hit him to fill a vacancy.

Derek Barrs will fill an open seat on the Flagler County School Board in Northeast Florida, succeeding a member who resigned in September, allowing DeSantis to name a replacement rather than the seat on the ballot to voters decide.

Barrs is a consultant with the infrastructure design firm HNTB and a retired Florida Highway Patrol chief who campaigned with a focus on school safety and student achievement. He won DeSantis’ endorsement in his bid for the board, but lost his Aug. 20 race by 290 votes to Janie Ruddy, a former district teacher.

DeSantis he has done more to influence local education policies and politics than any Florida governor in recent memory. In the name “parental rights”DeSantis has banned training on sexual orientation and gender identity and limited what Florida schools can teach about racism and U.S. history, both of which he supported a list of his preferred candidates and targeted the titular members he wants to be voted.

“Derek is a candidate who is committed to fighting to get schools back to basics,” DeSantis said in endorsing Barrs. “Derek is committed to serving on the school board with a focus on student success, parental rights and curriculum transparency.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, Barrs dismissed the claim that he might owe DeSantis his political allegiance on the board, saying he is focused on building relationships throughout the community and improving outcomes for all students.

“I don’t owe anybody anything,” Barrs said, “other than to work for our students every day and make sure they have the best quality of education possible in our school district.”

Under state law, the governor can appoint someone to fill a state or county vacancy if they have less than 28 months left in that term.

This isn’t the first time a DeSantis-backed school board candidate has lost his race and been elevated to office anyway.

In August, the governor tapped Daniel Foganholi for a seat on the State Board of Education after he lost his bid to retain his seat on the Broward County School Board by more than 30 percent. DeSantis appointed Foganholi to the Fort Lauderdale area school board twice, though Foganholi never won election to the body.

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Kate Payne is a member of The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercover issues.