Key West Citizen 9/1/04 

Mathewson Defeats Incumbent Labrada

BY MANDY BOLEN

Citizen Staff Writer

KEY WEST — One new face will replace a familiar one at the School Board table come November now that Duncan Mathewson defeated veteran board member Pat Labrada by 87 votes Tuesday in the competition for the District 3 seat.

Incumbent Andy Griffiths, who has served 12 years on the school board, warded off challenger Morgan McPherson by capturing 66 percent of the votes.

Mathewson, an outspoken education advocate who was instrumental in the creation of the Big Pine Neighborhood Charter School, had strong support in the Upper Keys, while Labrada, who grew up in Key West, garnered more supporters in Key West.

"I always knew this was going to be a cliffhanger," Mathewson said Tuesday night. "And I knew I had a difficult job in opposing such a popular and dedicated person as Pat. The Upper Keys came on strong for me, which is what I had hoped."

Mathewson will take his seat at the board table in November, when he hopes to begin addressing what he calls "a real agenda."

"This election really put educational issues on the front burner and we can't put the genie back in the bottle," he said looking forward to working with current board members, and acknowledging that "we have agreed to disagree on some things over the years."

"But this board needs to park our egos at the door and not take things personally," he said.

Labrada, upon learning of the close call, thanked his supporters, and his wife, and vowed to continue working with and for Monroe County's children — and expects to be spending more time at local football games.

Griffiths shook hands sincerely with McPherson upon learning of his re-election and said he ran a campaign as if he were coming from behind. He congratulated his opponent on a clean race that remained focused on the issues rather than personalities.

"Well, we'll see," he said when asked about the new makeup of the five-member school board.

A subdued McPherson, a newcomer to political campaigns, also earnestly thanked his supporters, and his wife.

"I think everybody just has an idea of how certain challenges can be met, and those ideas differ," he said.

BY MANDY BOLEN

Citizen Staff Writer

KEY WEST — The School Board District 3 race will determine whether vocal political newcomer Duncan Mathewson can unseat veteran incumbent Pat Labrada, who has been a board member since 1996.

The non-partisan nature of the county's School Board seats makes the Tuesday primary the deciding factor in both District 2 and 3 School Board races....

........Mathewson says the it's time for a change on the School Board. He is a staunch supporter of Padget, who has had difficulty working with members of the current five-member board, and praises Padget for his support of charter schools....

........ Duncan Mathewson

Mathewson, although a 30-year resident of the Florida Keys, became a familiar name in local education issues when he spearheaded the effort four years ago to save the Big Pine Neighborhood School and make it a charter school.

Prior to that, Mathewson was a professor at the Union Institute and University, a substitute teacher, husband and father of three children in Monroe County Schools.

He began laying the groundwork for his campaign last year by holding a series of education forums throughout the district to hear concerns and discuss some of his own, which include the lack of a standardized curriculum that includes pre-kindergarten instruction. He wants to continue "town-hall style meetings" if elected and has plans to spend a day in each school for first-hand knowledge of students achievement, teacher morale and other issues.

Mathewson also wants to bridge the gap between the School Board and superintendent and improve communication in general among the public, the board, the schools and the district headquarters.

Like his opponent, Mathewson also acknowledges affordable housing for teachers as one of the biggest challenges Monroe County faces.

He helped found the Educational Coalition for Monroe County, which has examined Monroe County's performance and accountability, and has publicly questioned district spending.

Mathewson said he is running " a straight talk" campaign that encourages candid dialogue, which will continue after the election with transparent budgeting discussions.

An archaeologist by trade, Mathewson continues to consult on historic shipwrecks, and is a reading mentor, a Take Stock in Children mentor and is on the board of the Boys and Girls Club.

mbolen@keysnews.com

The Key West Weekly   28 August 2004

Candidate for School Board - District 3

I am a long-time resident of the Keys having arrived in Key West in 1973 as an archaeologist to help Mel Fisher find his world-famous Atocha treasure beneath the sea. I am a father of 4^th grade 10 year-old twins and a 6 year old starting 1^st grade this year in public school. I am a retired university professor with a Ph.D. in Education and a MA in Anthropology. Four years ago, I led the long fight to save the Big Pine School Annex from being closed by the School Board by converting it to a public charter school, the first charter school conversion in South Florida.

Duncan Mathewson I’ve been an educator for most of my adult life and am well familiar with how schools are run, and the problems I will have to face on the Monroe County School Board. As a volunteer in the "Take Stock in Children", "Challenge Day" and "Adopt-A-Classroom programs, I’ve been intimately involved in assisting young people and teachers

within the school system.

I will provide new leadership, a new vision and a sense of hope for the future for our children’s education. I want to re-establish public credibility in the School Board through integrity, hard work, and a quest for excellence in the classroom.

This election is not about me - It’s about:

. Challenging kids to excel, and reducing dropout rates.

. Ensuring 20% of our kids receive the special education they need.

.     Improving minority and low-income kids education.

.    Promoting human diversity & awareness of cultural differences.

.   Ensuring 12^th graders are well prepared for entering college and the    workforce.

I want to ensure fiscal accountability by providing thorough oversight of the general and capital funds. I want to increase school employee salaries at least 10%, and return equity in health care packages across the board for school employees.

I want safe, small, well-disciplined classrooms, the re-introduction of a Pre K-12 curriculum, and a restructured ESE Special Needs Program. I want to implement the nurse-in-every school program.

The School Board election coming up on August 31^st is crucial to establish new leadership and commitment to do what is right for all our children. I have the knowledge, training and experience to make a difference on the School Board over the next four years.

If you want the School Board to conduct "Business as Usual" and maintain the Status Quo – you should vote for my opponent.

If you believe, it is "Time for a Change"; and you want progressive forward looking representation on the Board with fiscal and academic accountability, you should vote for me.

I will work tirelessly to ensure all students get a good education, tax payers get what they are paying for, and work for a consensus to seek improvement in how our schools are run and how our children learn in the classroom.

Please check my website: www.schoolscanwork.com for my complete platform.

Thank you.

Four vie for school board

The Upper Keys Reporter

Saturday March 13, 2004               Posted-Friday, March 12, 2004 8:56 AM EST

Mathewson runs for County School Board

Pledging a "straight talk" campaign, Duncan Mathewson, 65, has announced his candidacy for the District 3 Monroe County School Board seat in the Aug. 31 election.  This seat is held by Pat Labrada.  District 3 runs from Sombrero Beach Road in Marathon south to Boca Chica.

He said he wants to focus on providing small, safe, disciplined classrooms with in-field certified teachers, a re-introduction of an integrated pre K-12 curriculum and special education program accountability.

Mathewson has lived in the Keys 31 years and is the parent of three children in local public schools. He resides in Little Torch Key.

A retired university professor with a doctorate in education and a master's in anthropology, he has been a research archaeologist and educator for most of his adult life.

Mathewson is a co-founder of the Educational Coalition for Monroe County.
As an archaeologist, he helped Mel Fisher find the Atocha shipwreck treasure located in 1985.

Mathewson has been a teacher in-service curriculum instructor and a substitute teacher in Monroe and Miami-Dade counties, where he was a member of the UTD teachers union.  He said he will aim his attention at developing a student-centered agenda for change in the way county schools are run and how children learn in the classroom.

Mathewson said he will place emphasis on answering the question "Where is the money?"  

"It's time to get some new thinking on the School Board," Mathewson said. "I'm interested in bringing to the board, integrity and leadership in the quest for greater accountability with high standards and expectations for all students.

"Above all else, my work with other School Board members will be about finding a consensus to make sure every child counts."  

Mathewson will seek a 10 percent raise in teacher and non-instructional staff salaries.

He also wants a restructured health plan for all school district employees, a nurse in every school, and equity in the distribution of teaching materials to all schools.

Copyright © 2004, The Reporter, a Knight Ridder Newspaper
All rights reserved.

Mathewson challenges Labrada for school board seat

BY MANDY BOLEN

KEY WEST — For the first time in nearly six years, a Monroe County School Board member will be forced to launch a campaign for re-election.

Pat Labrada, who represents the Middle Keys' education interests, ran unopposed in 2000, but will face challenger Duncan Mathewson at the polls Aug. 31.

Mathewson announced his candidacy Monday, but does not plan to file his candidate paperwork until today in Marathon. His candidacy came as no surprise to those who have been attending his public forums throughout the Florida Keys, which Mathewson calls his yearlong "listening tour."

A 31-year resident of the Florida Keys and father of three, Mathewson has called for school reform with particular emphasis on restructuring the budget to make it transparent and understandable to parents, teachers and taxpayers.

"It's time to get some new thinking on the school board," he said, supporting an overhauled health insurance plan and a 10-percent pay increase for teachers and other staff members.

Labrada, who has not yet formalized his candidacy, has been on the school board since 1996 and said his primary goal is to continue with school construction projects.

"I want to get the schools built, especially at Key Largo School and Marathon," Labrada said Tuesday. "I feel we've done a good job of renovating and replacing schools and I want to finish with that while continuing to move student achievement up."

Labrada, who works for Keys Financial, was born and raised in the Florida Keys, and is the father of three. He left Monroe County to attend college, but returned upon graduation and worked for what is now called the Department of Children and Families.

mbolen@keysnews.com      This story published on Wed, Mar 10, 2004