Edwin Ferguson

Non-Partisan | Florida

Candidate Profile*

Leans Liberal

*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.

BIOGRAPHY

Name

Edwin Ferguson

Party

Non-Partisan

Election Year

2022

Election

General

Race

The School District of Palm Beach County School Board, District 7

Incumbent

No

Links

Edwin Ferguson websites
FacebookXLinkedIn

EDUCATION

Barry University, Orlando, Juris Doctor, 2005

WORK & MILITARY

Candidate did not provide

AFFILIATIONS

Greater Bethel Primitive Baptist Church, member

POLITICAL OFFICES HELD

Candidate did not provide

POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT

Palm Beach County School Board, District 7, 2018

Florida House or Representatives, Seat 88, 2016

Race

View election

ENDORSEMENTS*

*These endorsements were received after the deadline and were not considered in the Panel Evaluations and are for additional educational purposes only.
LIBERAL (6)

AFL-CIO

Florida Education Association

*Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association

Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association

*Palm Beach-Treasure Coast AFL-CIO

OTHER (2)

*The Hispanic Vote of Southwest Florida

BizPac of Palm Beach County

REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (10)

Classroom Teachers Association

AFL-CIO

Police Benevolent Association

Economic Council of Palm Beach County

BizPac of Palm Beach County

SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS

CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (0)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (2)

EC-PAC (2022)

Focused On Florida's Future (2018)


LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)

Andrew Gillum (2018)

RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (5)

American Federation of Teachers (2022)

Business Political Action Committee of Palm Beach County (2022)

Katherine Waldron (2016)

National Education Association (national, state & local affiliates) (2022)

Riviera Beach First (2022)

SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS

Campaign Finance Documents:

  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (12/1/2021 - 12/31/2021)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (1/1/2022 - 1/31/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (2/1/2022 - 2/28/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (3/1/2022 - 3/31/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (4/1/2022 - 4/30/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (Amended) (4/1/2022 - 4/30/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (5/1/2022 - 5/31/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (6/1/2022 - 6/17/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (Amended) (6/1/2022 - 6/17/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (6/18/2022 - 7/1/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/2/2022 - 7/15/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/16/2022 - 7/22/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/23/2022 - 7/29/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (7/30/2022 - 8/5/2022)
    • $1,000.00 contribution from AGC-FEC PAC
    • $150.00 contribution from Riviera Beach First PAC
    • $1,000.00 contribution from Florida Education Association
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (8/6/2022 - 8/18/2022)
    • $250.00 contribution from Citizens for Law, Order, and Ethics
    • $1,000.00 contribution from Affectionately Building Communities PAC
    • $1,000.00 contribution from NorthPAC
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (8/6/2022 - 8/18/2022) (Amended)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (8/19/2022 - 8/26/2022)
  • Campaign Treasurer's Report (8/27/2022 - 9/9/2022)

OTHER INFORMATION

Filing Documents:

Voter Record from the Florida Department of State indicates candidate's Political Affiliation is Democratic (as of 6/23/2022).

Election Voting History for Edwin Ferguson during time of residence in district and/or at current address:

  • Voted in 1 Primary election (2012)
  • Voted in 0 Presidential Preferential Primary elections
  • Voted in 4 General elections (2010 - 2020)

**Voter history is not considered during panel evaluations.**

QUESTIONNAIRE

RIGHT TO LIFE

Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.

Neutral

Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.

Disagree

ECONOMY

Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.

Agree

School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.

Agree

What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?

I believe that is an essential component of ensuring a greater number of our children are properly prepared to be productive citizens.

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.

Strongly Agree

School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.

Neutral

Students should not be allowed to pray in school.

Strongly Disagree

EDUCATION

What is the function of the local school board?

The function of the local school board is to implement policies that improve the current educational experiences of students in public schools, and lay the groundwork for future success of our students post graduation.

Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?

The primary party that should be in charge of setting curriculum and determining resources should be the school district. I say this from the standpoint that the district is comprised of subject matter experts who I believe are best equipped to make the aforementioned decisions. However, it is important that the district communicate with the parents of the students in public schools, local business owners, concerned citizens, and possible elected officials to ensure these stake holders' interest in seeing the district produce productive, civic-minded adults is factored into the curricula and resources allocated each year.

When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?

Any speakers should be restricted from speaking if the speakers are communicating in a way that incites hateful and/or disrespectful acts at or outside of the school board meetings.

Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning

Language Arts (particularly if this includes reading comprehension, as this is THE most important priority to unlocking the door to the ability to educate oneself), Physical Fitness, Personal Finances, Information Technology, Social Emotional Learning, Art &Music, Vocational Learning, Mathematics, Science, Americal History, Foreign Language, Sexuality, Gender Identity, Political Activism

American civics education should emphasize our nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.

Strongly Agree

Before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they must opt-in with written parental permission.

Agree

The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.

Neutral

I support the teaching of curricula (such as the 1619 Project, No Place for Hate, Second Step, etc.) that emphasizes slavery and racism as the foundation of American history.

Neutral

Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.

Disagree

In the home, I agree with the premise of this question, provided the parents are not committing crimes. However, the general determination of what and how our students our students are to be taught in school should largely fall to the school district.

VALUES

Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.

I am a Christian.

I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.

Neutral

I am reviewing the most recent information available on this issue.

Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?

Ideally, this is something parents should discuss with their children. However, since it is important to have a society that is properly educated on sex, I believe general education on the topic, as determined by subject matter experts, should be taught between the ages of 12-16. I also believe parents should have the option of having their children "opt-out" of sex ed courses.

If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex

Human anatomy/the reproductive system, abstinence, consent, stages of pregnancy and fetal development, contraceptive methods, and abortion methods and side effects.

Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.

Neutral

No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.

Agree

Provided the parent is involved in some way in the child's life.

No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.

Neutral

ELECTIONS AND VOTING

People should be able to vote without photo identification.

Disagree

If photo ID is not required, I believe some other means of identification (e.g. fingerprint scan) should be used.

ABOUT YOU

Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.

No.

A candidate's personal moral values should not be relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.

Neutral

Unless said candidate's personal moral values is likely to prevent him/her from carrying out the duties of the office or are likely to expose the candidate to criminal prosecution, I doubt that they have great relevance to the elected position.

When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?

Choose not to answer

Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).

N/A.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?

No.

2ND AMENDMENT

Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.

Strongly Agree

That is a Pandora's Box that needs to remain closed.

OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES

Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?

In situations where a given vaccine has a history of being highly effective in preventing the transmission of diseases and viruses.

I support mask mandates.

Neutral

At this point, many persons are vaccinated. As such, I am not as adamant as I once was regarding the need for masks, particularly in indoor settings.

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