Grace Kellermeier

Agree

All life is sacred.

Offer support to the student and the student's family. Student Services includes Social Workers and Counselors who can support the student by providing community resources.

Disagree

My understanding is that loan forgiveness programs are intended to alleviate Federal student loans up to a certain amount, once a certain amount has been paid and/or if the person works for a certain number of years in the industry. Loan forgiveness programs are intended for teachers, non-profit workers, people who become disabled or people who have been paying their debt for many years, the assumption being that the person has paid the principal balance. Conditions apply.

I believe in student and institution accountability for government funding of education, from K-12 public schools to Bright Futures Scholarships in Florida colleges and universities. I believe in public education, which offers the strongest Florida standards-aligned instruction with Florida certified teachers and administrators.

Every person has religious freedom, to practice or not practice. No public school should ask students to participate in religion. Florida Social Studies standards include instruction about world religions, which is different than expecting students to be practitioners.

Disagree

If any person is breaking the law, they should be arrested. From what I see, there are many in our community who are working hard, sending their children to school, many of whom were born in this country. I would hate to see people afraid to send their children to school because they are an undocumented family. If we stopped hiring undocumented workers and paying them illegally, this would be less of a challenge in our communities. That being said, our Sheriff's Office must follow the law.

Strongly Disagree

Parents and guardians are responsible for the care of their children.

Strongly Agree

Students have the right to a public education. If the behavior of other students interferes with this, there should be a consequence. Our teachers are trained in classroom management, supported by mentor teachers and administrators. There are Positive Behavioral Intervention Systems in place, which involve the parents. Students and families are informed about the Code of Student Conduct, which assigns consistent consequences for behaviors that impede the right to learn/safety of others.

Agree

Florida K-12 public schools instruct the K-12 Florida Standards. In order to teach, we must have the appropriate Florida certification (or be in-process, working on a Temporary Certification, monitored by the Florida Department of Education and Volusia County Schools certification specialist). This is a wonderful country in which to live, and I support the encouragement of healthy patriotism.

Disagree

The 10th Amendment to the Constitution releases education to the states. As such, educators who hold Florida Certifications instruct Florida Standards to Florida's K-12 public school students. We already have control of what is instructed to our children. The U.S. Department of Education provides grants to support equity in our schools: high poverty schools (Title 1), teacher recruitment and training (2), English language learning (3), safe and healthy schools/technology (4). We need both.

Sexual health education is no longer required K-12 Florida Health instruction.

Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Civics, American History, Art & Music, Physical Fitness, Information Technology, Foreign Language, Vocational Learning. Foreign Language is not required for a high school diploma in Florida. It is required for admission to a 4-year university. Many students graduate from high school, college- or career-ready, so a vocational education helps some students to find their path.

Agree

Our Florida K-12 Social Studies standards include the instruction of responsible citizenship in the early years, civics in the middle school years and democracy in the high school years. A standard Florida high school diploma includes a year of U.S. History, a semester of U.S. Government and a semester of Economics. I would say that this is already a priority, a part of our core curriculum, with several required state tests along the way: Civics, U.S. History and Florida Civic Literacy Exam.

Agree

Our schools enjoy healthy competition through high school academies, advanced programs, dual language and magnet programs at the elementary level. Special Areas and Electives are offered at every public school. Charter schools are approved where programs are desired but not available, still subject to Florida accountability and state testing. Private Schools and Homeschooling are more desirable to some families, which I support. I do not support taxpayer money without accountability.

Disagree

I have been a practicing Christian my whole life, always an active member of my congregation. I participated in several denominations along the way. I married a lifelong Lutheran and became a Lutheran-in-law :) almost 30 years ago. We have a very active faith life, following the teachings of Jesus. I have friends who practice other faiths, and I find that we are all more similar than different. It is important for public school educators to be aware of other faith traditions, so that we can accommodate all of our children and their families.

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

I had the unique opportunity to become a Notary Public at the request of a former French student and a former Spanish student. They wanted me to officiate their marriage at the old NSBHS, now the MDC. When I told them I wasn't a minister, they advised me that a Notary can officiate, so I filed my paperwork and they set a date. We agreed that I would use the Lutheran Book of Worship marriage liturgy, redacted to suit their wishes. They have been married for 14 years and have 2 children in VCS!

Neutral

Mental health conditions are not one-size-fits-all.

Strongly Disagree

Our Florida K-12 certified Media Specialists are trained to select appropriate media, according to students' ages, literacy levels and interests, different languages in some communities. They are trained to recognize appropriate, Florida Statute-aligned materials. If a parent has a concern about a certain selection, they can submit a challenge directly from the VCS website. There is a process in place for such a challenge, and if unsuccessful, the parent can request exclusion for their child.

Strongly Disagree

No

No

2014 General Election 2016 General Election 2018 General Election 2020 General Election 2022 General Election

I also voted in local Primary elections as a person with No Party Affiliation.

No Party Affiliation

Moderate

This is why I'm NPA; I have always been moderate and work to understand the perspectives of others. I form an opinion and vote based on my own values and experiences.

Agree

I am afraid of guns and have always been conscious of our School Resource Officers and their holstered weapons. Times have changed, and I would appreciate a licensed, trained, safety-conscious colleague to have access to a secured weapon. This would be a worst-case scenario.