Nassau Citizens Defending Freedom (Nassau CDF) sent candidate questionnaires to School Superintendent and School Board candidates. Six candidates were surveyed.
Two followed directions to complete the yes/no questionnaire. (Gaus/Simpkins)
Two declined outright. (Grooms/Joinville)
Two wrote essays that they insisted that I print in full. (Burns/Cook)
To maintain integrity of the survey process, we published the two responses and did not publish written essays. We seek to provide tangible and comparable responses from candidates on which voters can rely.
School Superintendent Candidates responding – Curtis Gaus
Completed 2024 CDF Candidate Questionnaire Form GAUS
School Board Candidates responding – Kristi Simpkins
Completed KLS 2024 CDF Candidate Questionnaire Form SIMPKINS
All respondents were given the opportunity to explain their decline responses. Those responses are listed below. Both responding candidates asked that we provide their contact information for them to provide additional explanation to voters with questions.
Explanations of declined explanations:
Curtis Gaus, Superintendent Candidate gaus4ncsbdistric3@gmail.com (904) 887-9071
Q 8 – Yes and no depending on specific situations.
Q 15 – Fully supportive of state mandates. Nassau County is in a lawsuit which prohibits a comprehensive response.
Kristi Simpkins, School Board Candidate kristisimpkins2@gmail.com (904) 626-4678
Q 5 – I tentatively support the creation of a Citizens Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC) to enhance transparency, accountability, and community engagement in our financial oversight. My concerns are specifically around the scope of the committee. Are they only for creation and oversight? Will every decision concerning the budget need approval of the committee? More questions should be answered prior to my full support.
Q 8 – I understand many of the concerns surrounding Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). However, I believe some students have social and emotional issues that we must help them work through.
Q 9 – I do support eliminating CRT, DEI, racism, Marxism, and humanism in schools. However, I have not had an opportunity to vet the listed curriculum. Without doing so, it would be inappropriate to make a decision regarding their approval.
If you are interested in finding out more about Nassau Citizens Defending Freedom, please visit our website press page and subscribe to our emails at https://www.counties.citizensdefendingfreedom.com/fl-nassau/ . You can also contact us directly at nassaucdf@gmail.com or 470-295-4365.