Will Indian River County School Board move ahead in harmony? Only time will tell

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — If the rest of the School Board is concerned about Kevin McDonald, its newest member, no one is letting on.

McDonald was appointed April 2 by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the unexpired term of Brian Barefoot. He's already filed paperwork in February to run for a full term in the Aug. 20 election.

Choosing up sides

Barefoot had been aligned on the board with Chair Teri Barenborg and Vice Chair Peggy Jones when it came to supporting issues such as mask mandates and opposing the removal of controversial books from school libraries. Board members Jacqueline Rosario and Gene Posca generally backed the positions of parents-rights groups such as Moms for Liberty.

Barefoot and Jones last year were among school board members across Florida targeted for defeat by DeSantis for failing to shield students from “woke” ideologies and failing to protect parents’ rights.

His support of DeSantis' views might have helped him get the appointment, McDonald said. And being on the governor's hit list likely was the reason for Barefoot wasn't permitted to rescind his resignation, even though he tried, according to McDonald.

"If the governor had the seat back in his control, I'm guessing he would not offer that seat back (to Barefoot)," McDonald said.

McDonald has said he would have voted against mask mandates and removing challenged books the first time it was discussed. He says he plans to listen to parents and to groups representing parents.

With McDonald, a political newcomer, replacing Barefoot on the board, will its ideological power shift?

"Things are pretty quiet now, which is good," Rosario said last week. "I can't foresee anything controversial. I think we're in a good place."

Jones said she sees nothing coming up that could split the board.

"I look forward to meeting him," Jones said prior to McDonald's swearing in Monday. "We've got a lot of work to do."

Retired businessman David Dyer also is running for the seat.

Posca and Barenborg were unavailable for comment.

Learning the ropes

McDonald met with district administrators last week.

"I got a very in-depth overview of everything they're doing," he said. "It was a full day of a lot of information."

For his part, McDonald conceded he holds views similar to DeSantis'. While saying his votes could be different from Barefoot's because he is a different person, McDonald said he was not aligned with anyone or any group. He has not contacted any board members to form any alliance, he said.

"I can't talk to anyone except in public," McDonald said.

He said he hopes for unanimous decisions.

One of those decisions likely will be whether to give the green light to open a magnet school with a classical education curriculum. That question could come before the board in 2025. District officials are surveying parents to gauge interest.

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A classical-education curriculum uses traditional teaching methods of art, literature and language rooted in the Greek and Roman classical period. Students are taught Latin and learn logic and rhetoric along with critical-thinking skills.

McDonald is the former chairman, president and treasurer of The Geneva School of Manhattan, a private classical education school, and already has volunteered to help Indian River with its research on the topic.

Barefoot resigned in February after mistakenly thinking he had moved out of District 5. He tried to take it back a day later, but his letter rescinding his resignation was never acknowledged. Instead, in an April 2 letter to Secretary of State Cord Byrd, DeSantis said he intended to fill the vacancy with an appointment.

He named McDonald the same day.

Rosario said she looks forward to having McDonald on the board.

"I don't know how Mr. McDonald will vote on certain issues," Rosario said. "My guess is he will vote conservatively."

Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. She can be contacted at Colleen.Wixon@TCPalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: New Indian River County School Board member says he's ready to start