Questionnaire: Sarah Leonardi, candidate for Broward County School Board, District 3

Name: Sarah Leonardi

Residence: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Educational Background

University of Miami, 2011
Bachelor of Science in Education

Have you ever been arrested? Yes

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Please provide details of the arrest, such as: location, charges, time incarcerated prior to trial. In August of 2008, I was cited for minor in possession of alcohol at Dolphin stadium. The case was subsequently dismissed and disposed nolle prosequi.

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Have you ever been convicted of a crime? No

Have you declared bankruptcy in the last 7 years? No
Are you a first time candidate? No
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Offices you've run for or have served in. If you were elected, list the years/terms you served in that office.

I ran for Broward School Board District 3 in 2020 and was elected.

Candidate's Net Worth
1,177,996.73

Campaign Website
electleonardi.com

Office Seeking
School Board, District 3

How much has your campaign raised to date? $52,570.23
How much has your campaign spent to date? $7,115.54
Cash on hand. $45,454.69

Campaign Email Address: electleonardi@gmail.com

List all endorsements
BTU, BPAA, Broward AFL-CIO, IUPA, ABC-FEC, Hispanic Vote, Hindu American PAC, EducateUS,
Run for Something, Ruth's List Florida

Do you currently serve, or have you ever served on any municipal, county, or school
board appointed committees/boards?
No

‍List all civic associations, nonprofits, private associations and organizations that you are active in.
Friends of Hugh Birch State Park, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, United Way Commission on Drug Prevention and Behavioral Health, St. Nicholas Episcopal Church vestry.

Introduce yourself to our readers by telling us why you're running for School Board.
When I ran for office four years ago, I ran to bring community voices to the table. During my time on the board, I’ve done just that and have been able to deliver results because of those community voices. With help from Broward Schools families, we implemented new and additional layers of safety at our schools. With help from the Stranahan and Rickards families, employees, students, and community leaders, over $90 million dollars were invested in those facilities after decades of neglect. With the help of voters across Broward, the board increased funding for school safety, employee supplements, mental health supports, and other essential programs. With the help of teachers and other employees the board delivered raises that were competitive with our counterparts to the north and south. There is more work to do. Affordability is a crisis in Broward County and our employee compensation must meet that challenge. There are still needs in our facilities, and I am committed to continuing my work to address those needs. School safety is a job that is never over. That is why I humbly ask for the opportunity to continue serving on the school board.

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What specific experience or qualifications do you bring to this role that makes you the best candidate?
My teaching experience has really informed how I serve on the board. I have been able to speak to how policy decisions play out in schools, provide knowledge about the work teachers do, and vote in ways that prioritize our students and the people who have the single biggest impact on our students. My time as a board member has also been valuable. I joined the board during a tumultuous time and I have been a constant voice and vote for
stability. Finally, I became a mother of two during my time on the board, and that has changed me in ways I could never have predicted. As a teacher, and as a school board member, I always took my responsibility very seriously, and now, as I prepare for my own children to one day attend Broward County Public Schools, I have a better understanding of the parent perspective. Public education is our gateway to opportunity in this country, and I truly believe in how vital it is that all children have access to the opportunities that quality public schools afford.

From your standpoint, what are the top three issues impacting the district? What is your plan to address these issues, and what specific initiatives or strategies will you champion?
Underenrollment, funding, and equity are the biggest issues impacting the district. To address under enrollment I have consistently called for the district to implement a true outreach plan that incorporates engaging PTAs, SACs, civic associations, places of worship, and other community stakeholders. I have also argued for the implementation of new programming and schools that are struggling with enrollment. In terms of funding, I have always advocated for cutting central office positions that do not directly serve schools as well as cutting costs on services that are not needed or wanted by students and employees. Finally, in terms of equity I've fought for better facilities for our schools that serve our most vulnerable populations as well as new programs that are valuable to our communities.

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Ensuring community engagement and transparency is crucial in government. If you
were elected, how would you go about involving residents in decision-making processes
and ensuring accountability?
As a school board member, I've hosted and attended town halls and roundtables regularly. I also started a fellowship to get students involved in the school board.

Broward Schools has faced turmoil over the years. How will you ensure that the district stays on track?
I've been a consistent voice for stability. We must support Dr. Hepburn in every way possible while holding him accountable to foster stability in the district.

In what ways are you similar of different from your opponent?
I have a track record of putting students, employees, and families first. I've brought in over $90 million for new buildings for schools in District 3 that were neglected for decades before I joined the board. I've consistently voted for higher teacher raises, and I have the
experience necessary to do the job.

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Recently, Broward schools have been in the headlines for plans to close some of its schools and educational facilities. What are your thoughts on the proposal? Are there any schools in particular you think should close? Why or why not?

I acknowledge that we must close schools, but I disagree with doing so in the 2025-2026 school year. We must adjust to the loss of enrollment we’ve experienced over the last decade. However, there are a few points that are important to note. First, many of the schools that have suffered a loss of enrollment have been underinvested for some time. I’ve been making this argument since my first year on the board. If we want to attract students back to our schools, we must give them dignified places in which to learn, and we must talk to families about what kind of programming they would like to see in our schools — and then deliver. Our schools with the best enrollment have some amazing programming to enrich students’ lives.

Second, the district only began to officially seek public input in February for the “Redefining Schools” initiative, despite the fact that the board was set to vote on a proposal in June. While we heard from district staff that it was the best they could do given the timeline, it was simply not enough time, and we heard repeatedly from the public that the process was not truly engaging. By choosing to close schools for the 2025-2026 school year, the district is merely repeating the same failed public input timeline. Even worse, we are beginning the process of gathering feedback during the summer, when many organizations do not meet, and when school employees and families are away. I do not support repeating mistakes of the past. Closing a school is extremely disruptive to a community. The reverberations can be felt far past the students and employees of that school; therefore, we must be deliberate and sincere about including the public in those critical decisions so that when hard choices are made, the community can at least feel heard and included in the process.

Broward County's school district is often in the headlines due to its reluctance to go along with much of the Governor's social agenda, namely on cultural issue such as LGBTQ+ visibility, and so called "wokeness" in public education. What are your thoughts on this, and do you believe that the district should follow these measures?

First, it is important that we teach real, factual history, and that all students and employees, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality feel safe and affirmed in our schools. There is alarming data being reported on LGBTQ+ students and Black students around mental health and the risks of suicide and suicidal ideation. I've learned a lot about this during my service on the United Way's Commission on Drug Prevention and Behavioral Health. Second, I believe the governor's social agenda attacking these things in our schools is a distraction from the work of educating kids. It is a fake crisis that was manufactured for votes. Our educators work very hard every day to provide students with the tools they need to be successful. That is what is happening in our schools.

Do you believe that transgender students in Broward County's schools should be allowed to use bathrooms that correlate with their gender identity, be referred to by their chosen names, using the pronouns associated with their gender identity, and play sports that correlate with their gender identity?
I believe in all of those things. It is deeply unfortunate that state law prevents many of those things from happening and that the legislature has targeted some of our most vulnerable students for political gain.