Name: Rochelle (Shelly) Soffer

Campaign website: shellysofferforschools.com

Date and place of birth: 12/25/77 Philadelphia, PA

On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 the highest), rate the job performance of Superintendent Howard Hepburn, emphasizing his strengths and weaknesses.
3 – He has been able to navigate choppy waters with a depleting budget but has retained too many higher paid top heavy staffers while whittling away at critically needed school based staff such as mental health professionals and those in technical support positions. Yes, the district is an A-rated district but there has not been sufficient praise for those who are directly involved with the students on a daily basis, and who remain without a raise from the county let alone the pittance from the state. As superintendent, he should have better communication with the community so there isn’t as much criticism when policies or practices are implemented that are not in line with past precedence such as high school graduation locations and school resource officer changes. We have some incredibly rewarding school choices such as College Academy that few know about and if it was better known could fill some of the empty seats that were vacated by those seeking charter or private school options.

The Broward school district received an “A” grade for the third straight year for student academic performance. Who deserves the most credit for this?
SCHOOL BASED STAFF AND SUPPORT! District administrators may have set the course for the year including pacing charts, but it is those directly involved with the students who deserve the credit such as transportation, food service, security, clerical, custodial and of course teachers, counselors, support staff (SLP/OT/PT/Therapists) and school-based administrators.

Voters will decide whether to extend a school property tax increase. If it passes, the School Board will allocate 90 percent of the money for raises for teachers and school-based staff. Do you agree or disagree with this decision and why?
I wholeheartedly agree – as one who works IN the schools I know first-hand the difference this makes for us. Many of those impacted already work multiple jobs, some who must do so since our outrageous healthcare costs consume the majority of their income to keep their loved ones insured. Having this referendum will ease the financial burden of many employees and could even attract more to join or cross over from contract to district staff.

Will you vote for or against the tax extension and why? 
Regarding the referendum, see above. Regarding property tax reduction, I am against it as it will hurt municipalities based on gross deductions from ad velorem taxes, impacting local services including emergency services. There is much to say when both the police and firefighters are against it as well.

A series of fiscal missteps in the past year has placed the school board and the administration on the defensive. How well has the district responded to these controversies?
There is a lot to be desired from a community member and employee standpoint. As a tax paying community member, there should have been an immediate public statement or meeting to outline why the decisions were made in layman’s speak, whether or not the community accepted it. From an employee’s perspective, it casts more doubt as to whether or not those in positions of power and authority are to be trusted and paid the gross difference between their salary and that of our own. When employees on the lower end are overcompensated, we are forced to repay the difference IMMEDIATELY. However, as we have seen, those who were much higher up were never treated likewise. That does not sit well whether an employee or a citizen. Too many knee jerk reactions (graduation locations, school resource officers, secondary school schedule changes) have cause too much friction during a critical election period.

One such controversy involved using past referendum money to pay large bonuses to highly-paid administrators. Should those who received bonuses have been required to refund the money? Why or why not?
Please see above – my answer is unequivocably YES.

To reduce a financial deficit, the board approved a reorganization plan that critics say is unfair because it eliminates front-line positions while leaving bureaucratic jobs largely untouched.  Do you agree or disagree with this criticism and why? 
I wholeheartedly agree with the criticism – we maintained the bloat and allowed those lower on the chart to take the fall. We understand not wanting to cause too many waves in an already turbulent sea, but why not consolidate positions and reorganize in a meaningful way instead of adding more higher-level administrative positions as we saw during the past 3 months. The purpose of realigning the organizational chart as it was presented was to eliminate redundancy, consolidate jobs to cut expenses, and retain front-line jobs. When we don’t do as initially proposed, and instead create a counter plan, the critics will feast on the failures with cause.

The school board has voted to close six underenrolled schools to save money. Do you think the district should close more schools or not, and why? 
It isn’t a matter of closing schools alone – we need to look at the larger picture. For YEARS we have housed non-school staff in alternative buildings (i.e. Rock Island, Arthur Ashe, TSS complex, KCW, etc.) at a great operating expense. With the initial shrinking enrollment, we should have looked at the bigger picture and planned accordingly to liquidate staff from some properties and sell them rather than close a school. I believe in repurposing empty space for district staff and truly believe it to be advantageous for them to be house directly on an active campus not only to retain the buildings within the communities, but also to keep them engaged and accessible to school-based staff, students, and community members. Visibility and accessibility are vital to maintaining thriving schools.

List in reverse chronological order each college or university attended, with years of attendance.
The University of Florida 1999-2004 (Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders 2004, Masters in French Linguistics 2001).

Stetson University 1995-199 (Bachelors in French)

List in reverse chronological order your work history for the past 15 years.
Broward County Public Schools 2006-present

Why should voters elect you instead of your opponent(s)?
I respect my opponent and the work she has done in this community. But when District 7 families ask who is ready to walk into that boardroom on day one and fight for their children, the answer is clear.

I come entirely from lived experiences inside these schools, not from the outside looking in. I have spent over 20 years as a speech-language pathologist in Broward County public schools. I have sat with students who struggled. I have fought for their services at the IEP table. I have served as a BTU Steward and Executive Board Member advocating for educators. I have been appointed by Nora Rupert to the Superintendent Selection Committee and the Parent and Community Involvement Task Force. I served on the Principal Selection Committee for Deerfield Beach High School where I did not just advise, I voted. I am the Lead Zone SLP for three Innovation Zones. Come this August, the youngest of my own three sons will be walking into Broward County public schools for his first time while my older two return to their respective schools.

My platform is built on seven clear goals: safety for every student and staff member every single day, protecting counselors and mental health support from budget cuts, preparing students for tomorrow’s jobs through modern curriculum and Career and Technical Education, finding smart solutions to declining enrollment, securing livable salaries for all employees, demanding transparency and accountability at the board level, and ensuring safe and responsible building improvements throughout the district. Every one of these goals comes directly from what I have seen inside these schools every day for 20 years.

The difference between this race’s two candidates is the difference between advising and deciding, between observing and doing. I have been inside these schools, at the negotiating table, and in the rooms where the most consequential decisions are made. That is the experience District 7 needs at the board level right now.

What in your life experience best qualifies you to serve as a school board member?
Having worked in public education for the last 27 years across all levels from Kindergarten through college, I know the struggles across the spectrum of staff positions. I have sat at the negotiating table as a designated steward at my school, lead with the Broward Teachers Union Executive board to ensure contractual rights, served on the sick leave bank within BCPS, initiated a Speech Language Pathology task force to demand higher wages, served on the Parent and Community Task force as Nora Rupert’s designee as well as on the Superintendent Search Committee by her request, been an active member of my school’s School Advisory Council for over 15 years, participated in my children’s school PTA, and have actively advocated for various changes within the school district during my tenure.

Have you ever been a party to a lawsuit, including bankruptcy or foreclosure? If so, provide details of the case and disposition.
Yes – my family sued cigarette companies and won (see Soffer v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.)

Have you ever been charged or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, including an adjudication of guilt withheld? If so, provide charges, dates and terms of sentence.
Yes: 2001 – Misdemeanor Battery – charges dropped and record expunged.