India Palencia

India Palencia Community Advocate, Wife, and Mom of 3 ready to fight for you!

09/05/2026

This is what it looks like when community comes together! The library at our school needed put back together after getting new floors and people from all over came to help- even a sitting Board member!!

Next up- funding a thermal book repair machine! Many of these books are in dire need of maintenance. If anyone has one or knows how to get us one, let me know!

How many times and for how many years must parents fight for our district to do the right thing??? Meet the basic need o...
09/01/2026

How many times and for how many years must parents fight for our district to do the right thing??? Meet the basic need of our kids being safe? Get a simple return call?

Watch out, School District of Lee County! Bus stop issues are prone to making people want to run for office…. Just sayin….

A North Fort Myers mother is urging Lee County officials to relocat...

Not giving up!! I’ll always come back to the fight until the battle is won!
08/28/2026

Not giving up!! I’ll always come back to the fight until the battle is won!

This is no surprise. When the district announced the pause, it was clear that a pause was never the same thing as abando...
08/26/2026

This is no surprise. When the district announced the pause, it was clear that a pause was never the same thing as abandoning the plan. It simply gave them time to let the controversy die down and move forward when it was more convenient.
The meetings and discussions along the way may create the appearance of community input, but input only matters if it can actually change the outcome. Too often, it feels like the decision has already been made- and if the final result happens to align with what parents want, that is merely a coincidence.
I expect the remodeled facilities will provide just enough to technically meet student needs, with a few added features the district can point to as evidence that families received something “extra.” But parents will know the difference between truly meeting the needs of these students and simply checking boxes. If families are disappointed enough to leave our public schools, we should be asking who benefits from that.
Ask yourself: What happens to the Buckingham ESC property once these students are moved? What are the long-term plans for that site? And perhaps most importantly, why was a decision this significant never brought before the elected School Board for a public vote?

The School District of Lee County informed parents today at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center and Royal Palm Exceptional Center that it is lifting the temporary pause on the consolidation of the two campuses. The School District is officially moving forward with plans to establish a state-of-the-art flagship Exceptional Student Education (ESE) center on the campus of Royal Palm Exceptional Center.

Recognizing the deep investment and past concerns of Buckingham and Royal Palm families, the School District is launching a structured, collaborative transition process to ensure transparency every step of the way. Parents and guardians are invited to engage in a series of meetings and committees, with monthly updates provided to these stakeholders.

https://www.leeschools.net/news/august_2026/consolidation_of_two_special_centers

A moratorium under this district leadership has come to mean one thing: wait for the outrage to die down, then do what t...
08/22/2026

A moratorium under this district leadership has come to mean one thing: wait for the outrage to die down, then do what they wanted to do anyway.
The district stands to financially benefit from putting a private charter operation at the Buckingham location. That is why they want to move the students who actually need and benefit from Buckingham into a makeshift arrangement at Royal Palm.
And never forget: when this district says “world class,” too often what they really mean is “just enough.”
Little Voices of Buckingham needs the support of our community- loud and direct to our district. We need to keep this school exactly where it is.

UNCONFIRMED INFO that we are looking to you to help us confirm.

In adherence with Denise Carlin’s new policy.
It would appear that a district employee saw something and said something.

But we’d need a second source to come forward and confirm before we made any assertions, officially.

In the meantime: I’d like someone to google the word Transparency… and tell me how saying one thing and doing another could possibly garner the trust they are so desperate to capture?

08/19/2026

We didn’t get the outcome we hoped for tonight, but we still have so much to celebrate.
We ran a campaign I am incredibly proud of. We knocked on more than 35,000 doors across Lee County, talked with people from every walk of life, and fought to make sure the voices of hardworking families were heard.
We ran with integrity. We worked hard. We told the truth. We focused on the facts. And through it all, we built something bigger than one election.
I am endlessly grateful to every volunteer, supporter, donor, voter, and friend who believed in this campaign and gave their time, energy, and heart to it.
Tonight may mark the end of this campaign, but it certainly does not mark the end of the work.
See y’all at the next School Board meeting. We’re not going anywhere. ❤️

08/18/2026

I’ve already hit 6 polling locations and heading to #7!!
Get out and vote!!! No lines mean a quick vote!!
Look up your polling location at Lee.vote and make sure you are in line by 7pm!

08/18/2026

Polls are open today from 7am-7pm!!! Check Lee.vote to find your polling location!! Go VOTE!

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Fort Myers, FL

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