Powell-Faison For School Board District 5

08/20/2026

Good morning,
Parents this is your reminder to send an email to your student(s) teacher(s) just to let them know who you are and that you're there to assist. Have a wonderful day!

-Veronica

08/19/2026

Tonight, I’m choosing to celebrate.

While the election results were not what we hoped for, I walked away from this journey winning in so many other ways.

I stepped outside of my comfort zone. I found my voice. I met some incredible people. I listened, learned, grew, and had the opportunity to stand up for the children, educators, support staff, families, and community that I care so deeply about.

To every person who donated, volunteered, waved a sign, shared a post, made a phone call, encouraged me, prayed for me, voted for me, or simply reminded me to keep going, thank you. You were part of this journey, and I will never forget it.

I am proud of myself for having the courage to put my name on that ballot and say, I am willing to serve.

So tonight, I’m not celebrating a loss. I’m celebrating the journey, the growth, the relationships, the lessons, and everything I accomplished along the way.

I may not have won the seat, but this experience showed me that my voice matters and that there are still many ways for me to serve my community.

This isn’t the end. ❤️

08/19/2026

Jason Bellamy-Fults is running for State Senate. He will be on the ...

08/18/2026

Heads up!

Attention Clay County!
Due to the storm, we have six polling locations running on generators. Clay Electric is on the job and working hard to restore power! Thank you, Clay Electric!

Be safe out there! Even in bad weather, we always have a contingency plan in place. All polling locations are still open until 7 PM.

08/18/2026

Get there folks!!! Let's goooooo!

We're about halfway through Election Day! Remember, polls are open until 7 PM.
- The Elections Office is NOT an Election Day polling location!
- You must vote at your assigned precinct. Find yours at www.VoterStatusClay.com
- Bring your picture and signature ID!
- Vote by Mail ballots MUST be in the Elections Office by 7 PM. They can't be accepted at a polling location. BUT you can surrender it and vote in person instead!

08/18/2026

Let's gooooo Clay County

08/18/2026

08/18/2026

ATTENTION.....You have until 7pm to get ballots in the box at the SOE office TODAY!

Vote by Mail ballots must be received in the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7 PM today, August 18, to be counted! The Secure Ballot Intake Station is located inside our lobby. 📍500 N. Orange Ave in Green Cove Springs

A Mail ballot cannot be accepted at a polling location, but it can be surrendered and the voter can vote in person instead.

08/18/2026

As we head into Election Day, I just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU. ❤️

Thank you to every person who donated, knocked on doors, canvassed neighborhoods, waved signs, shared a post, made a phone call, put up a sign, offered advice, encouraged me behind the scenes, prayed for me, or simply told me, “Keep going.”

Some of you have been right beside me, and others have quietly supported me in the background. Please know that I have felt every bit of the love and support.

This journey has been rewarding, exciting, exhausting, and yes…sometimes a little messy! 😊 But through it all, I have learned, grown, met some incredible people, and been reminded of just how much I love this community.

I put my hat in the ring because I truly believe our children deserve the very best we can give them, our educators and support staff deserve to feel valued and heard, and our community deserves leadership that listens and cares.

Tomorrow, the voters will decide what comes next. Win or lose, I am grateful. Grateful that I had the courage to step forward. Grateful for the opportunity to serve in this way. And most of all, grateful for every single person who believed in me enough to be part of this journey.

Whatever happens tomorrow, please know that we did this together.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. ❤️
Your favorite District 5 Candidate!

Veronica Powell-Faison
Candidate for Clay County School Board, District 5

08/16/2026

Yep!!

🚨 DID “NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND” LEAVE SOMETHING IMPORTANT BEHIND?

The goal sounded simple: every child deserves a quality education, every school should be accountable, and no student should be allowed to fall through the cracks.

But over time, education became increasingly focused on testing, data, benchmarks, targets, and proving progress on paper.

More assessments.
More spreadsheets.
More documentation.
More meetings.

And sometimes, less time for the actual work of teaching.

When students struggled, the response often became another intervention, another assessment, another plan, or another program.

Meanwhile, teachers were facing challenges that a standardized test could never fully capture:

Students several grade levels behind.
Different learning needs packed into one classroom.
Attendance problems.
Behavior issues.
Staff shortages.
Increasing paperwork.
Limited resources.
Constant distractions.

You can collect endless data about a classroom, but data alone doesn't fix the problems happening inside it.

No Child Left Behind was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015, but the larger culture of testing and accountability remains a major part of education.

Accountability matters. Standards matter. Identifying students who need help matters.

But here's the bigger question:

When does measuring education start taking time away from actually improving it?

Maybe instead of constantly asking teachers for another number, another report, or another spreadsheet, we should spend more time listening to the educators who are actually in the classroom.

The goal should never be to stop measuring progress.

The goal should be making sure measurement serves learning — not the other way around.

Teachers and parents: Did No Child Left Behind ultimately help American education, hurt it, or was the idea good but the ex*****on flawed? 👇