Two candidates will face off in November to see who will represent Marion County School Board District 4.
Nancy Thrower, the district's current representative, has decided not to run for re-election.
The candidates in the November election, Mike Mills and Brigitte Smith, were the top two vote recipients in the four-candidate August primary election. Mills got 23,469 votes (36.86%) and Smith got 19,637 (30.84%). Since no candidate got 50% plus one vote, the top two head to November.
According to the Marion County Supervisor of Elections Office website, votemarion.gov,early voting starts Oct. 22 and ends Oct. 31. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on those dates. For a list of early voting sites, please visit votemarion.gov/317/Vote-Early
Election
Day is Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mail ballots must be received by the elections office by 7 p.m. Nov. 3.
According to the Florida Legislature's Office of Economic and Demographic Research, for fiscal year 2025-26, a school board member's annual salary is $52,021. The race is nonpartisan. School board members serve four-year terms and are elected countywide.
Before the August primary, the Star-Bannerpublished questions and answers from the candidates. Here's a look back at what they said:
Questions and answers from Mike Mills
Why are you running for school board and what do you hope to accomplish? The Marion County Public School District is in need of a business minded professional that is committed to supporting teachers and students. I'm running because I have seen first-hand the struggles our teachers face today.
We all want to offer the very best to our students. In an economy where families cannot afford to have a parent stay home and be active in their education, the consequence is a shrinking number of opportunities for those students. Who steps into that gap? The teachers.
If elected, what three things do you want to get done? Assess and grow our career and technical education offerings. Find savings in our spending that can be immediately put into the hands of teachers. Create an open conversation and strong relationship with our local government representatives and our state reps so that we can be heard when building the policies that impact us.
Why are you the best candidate for the job? As someone who has been volunteering in public education and through the Education Foundation since 2001, someone that has operated budgets of scale and felt the weight of financial responsibility, and as someone that has stepped into leadership roles where I have been charged with making the best decisions for many, many people, I check all of the boxes.
I am the only candidate that has a proven record of success and experience in leadership and financial/business acumen.
What would you like to see done about growth as presently some schools are overpopulated? This is a complicated and often uncomfortable discussion for some. We have schools that are overpopulated and we also have schools that are at half capacity. I want to explore all of the most financially responsible solutions that will set our district up for success 10, 15, and 20 years from now.
I'm less interested in Band-Aids and more focused on long-term sustainable corrections that give our students the best chance to succeed.
If the property tax proposal passes and there are layoffs, what areas to you are untouchable? High-performing teachers and the programs that support our mission to help all students succeed, regardless of their path.
Questions and answers from Brigitte Smith
Why are you running for school board and what do you hope to accomplish? I’ve quietly advocated for our children for over a decade as an operating room nurse with 35 years of experience, from open heart, neurosurgery, to trauma. A U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran, and a medical missionary, board secretary to the Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation, I feel I have the ability to offer a new perspective to the board.
With two daughters who graduated from Marion County schools and a granddaughter at Dunnellon Middle, I’m vested. I see what comes home every day and know we must do better.
Despite rising budgets, we’ve stayed in the bottom third academically for years. If elected, I’ll raise the bar for students, reject mediocrity, restore fiscal responsibility, and ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent efficiently, especially in school construction, so resources go back to the classroom.
I’ve already studied the data, identified the highest-leverage problems, and put forward three clear, measurable goals with concrete drivers and timelines. The question isn’t whether I’ve personally stood in front of a third-grade class teaching phonics. The question is whether I have the judgment, leadership experience, and systems mindset to set the right priorities, protect the resources that belong in classrooms, and hold the system accountable for results and I believe I can do just that, because I’ve done it in the operating room!
If elected, what three things do you want to get done? First, a Reading Revolution to fix third-grade literacy, currently at about 46% proficiency. I’ll center teachers in the conversation, ensure high-quality ongoing Science of Reading training with real coaching, expand reading across all classes, move back to physical books, push early intervention before third grade, use volunteers for targeted support, and launch incentives like “Caught in the Act” and Battle of the Books.
Second, a balanced discipline system that puts safety first. I’ll use restorative practices for minor issues with the very young kindergarten students but maintain zero tolerance for repeated disruptive behaviors, weapons, violence, or drugs; policy is set and needs to be enforced, no longer simply because little Johnny is the high school quarterback, does he get a free pass; teach accountability.
Make better use of in-school suspension with academic support, and ensure teachers receive full administrative backing when enforcing rules.
Third, fiscal responsibility and teacher retention. I’ll demand a crystal-clear, transparent contractor selection process to stop waste like the $29 million Southwest Marion High School overage. Savings will fund a competitive package to retain our best teachers — retention bonuses, advanced certification incentives, strong mentoring, and practical support like daycare partnerships.
Why are you the best candidate for the job? My nursing background gives me a disciplined approach — assess, intervene, evaluate — that’s been missing on the board. My 35 years as a trauma OR nurse, including serving as the dedicated nurse educator for perioperative services, taught me to develop educational programs, mentor staff, assess competencies, and implement evidence-based practices under pressure.
That experience in teaching, onboarding new nurses, and driving quality improvement directly translates to overseeing educational standards and supporting our teachers and students.
For twenty years I’ve served as secretary of the children’s board, gaining deep experience in policy, governance, and fighting for kids. I’ve participated in Marion County’s textbook review process, helping adopt new K through 12 materials, and have traveled to Tallahassee multiple times to advocate before the Senate and House.
As a young grandmother, I have real skin in the game. My granddaughter’s future in these schools drives me to ensure every child receives the quality education they deserve.
What would you like to see done about growth as presently some schools are overpopulated? Marion County has a clear imbalance — overcrowded schools in the southwest and underutilized schools in the north. Several North Marion schools run as low as 69-70%.
This wastes resources and forces long bus rides. We need smarter rezoning to balance enrollment and reduce excessive busing. To fix our chronic bus driver shortage, we should explore allowing drivers to work a morning or afternoon route and then serve as a paraprofessional or classroom aide the rest of the day, giving them full-time hours and benefits.
Consolidating the north end schools will affect many families, so instead of closing all three under-enrolled northern elementary schools, let’s keep and fully refurbish one strong campus — most logically Reddick-Collier — into a true Center of Excellence in Literacy.
Reddick-Collier currently sits at roughly 47–50% FISH utilization and has significant available space. With a focused renovation it could become a Cambridge Primary-type magnet and science-of-reading flagship that serves high-poverty students in the north while drawing choice families from across the district.
Raising utilization toward 70%+ would reduce the pressure to close neighborhood schools, preserve community identity, and put empty classrooms back to work for students who need strong early literacy the most.
The other northern schools would be evaluated on enrollment trends, maintenance costs, and program needs, with consolidation only considered after transparent community process and only if utilization and academic outcomes justify it. What good are brand new schools if the students aren’t reading?
If the property tax proposal passes and there are layoffs, what areas to you are untouchable? School property taxes are fully protected under the proposal, so there’s no direct revenue loss.
If cuts become necessary, the clear priority is trimming top-heavy administration, duplicated services, central office positions, and non-classroom support roles. Touching teachers or anything that directly serves students in the classroom is off limits.
Savings from eliminating duplication, like returning the Safe Schools department to the Sheriff’s Office, should go back to supporting teachers. Ensure construction contracts are fair and just; utilize our own oversight committee to audit a contract before signing, to avoid overages.
Let’s look at a long overdue energy study and possibly save money which would prevent some layoffs. Every dollar saved is critical prior to layoffs.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Meet the Marion County School Board District 4 candidates
