New challenger

Brigitte Smith [Submitted photo]

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Posted May 25, 2026 | By Jamie Berube, [email protected]

Brigitte Smith, a longtime nurse and chairwoman of the Marion County Republican Executive Committee, has filed as the latest challenger in the open Marion County School Board District 4 race. Smith filed her candidacy on May 15, joining a nonpartisan field for the seat being vacated by incumbent Nancy Thrower, who is not seeking re-election.

The District 4 race will be decided in the Aug. 18 primary and Nov. 3 general elections, with the qualifying deadline set for June 12. Board members serve four-year terms and receive an annual salary of $50,000, which equals the starting pay for a Marion County school teacher

Smith, a registered nurse with extensive experience providing medical services both locally and internationally, previously served in the United States Army Nursing Corps Reserves. She has long been active in local Republican Party leadership. Her daughter, Taylor Smith, previously ran for a Marion County School Board seat in 2022 against Sarah James.

As of the latest available reports on the Marion County Supervisor of Elections website (votemarion.gov) as of May 18, Smith has reported no monetary contributions or expenditures in the current election cycle.

According to Smith, she decided to run because she is deeply concerned about the direction of the district.

“Despite flat enrollment, hovering around 45,500 students, our budget has exploded to over $1.4 billion while academic results remain poor, with the district ranking near the bottom of the state. We must make hard decisions to cut wasteful spending, eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and expensive outside consultants, and focus every dollar on the classroom,” Smith said.

“We see mismanagement in how we handle construction and budgets, including costly mistakes on recent projects that have driven up expenses on the back of the taxpayer. At the same time, some schools are overcrowded while others are under capacity. It’s time for real accountability, better planning around school capacity, smarter financial decisions and a renewed focus on improving student outcomes. As a grandmother with a granddaughter in MCPS, I want better for her and for every student in our district,” she continued.

Smith described experiences in the Army and as an operating room nurse as having taught her what strong leadership means. 

“My 35 years as an operating room nurse and my service as a 1st Lt. in the Army Nurse Corps has taught me that strong leadership means listening carefully, making decisive calls and always putting the people I serve first. Those same skills will help me advocate effectively for our students and teachers. Over the past 12 years, I’ve been legislatively active, traveling to Tallahassee to speak before the House and Senate, building relationships with our lawmakers and learning how to read and influence policy. That experience will help me hit the ground running on the school board, where understanding state law and policy is a big part of the job as well,” Smith said.

Watching her daughter, Taylor, run in the 2022 campaign for the school board further shaped her approach, she noted.

According to Smith, her priorities are to redirect resources to where the data show the biggest gaps, which she thinks are math, reading and graduation, and to enforce a zero-tolerance discipline policy so students can learn in the classroom.

“I firmly believe that we need to focus more on academic results during school board meetings and discuss an action plan to improve our students’ learning versus patting each other on the back for non-academic items,” Smith said.

Smith also weighed in on the superintendent selection process, noting that the Marion County Republican Executive Committee opposed shortening the national search when Danielle Brewer replaced Diane Gullet. She believes a full competitive process would strengthen the chosen leader’s credibility.

Smith supports Sheriff Billy Woods having direct oversight for school safety, rather than the Safe Schools department, which includes one executive director of safety and security, one state mandated school safety specialist, one state mandated threat management coordinator, three school safety officers (two of whom are sworn), a crisis response coordinator (emergency management), a program specialist and clerk, for a payroll cost to the district of $1.1 million.

As previously reported, the school district is under a three-year contract with law enforcement to staff schools with security from the Belleview Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Ocala Police Department, at a cost of$16.3 million.

On school overcrowding and infrastructure, Smith expressed concern about the $450 million in bonds issued for construction, citing examples such as the $2 million cost difference between two identical schools, and called for stricter oversight and giving the Independent Citizens Referendum Oversight Committee real input on contracts.

Regarding budgeting and fiscal responsibility, Smith emphasized reviewing administrative layers.

“We’ve added a lot of layers over the years and I think we need to make sure every single one of those jobs is helping kids or supporting teachers in the classroom. If it’s not, we should cut it. I have no friends nor business associates in the system, which makes me the best person to initiate the cut,” she said.

She added that she would push for greater transparency through annual reports on spending and regular audits, while empowering the oversight committee.

On parental rights and curriculum, Smith stated that she believes parents have the fundamental right to direct their child’s education.

“I believe those rights come from God, not the government. I’m for full curriculum transparency. When it comes to reading and math, we need to stick with proven, effective methods that actually work, not the latest fads. Controversial topics belong at home,” she said.

She also supports expanding vocational and career-technical education to prepare students for real jobs, not just college, and noted her service on the county textbook review committee has reinforced her commitment to age-appropriate materials.

Smith said she has no issue balancing her role as MCREC chairwoman with school board duties.

“This is a non-partisan race and my job on the board will be to represent all students and parents, not any political party,” she said.

The other candidates in the District 4 race are:

Mike Mills, owner of Symmetry Coffee Company in Ocala. Mills filed on May 4. There were no campaign contributions reported as of May 18. The “Gazette” has reached out to Mills for a statement about his decision to run but he has not responded.

Jeffrey “Jeff” Brewer, a retired 20-year Marion County special education teacher. As of the Q1 2026 report, Brewer raised $1,803 and spent $672.21.

Earl “Buddy” Wyckoff is a veteran high school math teacher with 38 years in the classroom. As of the Q1 2026 report, Wyckoff raised $650 and spent $369.75.

All candidates have filed as nonpartisan and are listed as active-filed on the Marion County Supervisor of Elections site.

To learn more, go to votemarion.gov