Lakeland woman is second person to challenge William Allen for Polk County School Board
Polk County School Board member William Allen has attracted a second opponent in his quest for re-election.
Marilyn Morris of Lakeland has filed to run for the School Board in District 1. Morris, 58, said she spent years in various educational jobs in Hardee County and recently worked as a teacher at Eagle Lake Elementary School.
Allen joined the School Board in 2020 after ousting incumbent Billy Townsend. He currently holds the ceremonial role of board chair.
A third candidate, Bernnie Brandt of Lakeland, filed in September to run in the nonpartisan race.
Morris said she grew up in Hardee County, where she ran unsuccessfully for the School Board in 2015. She said she worked as a paraeducator and a substitute teacher and also had a job with the county’s fire department.
A mother of two grown sons, Morris said she created a scholarship fund to honor her late husband, Major C. Morris, and has helped 23 students attend college. She said she recently collected her own bachelor’s degree from Colorado Technical University.
An injury resulting from a vehicle accident forced Morris to leave her job as a reading teacher at Eagle Lake Elementary, she said.
“I have this passion with children,” Morris said of her decision to run. “At this point in time, they really need a person to motivate them and to get them on the right track. Some people are there just for the money, and I understand we’ve got to pay the bills, but that's not it. We need them, and they really need us because they’re the future and they have to get their education.”
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Morris said that if elected she would make a point of visiting local schools on a regular basis. She said she would also emphasize the importance of retaining teachers.
District 1 covers the Lakeland area. While candidates must live in the district, voting is conducted countywide.
As of Thursday, Allen had reported about $33,900 in campaign donations and Brandt about $700.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland woman files to run for Polk County School Board
