'Straight up deceit': Flagler school board candidate targeted by outside attack ads, mailers

As election season heats up this November, outside political groups are becoming more prominent in the Flagler County School Board District 2 race between Will Furry and Courtney VandeBunte.

While political involvement in school board races, which are technically nonpartisan, has increased, VandeBunte said Furry’s proponents have taken it a step further by not only funding attack ads but also sending deceptive mailers that appear to have been sent by VandeBunte herself.

The two are vying for the District 2 seat, which covers Palm Coast and northeast Flagler County, as Janet McDonald chose not to run for reelection.

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“This is just straight up deceit,” VandeBunte said. “They are successfully tricking their voters into thinking that I put out a mailer that said that I'm going to stop parents.”

What do the mailers say? 

The front of the mailer features a picture of VandeBunte and thanks her "for standing against (Gov.) Ron DeSantis and his harmful education agenda,” as well as fighting against "the parents who want to take over our schools.”

On the back, the mailer addresses various education issues, noting that VandeBunte “has courageously stood in (DeSantis') way, defending the rights of Flagler County's enlightened parents and social justice activists."

It continues that VandeBunte “bravely objected" to the "Don't Say Gay" bill, a name that critics have used for Florida's Parental Rights in Education law, which prohibits instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity through third grade.

Furthermore, the flyer states VandeBunte advocated for a school mask mandate; believes curriculum should focus on social, racial gender and environmental justice; and is committed to addressing historical injustices and promoting equity-centered, trauma-informed education.

The mailers are paid for by political action committee Flagler Forever. Florida’s Division of Elections lists George Riley and Noreen Fenner as agents. Riley is the former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida and current director of Conservatives for Clean Energy Florida.

The PAC’s Tallahassee address is linked to at least six different donor groups that have contributed $6,000 to Furry’s campaign, according to campaign finance reports from the Flagler County Supervisor of Elections. The group spent over $21,000 on mailers in October. A voicemail left at the PAC’s phone number was not returned.

There are also 30-second radio and television advertisements, paid for by a PAC called School Boards Matter, which state that VandeBunte’s team is made up of “radical union bosses” and “unaccountable bureaucrats.” Her agenda, the ads say, includes “fewer choices for parents, critical race theory in the classroom and sexually explicit books for kindergartners.”

School Boards Matter also funded attack ads against candidate Kim Short in the Volusia County School Board primary election. It has spent over $344,000 since August.

The PAC is chaired by David Ramba, a Tallahassee consultant and attorney. A voicemail left at the PAC’s phone number was not returned.

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VandeBunte responds to claims

VandeBunte says the PAC did not have permission to use her images on the mailers and that it is tricking voters with the false claims.

“I've never been anti-parent,“ she said. ”I'm a parent of three elementary school kids that go to Flagler schools. If anything, I want more choices for parents, and I will 100% advocate for parental rights and involvement because I'm a parent myself and I know how important it is to be involved in your child's education.”

VandeBunte is also a former teacher and current content developer for Harvard University's LabXChange Platform.

She says that she has never promoted teaching sexual instruction or critical race theory in K-12 education. The theory is an academic framework based on the idea that racism is systemic in American institutions. It is not taught in Flagler schools, and VandeBunte noted it is a “graduate-level law school topic” that doesn’t have any place in K-12 curriculum.

“What people I think are confusing is teaching the civil rights movement and slavery is not the same as CRT, and we have to teach these uncomfortable historical topics, one, because they’re state standards and you have to teach the state standards, but two, because it's our responsibility to teach the history of our nation, the good and the bad,” she said.

While Furry has received DeSantis’ endorsement, VandeBunte said she supports the main parts of governor’s education agenda.

“His education agenda is no sex in elementary schools. I 100% agree with that,” she said. “His education agenda is don't make students feel guilty or responsible for slavery. I 100% agree with that.”

VandeBunte believes the claims about what curriculum she supports may have come from people seeing that she taught advanced biology, environmental science and social studies.

Curriculum should depend on the grade and course, including reading, writing and math foundations in elementary school, she said.

“There’s a commercial that literally says that I am for sexually explicit books for kindergartners," she said. “That is just completely inappropriate and just the highest form of libel and slander that I’ve ever experienced.”

VandeBunte believes parents should be able to opt their child out of any curriculum they feel uncomfortable with and supports the district’s media policy that lets parents opt their children out of certain books.

Commenting on the mask mandate claim, VandeBunte said she had given one public comment supporting a 30-day mask mandate when coronavirus cases were high and before vaccines were available.

Why attack VandeBunte?

Furry has not returned a voicemail seeking comment on the ads. It is unclear whether he is involved with Flagler Forever beyond accepting donations from other groups with the same address.

VandeBunte sees the acceptance of the money as Furry condoning the dishonest mailers. She believes they have spread lies about her to make up for Furry having a lack of qualifications.

“They're trying to trick voters into thinking that I am anti-parent because Will is supremely unqualified for this position and they can't talk about his qualifications because he doesn't have any,” she said.

Furry, a local realtor, real estate investor and entrepreneur, has a high school diploma and two kids.

VandeBunte believes Furry does not have any qualifications or educational experience besides having children.

“They're just pulling these claims out of thin air because they know that Will is unqualified,” she said. “The only thing that they're able to do is trash and slander my name with inaccurate information.”

According to records from the Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts, Furry had several foreclosures while living in Miami, including two from 2012 in which the court granted Wells Fargo judgments of $410,953.72 and $132,987 on two different properties.

Furry previously told The News-Journal he has started several successful businesses and believes real estate agents are some of the best advocates for great schools and great neighborhoods. He has not returned a second voicemail left Friday afternoon seeking further information on the foreclosures.

VandeBunte was hopeful school board races can get back to being nonpartisan in the future and focusing on students.

“Whether students come from families of Republican or Democrats or Christians or different faiths or skin colors or what country they're from, none of that should influence the decisions of a school board member to increase the quality of education that those students are receiving,” she said.

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler school board race infiltrated by attack ads, false mailers