Parent, Lawyer, and Teacher Matt Lane Runs for School Board
Matthew Lane, a self-made local attorney, parent, and former teacher, is running for Palm Beach County School Board District 1 with a mission to return to maximizing the fundamentals.
“What I bring to this is a combination of, I guess we’d call it the heart of a teacher with the legal and financial acumen to perform the job. And those are the two things that I bring to the job.” Lane told Florida Jolt.
Lane, originally from the Midwest, taught public school there for years before eventually obtaining his law degree and moving to Florida. He’s been here ever since, having practiced law in the Sunshine State for the last forty years. Lane works as vice president and general counsel for a financial corporation and has raised a family with his children in the Palm Beach County school district.
More than that, Lane has an extensive history of public service in the area, sitting on the board of the Anti-Defamation League and serving as an advocate and counsel for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and many more.
When asked what motivated him to run, Lane cited plummeting test scores for students in the area.
“Right now, our school district went from an A to a B rated district, only 54% of the students in grades three through 10 are performing at grade level in English, and only 56% of the students in grades three through eight are performing at grade level in math, and only 49% of the students in grade eight are performing at grade level in science. So we need to fix this. It’s a disaster. It’s a catastrophe.”
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But how can the situation be improved? Lane made clear his priorities for progress were common-sense improvements, like teaching the fundamentals of math, science, English, and History, recruiting higher-quality teachers by offering higher pay and providing teachers with professional development opportunities.
Lane also emphasized the importance of teaching practical skills. “For those children who aren’t going to college, we need to maintain excellent career and technical education programming so that when they graduate, they’ll have the skills that enable them to obtain high-paying jobs,” Lane said. “It’s very underappreciated, and I was endorsed by the Associated Builders and Contractors because they feel that that’s so critical”
Lane finished by laying out his commitment to providing resources for school safety, fostering health and wellness among students, enforcing tiered and effective disciplinary systems, strengthening parental rights in education, and instructing on virtues like integrity, honesty, and self-reliance.
As a result, Lane has earned several additional endorsements including, Our Police and Sherriffs, the Palm Beach Post, The Sun Sentinel, The Economic Council and BIZPAC, Conservative Watch USA, and State Representative Rick Roth. He also earned endorsements from Marilyn Parmet, Sid’s Picks, Former Palm Beach County Commissioner Hal Valeche, Former, Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Joe Russo, Former, and North Palm Beach Mayor Dave Norris.
“It seems to me that someone on the school board needs to understand the finances of an entity with a $4.9 billion annual budget, and the vast array of legal issues that confront the district daily. Have experience in management and have experience governing so that they don’t have to learn on the job,” Lane said.
You can find more information about Matthew Lane and ways to support him on his campaign website.
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