HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — As Election Day 2024 is just around the corner, voters in Hernando County will be seeing two names on the ballot — Mark Evan Cioffi and Michelle Bonczek.
Here's everything to know about the two candidates in the Hernando County School Board runoff race.
Mark Evan Cioffi
Mark Evan Cioffi has been a Hernando County resident since 2001. He has been married to his wife, Carol, for 19 years and has 4 children and 10 grandchildren.
Cioffi holds a PhD in Business Administration, and according to his Facebook, he is a retired USAF Pilot, a combat veteran and a recently retired Delta Airlines captain.
Cioffi, who has been endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, says he is focused on the following issues:
- Fiscal responsibility with your tax dollars
- Parental say in their child's education
- Improving classroom environment
- Student safety
Michelle Bonczek
Michelle Bonczek says she is a mother of 7 and a grandmother of two. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from GCU and a master's degree in Education Law from NSU.
Bonczek says she's been engaged in the Hernando County School District for the past 30 years as an educator and a parent. She was a permanent substitute teacher at Deltona Elementary School where she taught kids with special needs as well as Physical Education.
According to her Facebook account, Bonczek says she's focused on the following issues:
- Focused Development in Exceptional Student Services (special needs children)
- Competitive Compensation for Educators and non-instructional employees
- Campus safety and security advocating for K-9 units in schools
- Open lines of proper communication for all stakeholders
- Addressing transportation issues
- Fiscal responsibility
- Aggressively seek out grant funding for various programs to better the school district
- Vocational Tech and emerging industries
- Bringing cursive writing back into schools
