‘Time to pass the baton’: Dee Dee Rasmussen resigning from Leon County School Board

Rasmussen announced Tuesday she will step down in the middle of her fourth term as a Leon County School Board member to focus on her health and family.

Tallahassee Democrat | By Ana Goñi-Lessan | May 4, 2022

The night Leon County School Board member Dee Dee Rasmussen voted to uphold Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order that banned mask mandates, she came home to a note on her garage door.

Her move, unpopular during the COVID-19 delta variant surge, was during a 4.5- hour meeting with dozens of public speakers, including one young girl who took the lectern and said “This is what I think of a mask,” and ripped a drawing of a mask in half. 

As she approached her garage door, the words of her oncologist echoed in her mind.

Rasmussen is a breast cancer survivor.

“It’s not a matter of if, but when,” her oncologist said several years ago, before COVID, before the hours-long school board meetings about masks and LGBTQ guides. Rasmussen would have to manage her stress to stay in remission. 

“I don’t think anyone would call me a wimp; anybody who knows me knows I’m pretty tough and resilient,” Rasmussen told the Democrat in an interview. “But 14 years with the current climate, it’s time to pass the baton in the marathon.”

Rasmussen announced Tuesday she will step down in the middle of her fourth term as a Leon County School Board member to focus on her health and family. 

She has had some moderate health concerns over the past few months and, although not life-threatening, she will leave her seat by the middle of June.

“I’ve been a moderate voice, trying to carefully weigh the pros and cons, taking the high road without publicly admonishing others. Maybe my approach is going to be out of style for the time being, until (hopefully) the political pendulum swings back toward the middle at some point,” she said in a statement. “Meanwhile, I want to do this in the most responsible way possible – meaning, I need to vacate the seat in time to let the voters of District 4 choose their next representative on the School Board.”

Tough time for public schools

The note on her garage door ended up being supportive. Rasmussen’s neighbors checked the note to make sure it wasn’t something threatening.

But the possibility was enough for Rasmussen to rethink her next two years.

“I love serving on the school board, I’m going to miss this very much,” she said. “I just didn’t think I should keep up that level of stamina for two more years at the expense of my health. “

When Rasmussen ran for her first term in office in 2008, she was also diagnosed with breast cancer. That year, she went through six surgeries while working full-time and raising her children.

Now, after 14 years on the Leon County School Board, Rasmussen is ready for a break, but she says the decision wasn’t easy.

“There are some areas that I wish I had time to stay to correct, but overall we have an excellent school system,” she said. “This job is never finished.”

But she added it’s a tough time to be in public education.

“The legislature holds the purse strings and the governor and the department of education have a lot of authority and power that limit school districts,” she said. “You have to find a way to work within those parameters, which is becoming more and more difficult.”

This past year, the school district was targeted by the state during the COVID-19 pandemic for mandating masks in public schools, a move that went against DeSantis’ executive order that allowed only parents to decide whether their children would wear masks in schools.

Other legislation like HB1557, what critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and HB7, called the “Stop WOKE Act,” by DeSantis, opens school districts to the possibility of being sued if violated. 

HB1467, known as a “curriculum transparency” bill by the governor, also sets term limits for school board members and allows parents to review learning materials and contest them if they’re considered inappropriate.

School choice legislation has also shifted money and other resources from the traditional education system to private schools. The district will finish the 2021-22 budget year with a $11.5 million deficit, mostly because of the expansion of Family Empowerment Scholarships. 

“I believe we can compete, I just wish we had a more level playing field,” Rasmussen said.

Legacy of leadership

Rasmussen’s resignation must be effective no later than the week of “Candidate Qualifying” in mid-June, to allow the supervisor of election’s office enough time to put qualified candidates’ names on the 2022 ballot and meet Vote-by-Mail deadlines. 

“A vacancy on the School Board, if created later this spring, would be filled by a gubernatorial appointee until the following election, in 2024,” said Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley. 

District 4 is primarily located in the northwest quadrant of the county — west of Thomasville Road, past Lake Jackson to the county line, and north to the state border with Georgia.

School board member Darryl Jones said Rasmussen reminds him of the Bible story of Esther.

“Ms. Rasmussen led when most of us were unprepared, and she helped us navigate arduous waters in chaos; her experience as a veteran on our Board allowed her to provide that type of leadership when we needed it most,” Jones said in a statement. 

Superintendent Rocky Hanna has known Rasmussen for the past 14 years and said she has served the community well. 

“Personally, I’m very appreciative of her guidance and support, especially in helping us navigate through one of the most challenging times in the history of our public school system,” he said.

“She will be dearly missed. Although we did not always agree, the way we conducted ourselves is what we should expect from all of our elected officials, with civility and decency. I sincerely hope her replacement will bring this to the dais as well.”

Rasmussen, who will continue her job as president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors North Florida, said this is a much-needed break.

“I want to go float in the Caribbean, but I have a big job in my career, and I will absolutely do everything I can to give back to this community and to our school system. I just need to catch my breath first.”