Betty Seabrook-Burney has announced her candidacy for the District 5 School Board seat.
Seabrook-Burney, a Jacksonville native, will run for the seat being vacated by Jimmie Johnson, who cannot run again because of term limits. She is being endorsed by Johnson and he is one of her campaign advisors.
Johnson calls Seabrook-Burney “a very positive person in this community,” and says she will be a “highly effective School Board member because of her passion, skills and ability.”
Burney is the executive director of The Project Reach Foundation Inc., a non-profit agency providing assistance to public schools in Duval County that have received failing or unsatisfactory ratings from the Florida Department of Education. Project Reach, which was created in 2000, has linked faith-based and community organizations, and businesses to help challenged schools. Burney played an administrative role in establishing Project Reach before becoming its executive director.
If elected, Burney wants to narrow the achievement gap among students.
Burney started the Kidsville Learning Center, Inc. in Northwest Jacksonville several years ago. She has also served as a kindergarten consultant at Northshore Elementary School.
Burney is a 1974 graduate of Raines High School. She received a bachelor’s degree in public affairs in 1974 from the University of Miami and graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1979 with a master’s degree in public administration and a minor concentration in urban planning.
She has been married for 20 years to Calvin Burney Sr., president and CEO of Transportation Planning Group, Inc. Burney and her husband have two sons, Calvin Jr., 16, and Craig, 14, who attend Stanton College Preparatory School.