Jillian Tozer, a Nocatee business owner and trained community planner, is running for St. Johns County School Board District 4 in the nonpartisan Nov. 3 general election. Tammie Foore McClafferty is also running for the seat.

Asked why she is seeking office, Tozer said in our candidate questionnaire: "I am running as a planner and a parent because when you live in a great community, you owe an obligation to help protect it. … Today, our schools face serious challenges: explosive population growth, chaotic rezoning, and an educator retention crisis that threatens classroom stability."

Candidate information

Age: 40, according to her News4JAX voter's guide response.

Family: "I live in Nocatee with my husband, Brendan, and our two daughters, Lilly and Maddy (9 and 10 years old). Our girls attend Valley Ridge Academy, our neighborhood public K-8 school in third and fifth grades," Tozer said in our questionnaire.

Education: "Bachelor of Science in City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning – Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)" and "Associate Degree in Culinary Arts – The Culinary Institute of America (Hyde Park, NY)," Tozer said in our questionnaire. She also holds a high school diploma from Neshaminy High School, according to Ballotpedia.

Party affiliation: Tozer said in our questionnaire: "Under Florida law and the Florida Constitution, School Board races are nonpartisan, and I firmly believe public education should remain that way. I am running an independent, community-centered campaign focused entirely on students, teachers, and taxpayers."

Experience and public service

Tozer said in our questionnaire: "I own and operate Tozer Travel, managing daily operations, complex logistics, client services, and multi-million-dollar budgets." She described earlier career experience: "I then spent over five years as the Director of Community Programs for the SHARE Food Program, a major non-profit dedicated to fighting food insecurity in the Greater Philadelphia area."

Asked about previous office, Tozer said in our questionnaire: "I have never run for or held elected political office. … My public leadership is centered directly inside our local public schools. I have served for multiple years on both the School Advisory Council (SAC) and the Library Advisory Committee at Valley Ridge Academy. Additionally, I serve on the Valley Ridge Academy PTO Board as Volunteer Coordinator."

On the issues

Why she decided to run now: "The defining moment happened during our Valley Ridge Academy SAC meetings. I sat in the room as our principal stood in tears, faced with having to lay off nine dedicated teachers due to district budget cuts. We are losing top-tier educators to neighboring counties because salaries are not competitive with the cost of living," Tozer said in our questionnaire.

First-year priorities: Tozer said in our questionnaire: "Beyond donating 50% of my salary to District 4 PTOs to prove my commitment to our classrooms, my first-year priorities are: Smart, Proactive Rezoning … eliminating reactive boundary shifts and ensuring school construction matches residential growth. Educator Retention & Living Wages: Conducting a line-by-line budget review to trim non-essential overhead and redirect resources directly into competitive teacher compensation and classroom materials."

She also listed "Protecting Academic Excellence" and "Fiscal Transparency" as priorities, saying she would demand "strict accountability for every taxpayer dollar and ensuring any private institution receiving public funds meets the same high statutory standards as our public schools."

Differences from opponent: Tozer said in our questionnaire: "I hold a specialized degree in Community and Regional Planning and balance multi-million-dollar budgets as a small business owner, giving me the technical skills needed to fix chaotic rezoning and ensure fiscal discipline."

Endorsements

Tozer has received endorsements and distinctions from the following organizations, according to the Blue Voter Guide, the Florida Education Association and iVoterGuide:

  • Democratic Public Education Caucus of Florida (endorsed)
  • Florida Education Association (endorsed)
  • Gun Sense Voter (Everytown / Moms Demand Action) (Gun Sense Candidate distinction)
  • JAX NOW PAC (Jacksonville Area National Organization for Women) (endorsed)