Kari Pritchett is approaching her campaign for Highlands County School Board District 1 from several sides of the public school system — as a former district educator, a parent and a longtime Highlands County resident. An Avon Park High School graduate and mother of three children in Highlands County public schools, Pritchett has worked as a classroom teacher, reading coach, ESE inclusion teacher and staffing specialist. She has also served as a District School Advisory Council chair.
Pritchett was unable to attend the Aug. 3 Lake Placid Insider candidate forum, but she has spoken at length with Lake Placid Insider during the campaign and has been responsive to questions about her background, priorities and views on issues facing Highlands County Schools.
She identifies the district’s long-term financial stability as her top concern, while saying student achievement has to remain part of that equation. “We must make decisions that not only address today’s challenges but also position our schools for future success,” Pritchett said. “That means carefully evaluating spending, prioritizing resources that directly impact students and support educators, and re-examining expenditures that do not contribute meaningfully to those goals.”
Teacher retention and employee workload have also been recurring issues in her campaign. “Retention is about more than salary,” Pritchett said. “Teachers are more likely to stay when they feel supported, respected, and trusted as professionals.” She has called for more communication between employees and district leadership and for existing requirements to be reviewed to determine whether the work they create is producing a meaningful benefit for students. “If a requirement creates a significant workload without a meaningful benefit, it should be re-examined,” Pritchett said. She said the goal should be to reduce unnecessary burdens and allow employees to spend more time supporting students.
Pritchett has also drawn considerable reaction with her position on technology in the classroom. She has advocated limiting its use and returning more often to traditional tools — books, paper and pencils — with an emphasis on reading and independent thinking. Her broader campaign message emphasizes listening before decisions are made. “I believe effective school board members should listen, learn, and make decisions based on what is best for students while respecting taxpayers and supporting employees,” Pritchett said.
Pritchett has said her experience inside classrooms and in other district roles gives her a view of the system from both the employee and parent perspectives. Her campaign has focused on financial stability, teacher retention, employee workload, classroom practices and communication between the district and the people it serves.
