-
Jamie Deonas -
Shannon Hogue -
Curtis Gaus -
Albert Wagner
Three of the four Nassau County School Board candidates have classroom or leadership experience.
The school board race is nonpartisan and open to all voters when they head to the polls today through Nov. 5 for early voting or vote on Election Day Nov. 8. New four-year terms begin Nov. 22, with board members earning an annual salary of $34,546, according to votenassaufl.gov.
Former West Nassau High School Principal Curtis Gaus is in a District 3 race against Albert Wagner. District 1 candidate Shannon Hogue will attempt to unseat incumbent Jamie Deonas. He presently represents District 3, but rezoning switched him to District 1 in his re-election bid. Deonas received his education in Nassau County and graduated from high school in 1989. He is a paramedic with Nassau County Fire Rescue.
Incumbent Lissa Braddock ran unopposed and retains her seat in District 5 after candidate Ashley Benoit failed to qualify. Braddock served as an educator for 36 years before retiring in 2016.
Upon the Record’s review of Nassau County School District personnel files for Gaus, Wagner and Hogue, all three candidates received qualifying assessments in their respective roles as educators.
Gaus has worked in education for more than two decades, including teaching at Fernandina Beach High School, serving as dean of attendance, dean of students and assistant principal before ascending to principal at WNHS. He held the top post at WNHS for eight years, resigning in 2020 to serve as principal for Bronson Middle School in Levy County.
He returned to Nassau a few months ago, and currently teaches mathematics at Bethune Middle School in Charlton County. Before his employment with the Nassau County School District in 2001, Gaus taught for four years at Jean Ribault Middle School in Duval County.
His Nassau County educational reviews are noted as “satisfactory,” “effective,” “highly effective” or “excellent” according to his personnel file.
Gaus holds a Bachelor of Science from Northeast Missouri State. He earned a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of North Florida.
Wagner was most recently employed as a teacher at Yulee Elementary School. His most recent contract expired, as it was not renewed after his date of separation from the school district in May 2020, according to his personnel file.
Wagner ran for Nassau County superintendent of schools in 2020 against Kathy Burns and Dale Braddock. Burns was re-elected to the post.
Before teaching in Nassau, Wagner was an educator in Duval County, serving as an assistant principal. He was a principal in the Greenwich School District in Mickleton, N.J. before holding roles as assistant principal and teacher/instructional coach in other parts of the Garden State.
Wagner earned a bachelor’s degree from Temple University in 2000. He attained a Master Degree in Educational Leadership in 2006 from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pa. His professional classroom evaluations received scores designated as “effective,” according to his Nassau County personnel file.
Hogue has served elementary school students as an educator, reading coach and technology coach. She submitted a request for a leave of absence with the school district in February 2022. She resigned her duties on May 27 and is no longer employed in the school district.
Hogue also has experience as a curriculum director at Fernandina Beach Christian Academy. She has served as an educator in Georgia’s Cobb and Wilkes counties.
She earned a bachelor of science in middle grades education from Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, Ga. in 2017. She received a Master of Education from Southeastern University in 2020.
Hogue received evaluations of “highly effective” to “excellent” in her file.
ksciullo@nassaucountyrecord.com
