After four terms, Cynthia Armstrong is preparing to leave the Pasco County School Board. She recently shared her reflections and lessons learned with the Hernando Sun. Armstrong first moved to Pasco County in 1978 to take a job at Ridgewood Junior High. She taught chemistry, marine biology, physics and environmental science to students in grades seven through 12.
After 10 years in the classroom, Armstrong owned several businesses with her husband. She earned her real estate license in 1999 and still works as a realtor. When a seat opened on the school board in 2010, she decided to run. No single issue drove her decision. She said she has a passion for education and that her blend of education and business experience made her a good fit for the board. “When you’re running a school district, there are two sides to it,” Armstrong said. “You have to look at it from the educational and financial business side.”
Her first few years on the board came after the Great Recession. Armstrong said “there were some very difficult financial decisions that had to be made” to keep the budget balanced. She named COVID as the other most challenging period of her 16 years on the board.
Armstrong believes the district is better off than when she joined. She pointed to higher graduation rates, broader access to advanced coursework and more options for students, including magnet schools and career academies. She acknowledged that “there will always be new challenges” ahead. She called falling enrollment the most pressing issue facing the district now.
A week before the interview, the board voted 4-1 to close and consolidate Fox Hollow Elementary School. The building was expected to soon operate at less than half its capacity. Armstrong said declining enrollment is tied to America’s falling birth rate.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
