Mark Johnson is leaving the Hernando County School Board after two terms and four election cycles. He was first elected in 2014, lost re-election in 2018, returned to the board in 2022, and lost his most recent re-election bid in August. All four races were decided by a handful of percentage points. At the Oct. 20 board meeting, Johnson said he will not seek office again, citing his wife’s declining health. Dana Pearce, who defeated Johnson, will take her seat on Nov. 17.
Johnson, originally from New York, obtained his private investigator’s license in 1980 and moved to Florida in 2005. He has kept working as a PI throughout his time on the board, specializing in locating heirs to estates. “I work because I like it,” Johnson said. He described the satisfaction of tracking down next of kin and telling them they may be in line for a windfall.
Johnson said he first ran for the board to bring more accountability and fairness to the district. “Everybody forgets the job of the board is to protect the parents and the students, not to protect the union, not to protect the administrators. They have their own gigs going,” he said.
When Johnson joined the board, the district was still recovering from the Great Recession. He is proud of how the board handled difficult budget decisions after the state pulled back funding to local districts following several years of drawing on reserves. He also points to his work to start Urban Gentlemen’s Clubs at Pine Grove and Eastside elementary schools, a concept he learned about at a conference in Atlanta. Once a week, students dress up, hold doors for teachers and peers, say “yes sir” and “yes ma’am,” and practice acting respectfully. Johnson credits the program with improving students’ GPAs and cutting down on discipline problems.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
