Okaloosa County School Board District 5 candidate Cynthia West sat down with Mid Bay News to discuss a recent national news story about her accusations against Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and to lay out her positions on school vouchers, school closures, teacher pay, and governance on the Okaloosa County School Board.
West began by addressing a high-profile deposition she recently gave involving Congressman Thomas Massie. She described it as a sworn statement about both a personal relationship and a prior work arrangement.
West confirmed that she had been offered what she characterized as a $5,000 “hush money” payment and a $60,000 settlement contingent on signing a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). She claims she has documentation related to the matter and has worked with legal counsel to ensure her public comments avoid defamation, but shared none of those documents with us.
West told Mid Bay News that she ultimately chose to walk away from the $60,000 settlement because signing an NDA conflicted with the transparency she says she is asking of teachers and staff in Okaloosa County:
She said she could not, “with the same breath,” ask others to come forward about workplace issues in the district while personally agreeing to stay silent in her own case.
West said she is in contact with House legal counsel about what the breach of the settlement agreement means for that documentation and any future disclosures.
West defended Florida’s school voucher program, which is currently being challenged in court by the Florida Education Association as unconstitutional.
She argued that “the money [should] follow the student” and pushed back on the idea that vouchers are “taking money from the district,” saying that position is not shared by state legislators or the governor’s office.
West acknowledged that the system has had abuse and implementation problems and referenced SB 318, sponsored by State Senator (and former Okaloosa Schools Superintendent) Don Gaetz, which sought to tighten oversight. She said one major concern in the House was that the bill would have put voucher funding at risk by requiring annual re-approval in the budget, making it vulnerable if future lawmakers opposed educational choice.
Overall, West framed school choice as something public education must adapt to, not resist:
Okaloosa County Superintendent Marcus Chambers has publicly estimated that tens of millions of dollars are leaving the district due to vouchers and other school choice measures.
When asked how to respond to that loss of revenue, West argued that the district should make better use of tools already available under state law:
West was sharply critical of the recent decision to close Mary Esther Elementary and Kenwood Elementary.
West also highlighted that the district had invested around $8.5 million in the two schools in recent years, only to then move to close them. She called that approach reactive rather than proactive and “irresponsible to taxpayers.”
She said she would not have handled the closures the way the current board did and would have pushed harder to keep the schools open or restructure them.
On teacher salaries, West acknowledged that starting pay in Okaloosa County still trails neighboring districts such as Walton County, even as the cost of living in Okaloosa rises comparitively.
West argued that meaningful raises for teachers and support staff will require reworking how the district spends its general fund, not just asking for new revenue. She said she has been scrutinizing:
West said she doesn’t want to pit the Sheriff’s Office against teachers, but believes allowing private-sector competition where law permits could help bring prices down or at least force more serious discussions about the best use of limited funds.
Her stated goal: free up money in the general fund to redirect toward classrooms, teachers, and support staff pay.
When asked about teacher-specific affordable housing, West said she is open to supporting projects that make it more affordable for educators to live where they work.
She said she has been “nerding out” on funding streams like Tourist Development Council (TDC) funds and thinking about:
West raised concerns about gentrification and rising costs pushing workers north toward Alabama, and emphasized that a healthy community requires that teachers and other essential workers can afford to live locally. She suggested that targeted housing projects or voucher-like mechanisms for housing could be part of the solution but said details would require collaboration with other entities.
West noted that the Okaloosa County School Board has had no split votes since August 2020—meaning roughly 7,500 votes over about 150 meetings have been unanimous.
West said this level of agreement underscores a lack of checks and balances:
West also explained her movement across three different district races this cycle—District 3, then District 1, and now District 5. She said she:
She said having multiple incumbents challenged in different districts is important if voters want meaningful change, and that three votes are required on the board to move any reform forward.
Two years ago, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Brett Hinely to replace Dr. Diane Kelley on the Okaloosa County School Board. Now, Hinely has entered his first race to win the seat outright.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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