Yant: Community Involvement Is Necessary

James Yant wants to bring a fresh perspective to the Hernando County School Board.

He wants the district to be more proactive in the way decisions are made. He would like to see all sides considered - and, as a 35-year resident of the county, he believes he's got just what the board needs.

Yant, 62, is running for the District 4 school board seat currently held by longtime school board member Jim Malcolm, who is retiring.

While he has never run for public office, Yant is a former educator who worked at Hernando High School as a business teacher, then a counselor in the 1970s. He then spent 13 years working as an academic adviser at PHCC, and served on the foundation board until late last year.

He has been involved in numerous local educational organizations, including the leadership council of the Hernando affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters and eight years on the district board of trustees at Pasco Hernando Community College.

Yant believes his varied background, as well as his willingness to suspend judgment until learning all the facts, will help provide a different perspective to the board.

He said he would particularly make sure equal input is sought from the rural and urban residents on both sides of the county.

"I know there are two different sides, and we have to consider both," Yant said.

He said he thinks more residents would get involved in local schools if they were invited, and feels community involvement is particularly important in the face of looming state budget cuts.

"A lot of parents feel alienated, and we need to break down that barrier," he said.

Yant said he has learned a thing or two about fiscal responsibility in his years as a business owner, and said the district needs to plan for the possibility of future cuts by the state.

"The money might not be there, and we have to plan for that," Yant said. "The economy is going to dictate a lot of things."

However, Yant said he'd like to see higher teachers' salaries become a priority. He said he would like to see the district offer teaching supplements for teachers who get certified to teach other subjects, which would save the district money by not having to hire more teachers, he said.

He would also like to the see the district explore more economical methods of transportation.

An agent for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, Yant owns his own business in Spring Hill, where he also lives. He and his wife - a counselor at Springstead High School in Spring Hill - have two grown sons, ages 30 and 23.

James Yant

Age: 62.

Married, two children.

Education: bachelors of science degree from Bethune Cookman College, master's degree in education from Florida A&M University.

Religion: Baptist.

Hobbies: physical fitness and golf, reading and Bible study, cooking, piano.

Last book read: "Quiet Strength," by Tony Dungy.

Most Admired: His mother, Tony Dungy and George Steinbrenner.