ORMOND BEACH
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 13, NO. 15
ART FASHION SHOW PAGE 3A
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2024
Superintendent’s contract approved
The new contract between Volusia County Schools and Carmen Balgobin includes a salary increase. PAGE 4A
School Board to reconsider its chair Jessie Thompson’s future on the board is uncertain after statements made at a Moms For Liberty summit. JARLEENE ALMENAS MANAGING EDITOR
Following remarks made during the 2024 Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit in late August, School Board Chair Jessie Thompson’s leadership will be reconsidered in January. The School Board unanimously voted on Tuesday to revisit its decision made at the Nov. 19 organizational meeting to appoint Thompson as board chair. This came after statements by Thompson came to light involving feeding fake data to the board to get agenda items approved and questioning the graduation rate for Deltona High School, which was 100% last year. Deltona High, a Title 1 school, is also one of the district’s A schools. “Now, I’ve walked that school multiple times,” Thompson said at the summit. “I’ve met some bright students, and I’ve met some students that I wouldn’t trust filling up my tank of gas, so I find it really hard to believe that they graduate.” She said graduation was now equivalent to handing out “participation ribbons.” Thompson was speaking as part of a session called “How to Work With Your School Board at the summit, which is available as an unlisted video on the Moms for Liberty YouTube page. Her remarks about Deltona High triggered a call for her resignation by Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila on Facebook, who said this is “unacceptable and is also an insult to the hard-working students and staff of this A-rated school.” He also criticized her verbiage of calling District 5 School Board member Ruben Colon a “tan man” during the session as unprofessional; Thompson spoke at length on not getting along with her fellow board members and their alleged hate of her. At the summit, Thompson recom-
’Tis the season at The Casements The Casements holds 46th annual Christmas Gala in Ormond Beach PAGE 1B Alexis Imhoff and Riley Hale help out at the cookie decorating station during the 46th annual Christmas Gala at The Casements on Friday, Dec. 6. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
INSIDE PROPOSAL
SunBros seeks to open drive-thru coffee shop in Ormond Beach
EYES ON 2026
Volusia County Councilman Jake Johansson files to run for Florida Senate PAGE 5A
PAGE 2A
Bah humbug!
PUBLIC ART Ormond Beach approves mural at Art Spotlight gallery PAGE 7A
HONOREES Ormond Beach Police honors its Officer of the Year, Civilian of the Year.
PAGE 5A
European Arts Conservatory to present ‘A Christmas Carol — The Ballet.’ PAGE 4B
SEE THOMPSON PAGE 7A
700 ROUNDS FIRED
Ormond-by-the-Sea condo shooter fired over 700 rounds on Thanksgiving morning PAGE 6A
O CHRISTMAS TREE
Sanchez Tree Farms sells over 1,000 Christmas trees in Ormond Beach PAGE 7A
INDEX
Comics ....................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner............... PAGE 6A Public Notices............ PAGE 8B Real Estate................. PAGE 8B
NEW ROUTE
Avelo Airlines expands at DAB with a new nonstop route to Charlotte, North Carolina. PAGE 6A
FREE
ON THE DOTTED LINE
ON NEWSSTANDS.
Mainland football players Christian Hudson, Kwasie Kwaku Jr. and Phillip Moore opt for early signing. PAGE 6B
$79 / Y E A R
ON YOUR DRIVEWAY. Three ways to support your local journalism: 1) scan the code, 2) call 386-447-9723, or 3) visit observerlocalnews.com/ subscribe.
INSIDE
Emma Billings as Christmas Future Spirit, Stephen D Andrews as Christmas Present Spirit, Hannah Mayall as Christmas Past Spirit and Gracyn Thomas as Scrooge. Photo courtesy of Jen Sabatini Photography