DeeDee Rasmussen to Step Down from Leon County School Board

Leon County School Board member DeeDee Rasmussen announced on Wednesday, May 4th, in a special message on the board’s website, that she will be resigning from the school board in mid-June.

Rasmussen said she is stepping down to focus on her “health and family and take time to recharge.” She was first elected in 2008 and has remained on the board for 14 years. On three separate occasions, Rasmussen chaired the board in 2012, 2016, and the first year of navigating the pandemic in 2020.

“I am deeply grateful to the people of Leon County, and District 4, for the great privilege of serving on their School Board for these many years and directing my laser focus on the needs of our children,” said Rasmussen. However, she said she wants to be responsible and vacate her seat before the 2022 election so her district can vote for a new representative and not have to wait until 2024.

“Leon County Supervisor of Elections, Mark Earley confirmed that Rasmussen’s resignation must be effective no later than the week of ‘Candidate Qualifying’ in mid-June to allow his office time to put qualified candidates’ names on the 2022 ballot and meet Vote-by-Mail deadlines.”

Many of Rasmussen’s colleagues have commented on her resignation. Superintendent Rocky Hanna stated Rasmussen served her community well. Current School Board Chair Darryl Jones said she “led when most of us were unprepared, and she helped us navigate arduous waters in chaos; her experience as a veteran on our Board allowed her to provide that type of leadership when we needed it most.”

Rasmussen talked about the difficulties the school board has faced in recent years and that many elected officials nationally have felt the anger of their constituents “like never before.” Along with increasing limitations on school boards imposed by the department of education and a decrease in much-needed funds, these are only some of the reasons impacting Rasmussen’s decision. “There are some areas that I wish I had time to stay and correct, but overall, we have an excellent school system,” said Rasmussen.

“I love serving on the school board, I’m going to miss this very much,” she said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, “I just didn’t think I should keep up that level of stamina for two more years at the expense of my health.”