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Christy Chong elected Flagler Schools chair after marathon reorganization; vice-chair contest ends when Lauren Ramirez withdraws
Summary
After more than two hours of organization meeting business and dozens of ballots for vice chair, the Flagler County School Board elected Christy Chong as board chair and, following a late-night withdrawal by Lauren Ramirez, confirmed Will Furry as vice chair. The meeting also set board calendars, liaisons and elected COPS officers.
Christy Chong was elected chair of the Flagler County School Board on Nov. 18 during the board’s reorganizational session, and Will Furry was designated vice chair after a prolonged, late-night contest ended when Lauren Ramirez withdrew her self-nomination.
The reorganization began shortly after 6 p.m., with Superintendent Lashaka Moore opening the session under Florida law and the district’s organizational policies. Multiple nominees spoke for the chair role; Chong, who had been vice chair, was nominated and said she would “keep our meetings moving along and organized.” After several rounds of voice votes, the board recorded that “with a 3–1 vote, Miss Chong will serve as the chair of the board” for the 2025–26 year.
The vote for vice chair became the meeting’s most contentious item. Dozens of sequential voice ballots followed competing nominations for Vice Chair, with board members debating whether the role should go to the most tenured member or be used to develop newer members’ leadership. At one point Janie Reddy raised concerns about a media interview by a fellow board member, saying information “was released … that I felt was out of bounds to our executive meeting.” Will Furry denied the charge and said the district office had preapproved the talking points.
After repeated voting and several failed compromise motions — including proposals to table the item, to temporarily appoint prior COPS officers, and to split the vice-chair term — Ramirez told the board she would withdraw her self-nomination late in the meeting. The board then recorded that Will Furry would serve as vice chair for the 2025–26 year. Superintendent Moore reopened the agenda to complete organization business and then the Flagler County School Board Leasing Corporation (COPS) meeting; the board approved officers for that body with Chong as president and Furry as vice president.
Other items completed during the meeting included approval of the board’s meeting calendar (second and fourth Tuesdays, adjusted in places for spring break and AFR/TRIM deadlines) and the formal assignment of school and community liaisons. Board staff and Patty Warmick clarified that some calendar dates would be adjusted to meet state submission deadlines for budget and TRIM materials.
Public comment earlier in the evening included a formal suggestion from Ron Long asking the board to amend public-input policy 0169.1 to allow a designated representative of a group five minutes instead of the standard three to speak on behalf of multiple constituents. The board agreed to consider the request at a future workshop. A separate public commenter, Edward Fuller, praised Flagler Schools’ Veterans Day parade participation and urged the board to quickly finalize the superintendent’s contract discussions.
After completing organization business and the COPS meeting, the board adjourned in the early morning hours. The superintendent will file the names of the newly elected officers with the Florida Department of Education as required by district policy.
What’s next: The board left several follow-up items on staff lists — confirming final calendar postings, circulating a memo on the public comment policy question for a future workshop, and filing organizational officer notices with the state.
