Hillsborough school board vice chair urges focus on early learning, teacher support and student voice

Nadia Combs, vice chair of the Hillsborough County School Board, told a district podcast that her priorities are strengthening early learning, improving support and pay for teachers, and listening to student voices to shape board decisions.

Combs recounted that her pathway into education began in her twenties and included more than a decade as a classroom teacher and several years teaching in Japan. "If we can start early, I'm talking birth all the way through, if we can prepare those students for school as they enter school, then it's going to make sure that they're successful for the rest of their lives," she said.

The vice chair said early childhood foundations and social skills are central to later achievement. She emphasized family routines—reading and talking with children—and warned that extensive phone use among very young children undermines opportunities to learn how to play, share and use language. "Children under the age of 5 should not be on phones at all," Combs said.

Combs described how she uses student input to guide decisions. She meets with students and community groups, listens to public comment and said those direct accounts show what is working and what is not. She said the board is exploring ways to reduce vaping in school bathrooms and address access concerns raised by students; the podcast paraphrased this as the district "looking at technologies to detect vaping and keep bathrooms available for students." (The episode's transcript used the phrase "vape machines," which the district discussion framed as monitoring technologies rather than new punitive facilities.)

On teacher retention and support, Combs pointed to class size, leadership and salaries as the biggest levers. "The most important part of our job is the employees," she said, naming bus drivers, cafeteria staff, teachers and principals as central to school climate. She called for compensation that reflects the value of teaching and said strong principals are key to building effective schools.

Combs also addressed school choice and access. She noted that parents want options and that the district's choice programs have expanded, and she advocated for more regional offerings so students do not have long daily commutes. "A child on a bus for three hours is not really great for them," she said, noting mental health pressures and anxiety among students.

As a final note to listeners, Combs urged families and educators to focus on the work at hand and on the district's positive outcomes, citing graduation and bilingual completion rates as measures of progress. The episode closes with an invitation to find more information about board initiatives on the district website.

The remarks were part of a recorded interview on the Hillsborough County Public Schools podcast "More to the Story."