FLEMING ISLAND – A growing number of Clay County candidates are declining to participate in Clay Family Policy Forum Inc. candidate surveys this year due to concerns over the relevancy of some of the questions.

This year’s 93-question school board survey polls candidates’ positions on everything from the participation of parents in policy creation to the necessity of the state mandated three percent reserve fund.

Many of the questions on the 2016 school board survey polls candidates’ opinions on social issues as well, such as marijuana legalization, abortion, same-sex marriage and the severity of the threat of radical Islam while offering only tangential connections back to education.

“There are 90 something questions on the questionnaire, and most of them are not relevant to the job at hand,” said District 4 School Board candidate Mary Bolla. “I’m running for school board, and I would answer questions about my education, my philosophy answer and about what I teach. I’m not sure about the validity of this particular questionnaire for the position that I’m running.”

From its inception in March 2006, CFPF has committed itself to sampling election candidates on a broad range of topics and what it describes as pro-family social issues facing the country.

“They claim this is the most accurate survey there is to see who agrees with you. That is true,” said Smitty Huffman, who ran for school board district three in 2012. “Is it the most accurate survey to see who the best candidate for office is? Absolutely not.”

CFPF arranges all of the surveys into a voter guide that lists a cross section of candidate answers. Candidate’s perspectives on abortion legislation reform has appeared at the top of nearly every guide for every office from Sherriff to school board. Huffman said that CFPF cherry picks answers to issues like these to “point out the differences between the ones that disagree with their philosophy” to “target those candidates.”

Huffman said the questions themselves manufacture a “no winner” situation through intentionally biased phrasing.

“There are probably 10 areas they select to report on, and I don’t feel that that’s fair, balanced reporting,” Bolla said. “I think there’s definitely a bias as to what they’re going to report on in relationship to who they’re talking about.”

CFPF President Mary Lib Stevenson of Green Cove Springs declined to comment on the 2016 candidate surveys.

In 2014, Clay County School Board District 5 candidate Sandra Dunnavant attempted to sue CFPF on grounds that the organization changed her answers on the group’s election survey. Dunnavant later recanted her statements and dropped the lawsuit. Judgment on the case called for Dunnavant to pay $30,000 to offset legal costs.

CFPF has input answers for candidates in the past who have declined to respond to the survey. During the 2014 race for District 3 School Board, Tina Bullock chose not to respond to the survey. She was included in the voter guide next to her opponent Betsy Condon, who was elected. CFPF filled in “accepted” on whether or not she would accept endorsements from the teachers union, in addition, they also answered “no” to a survey question regarding if she had changed her political affiliation

“I don’t think it’s designed to inform the public,” Bullock said. “I think it’s designed to support candidates that they want to win, and not support those that they don’t, looking for people who look just exactly like them, who fall into this little narrow group of parameters, not anyone with differing opinions. In a school system, we take all kinds, it’s called public education for a reason, it’s for everybody.”

Also joining Bullock in 2014 by not completing the CFPF survey were fellow school board candidates Brian Graham and District 1 School Board member Janice Kerekes. Graham, sone of former School Board member Lisa Grahm was defeated by Ashley Gilhousen, while Kerekes defeated challenger Kenny Leigh, a men-only divorce attorney from Fleming Island.

The full list of candidates who declined to participate in the survey will remain unknown until CFPF prints its voter guide for this election season. The organization also publishes candidate answers on its website.

Clay County Superintendent hopeful Addison Davis has also declined to participate in the survey.

“I just think at the end of the day this needs to focus on education,” Davis said. “Anytime we can talk about improving teaching and learning, then that should be the area of focus. Do we all have core values of life and family? Absolutely, but when we talk about a race for someone to prove the values and educational foundation of our children it should be all teaching and learning.”

CFPF celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. To date the Florida nonprofit has mailed 127 surveys. The organization invites all local candidates to a pastor’s reception to share their core values with pastors and church members. The event is invitation only.

Clay County voters head to the polls to cast their votes on Aug. 30. Before that time, CFPF will distribute its voter guide to educate voters on a broad range of topics. To review the school board candidate survey, click here.