District 4 candidate Gigi Gentile draws on her special education experience to address one of Lee County’s most urgent challenges.
Let me tell you about a student I once worked with. I will not use his name, but I will tell you this: he was in the fourth grade when I met him, and he could not read a single sentence independently. Not because he wasn’t intelligent. Not because he wasn’t trying. But because the early warning signs had been missed, the right interventions had never come, and by the time anyone paid close attention, he was already years behind.
That child’s story is not unique. It plays out in classrooms across Lee County every single year.
Florida’s literacy data tells a sobering story. And Lee County, despite real efforts and some genuine progress, has continued to struggle with reading proficiency — particularly in the early grades where the foundation is set for everything that follows.
“A child who cannot read by third grade faces an uphill battle for the rest of their education. That is not a statistic. That is a child’s future.”
As a special education teacher, I understand literacy challenges in a way that goes beyond test scores and data charts. I have seen what happens inside a child when they cannot keep up with their peers. The frustration. The shame. The slow erosion of confidence that, if left unaddressed, can follow a child well into adulthood.
I have also seen what happens when the right support arrives at the right time. It is transformational.
Here is what I will fight for as your District 4 school board representative:
First, full and faithful implementation of Florida’s READ Act — the state’s science-based, phonics-first literacy framework. The research is clear: structured phonics instruction works, and every Lee County school should be implementing it with fidelity and consistency.
Second, robust early intervention. We cannot wait until third grade to identify struggling readers. We need systematic screening in kindergarten and first grade, followed by targeted tutoring and support before children fall too far behind.
Third, real data transparency. Every family in District 4 deserves to know exactly how their child’s school is performing — in clear, accessible, school-by-school information published regularly and publicly.
And fourth, we cannot forget our advanced learners. Academic achievement means raising the floor AND the ceiling. Gifted students deserve as much attention and investment as students who are struggling.
Every child in District 4 deserves to leave school able to read, write, compute, and compete. That is not an aspiration. It is a promise.
Gisele “Gigi” Gentile is a candidate for Lee County School Board, District 4. She is a longtime Lee County resident and former special education teacher. Learn more at
www.Gigi4schoolboard.com.
