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Lee School Board’s Scott remembered as mentor, student advocate

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Tom Scott was a mentor and a father figure on the Lee County School Board, who always had the best interests of the children first, even if you didn’t always agree with him.

That is how those who worked with Scott remembered him after he passed away Friday at age 66. He is survived by his wife, Kendra, and his sons, Joel and Brian.

Among those who worked closely with, he was very passionate about the issues facing the system.

“He was very passionate, very professional and cared deeply about the students,” School Board Member Don Armstrong said. “There was no in-between with him. You knew where he stood on the issues.”

Marshall T. Bower, president and CEO of the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, of which Scott was a member of theboard as chairman of the School Board, said there were two things that made him stand out.

“The students were always at the center of what he wanted to do. He always kept that in mind,” Bower said. “He was also big on parental involvement. He understood that in order for students to be engaged in learning, their parents had to be partners with them.”

Among his final acts as a member of the School Board was voting in favor to opt out of statewide, standardized testing on Aug. 27, a vote that was later rescinded.

That decision notes that, while not everyone agreed with him, he always respected other’s viewpoints and was always a gentleman.

“We had a very good relationship. We always disagreed on the issues, never on the individual. He was always a professional,” Armstrong said. “I had the utmost respect for him for that.”

“We did not always agree, but that was OK. He was professional and he was always intelligent and informed,” said Mark Castellano, president of the Lee County Teachers Association. “He never did things flippantly, he always had his rationale. We didn’t always agree. That’s okay.”

Scott, who chaired the board, represented District 5, which encompasses much of northeast Lee County, including Lehigh Acres.

As far as his legacy, he will be remembered for everything from his commitment to students to cheese sandwiches.

That came from Armstrong, and became a running joke at School Board meetings following a complaint about feeding kids cheese sandwiches.

“He said he liked them and I said I didn’t. It became a running joke,” Armstrong said. “I had a lot of respect for him. He was my close friend and mentor and at times even treated me as his son.”

“His legacy will be one of integrity and that he had the kids as his first priority. He did his homework and was well-prepared,” Castellano said.

Though he didn’t point to any one thing, for Bower his legacy will be the scholarship fund that was founded after his passing.

“He was a businessman who took the time to educate himself on our students and got involved. We’re hoping his legacy will be when his wife reached out to me and said they wanted to set up a scholarship in his name through the foundation,” Bower said.

In lieu of flowers, individuals are asked to donate to a scholarship fund established in his memory with the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools.

Checks should be payable to: The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, 2266 Second St., Fort Myers, FL 33901.